Principal Beliefs

1. Principal Beliefs The seven articles of faith Islamic attitudes

2. Definition Islam teaches a belief in seven articles of faith. Accepting the Islamic faith, observe the five pillars of Islam- belief, regular prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca.

3. 1. Allah is the one true God – He is all – knowing, ever present and all – good, and expects that human beings will also live morally good lives – the declaration of Allah’s unity is known as Tawhid; Islam is strongly insistent upon monotheism, meaning they strongly believe that there is one God and that God is Allah. Every day Devout Muslims utter: “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” The seven articles of faith

4. Tawhid is a belief in the oneness of God, it is based on the belief that all other deities are mere fabrications and empty illusions – that there is only one true God. Allah is know as the ‘The One who is worshipped at Mecca’ and who revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad. Muslims believe that Allah is the ‘eternal all powerful creator’, and that no one shares his power, he has no sons or daughters and so therefore he is the only one with that power. They also believe that Christians are wrong to regard Jesus as the son of God, or the holy trinity. To Muslims Allah is all seeing and all knowing, he is the ever present mighty one.

5. 2. Angel as the instruments of Allah’s will; The Qur’an was given to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel speaking on behalf of the Allah. Thus Islam affirms the existence of spiritual beings, intermediate between humanity and Allah, who carry out Allah’s will into eh world. Unlike him and they do not possess free will. The Qur’an names other angels apart from Gabriel. Michael was the instrument for carrying out the plan of Allah for the creation of the universe. There is a fallen angel called Iblis or Shaitan (Satan) who has a demon army of evil jinn. Various unnamed angels perform such tasks as helping Muslims in battle, protecting the fates of heaven and hell, and keeping records of the people’s thoughts and actions for reference on Judgment Day.

6. 3. Revelation of Allah’s intentions is through the prophets in the books of Allah. The main four books are named; The Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, the Gospels of Jesus, and the Qur’an. The Qur’an is the last and most complete. Allah’s revelation requires him an obedience if one is to avoid is and find true life.

7. Revelation of God’s intentions is through he books called the ‘Books of Allah’. God revealed his truths to his prophets. The four most important books are: -Torah of Moses -Psalms of David -Gospels of Jesus And -Qur’an Muslims believe that the Torah, Psalms and Gospels and a lot in common with the teachings of Islam’s, but over time have been lost and changed. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the most complete of all the books of Allah. A true believer “not only accepts the truth of the Qur’an intellectually, but also practices obedience to the divine law in daily life”.

8. 4. Prophets (Rusul) – there are 28 messengers or prophets of Allah, and Muhammed is the final and best; Muslims believe in a Rusul, the messengers or prophets of God. Muslims view Islam as the oldest of the major religions. They believe that it has existed from the beginning of time, and that God has gradually revealed more and more to his people through prophets who have spoken on behalf of god. To each Rusul God revealed a scripture that held the same essential message as the Qur’an.

9. The Qur’an specifically mentions three earlier revelations and names 25 different prophets. The scriptures accepted in the Islamic faith are the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David and the Gospel of Jesus. The most important Rusuls are those whom introduced new teachings; -Adam -Noah -Abraham (taught that there was only one God) -Moses ( taught the ten commandments) -David And -Jesus (taught the golden rule) All earlier revelations were distorted, and to rectify the matter Allah sent the true Qur’an to the prophet himself. Thus, the Qur’an is the final and complete revelation of Allah, it supersends all previous scriptures.

10. 5. Last Judgment – divine judgment will result in eternal reward or punishment depending upon Allah’s mercy and justice;

11. 6. Life after Death (Akhira) – the moral quality of the individual person’s thought and actions in life contribute to the satte of life after death; The Qur’an describes itself as a book of warning, warning humanity about the judgment they will face in life after death. That day is called the Day of Reckoning (Youm al-Qiyama). The Qur’an states that Allah will pass sentence on everyone. Everyone’s body will rise from the grave and all with be gathered in a vast plain where they will be tormented by great thirst and heat. The thoughts and actions of each person will b e recorded and examined, Allah will then decide whether they are to go to heaven or hell.

12. According to the Qur’an only those who believe on the revelations of the prophets will be rewarded with the delights of heaven. Those who are chosen to go to heaven will live in perpetual luxury and complete physical comfort, this includes clothes, vast amounts of food, cool breezes, grand mansions and servants. Those who do not believe will be sent to hell, where they will be constantly scourged by hot blasts, boiling liquids, foul smoke and molten metal.

13. 7. Supremacy of Allah’s will- nothing can happen without the Will and knowledge of Allah. The Qur’an take for granted that people have free will to choose between good and evil. Since Allah those who are condemned to hell for doing evil receive the proper punishment. Nothing can occur without the knowledge of Allah and nothing is outside his control. Therefore people are predestined/fated to go to heaven and others to hell. Islam acknowledges the tension between divine control and human freedom, but Muslims generally accept the paradox as one of the heart-mysteries of their faith.

14. Creation- The natural world is a physical creation and a reality separate from Allah. It is regarded as good and real, not evil or illusory. The command ‘Be’ is situated in the Qur’an describes how the world of solidity has come from a fluid and gaseous substance. The purpose of creation is to know the Creator. Presence- Creation is the act of Allah emanating from His infinite attributes, all of which are founded on His Unique Essence. Islamic Attitudes

15. Responsibility- Allah says in the Qur’an that every person is responsible and accountable for his or her own actions and for the extent to which s/he has realized the purpose of existence. Life is a nursery in which we are all being taught the ultimate knowledge of the One, All-permeating Reality which is the source of individual life experienced in this world.

16. Attitude: the importance of developing the faculty of cognition and reasoning is highlighted in Allah’s revelation and the prophetic teaching in the Qur’an. The prophetic advice is to take reasoning to its limit and then depend on Allah with positive faith, trust and the highest expectation of them right outcome. Mankind: the most important creation is our own self. We are programmed to want to discover who we are, why do we experience fluctuating moods, what makes us desire wealth, security, long life and inner equilibrium. Islamic teaching on the origins of development of the self says that spirits act on matter and results in a soul which lives within the physical body.

17. The meaning of life: Muslims believe that Allah created the universe and all of mankind. Mecca is the navel of the world, for it was created first and then the rest of the earth developed around it. The material world is good and real, not evil and illusory. Each person is a unique individual with only one life to live on this earth. The last judgment will have all people answer for their thoughts and deeds in life and will be appropriately rewarded with heaven or hell. Allah allows for individual freedom and that humans beings are the architects of their own destiny.