Islam is the religion of Muslims, a faith that there is only one Allah (God) and prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is the last prophet of Allah.Derived from Arabic root “Salam/ Salema”, the name of final and only upright religionIslam has been derived referring to peace, purity, submission and obedience. In religious sense the word Islam means surrender and submission to the will of Allah and obedience to His laws.Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran (interpretation of the meaning),

“Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam…. ” (Aal- Imran, 03:19)

Basic Islamic Beliefs:

  • Belief in God

    Muslims believe in one Allah who is incomparable.  He has no so nor any partner and none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. No one shares His Divinity or His attributes.

  • Belief in the Angels

    Muslims believe in the existence of angels and they are honoured creatures.  The Angels worship Allah, obey Him and they act only on the commands of Allah.

  • Belief in God’s revealed Books

    Muslims believe that Allah has revealed books to His messengers as a proof for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these books is Qur’an which Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H).

  • Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of Allah

    Muslims believed in the Prophets and Messengers of Allah starting with Adam. But Allah’s final message was revealed to the Prophet (P.B.U.H) and Muslims have a strong belief that He is the last Prophet of Allah Almighty.

  • Belief in the Day of Judgement

    Muslims believe in the day of judgement where every person will be accountable for his deeds in front of Allah.

  • Belief in Al-Qadar

    • Muslims strongly believe in Al-Qadar which is Divine Predestination but this belief does not mean that human beings don’t need to strive.

Muslims follow the teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah and strive hard to act as per the five pillars of Islam (testimony of Faith, Salah, Zakat, Saum and Hajj).Holy Quran is the sacred book believed to be the Final word of Allah Almighty revealed upon the last beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic. Holy Quran, in Arabic language, is the complete guidance for the entire mankind.

The five pillars of Islam:

The five pillars compose the framework of obedience for Muslims

  1. Testimony of Faith (shahada): “la Ilaha illa Aallahu Muhammad Rasul Allah.”This means that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger of Allah. A person can convert to Islam by reciting it.
  2. Salah (Prayer): Five prayers a day are obligatory on Muslim Ummah.
  3. Zakat (Almsgiving): It is a certain percentage of amount given once in a year by the affluent Muslims upon their assets including gold and silver to help Muslims living in destitute.
  4. Sawm (Fasting): Muslims keep fast during the Holy month of Ramadan i.e. 9th month as per Islamic calendar. During fasting (dawn till dusk) they abstain from eating, drinking and fulfilling their physical desires just for gaining Allah Almighty’s real pleasure as only He Almighty has the power to reward a fasting person.
  5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): It is performed in the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Hajj is only obligatory upon a Muslimonce in lifetime if he/she is financially and physical stable enough to bear the expenses to travel to the land of Hijaz.

Concept of Reward and Punishment:

There is a strong and deep rooted concept of heaven and hell in Islam as a reward and punishment for the Muslims after the day of judgement. Those who obey Allah and His laws in the life of this world,ensure their entry to Heaven while those who deviate from the righteous path of Allah and disobey His Commandments earn a ticket to Hellfire. A Muslim must ensure his/her entrance into the former by submitting his/her will to that of Allah Almighty and following the beloved Sunnah of His Final Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).This must the real aim of every Muslim!