Beliefs of Islam

Ally Philyaw Sarah Bingham Caitlin Whiten Amy Wood

Basic Tenets of Islam

• Belief in one and only God, without any partner, companion, etc.

• Belief in Muhammad as the prophet and Messenger of God

• Belief in the Five Pillars of Islam• Belief in the Six Articles of Faith• Belief in the Quran • Following the teachings of the Quran• Performing good deeds

Muhammad the Prophet

• Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad to give him special revelations

• Muhammad discovered that he was to be the messenger of God and spread the teachings he received

• Muhammad was the last of God’s prophets• Muslims do not believe that Muhammad is the

reincarnate of God or the son of God, but his messenger

The Six Articles of Faith• These express the core beliefs of Muslims

1. God2. The angels of God3. The scriptures of God4. The prophets of God5. Resurrection6. The Divine Creed

God

• Muslims are monotheistic, meaning they believe in one God

• This God is called Allah• Allah is eternal and omnipotent• Allah alone created the universe

Angels• Angels are made of light and given

different purposes by God• Gabriel delivered the divine message to

Muhammad• Kiraaman and Katibeen record the

actions of humans, one recording good deeds and the other bad deeds

• Azrael, the angel of death, removes the soul from the body

• Munkir and Nakir question each person at the grave

Scriptures• Muslims believe that the writings

of Moses (the Torah), David (the Psalms), Jesus (the Gospel), and Muhammad (the Quran) are all holy

• However, the writings of the Quran are the only ones personally protected by God

• The other books may have been altered over time by their followers

Prophets

• God uses prophets on the earth to deliver his message

• All these prophets are viewed equally• No prophet’s message is less valid than any of the

others

Resurrection

• At the end of the world, all humans will be resurrected from the grave

• On the Day of Judgement, each person will be held accountable for their actions on Earth

• The innocent people will be sent to heaven and the evil people will be sent to hell

The Divine Creed

• According to the Divine Creed, God is supreme and not limited by anything

• God knows all and controls all• We have free will and can choose the path of

our lives because God allowed us to do so• Even though we have free choice, God already

knows each thing that we will do

Five Pillars

1. Shahadah, the confession of faith2. Salat, prayer3. Sawm Ramadan, fasting during the month of

Ramadan4. Zakat, the giving of alms5. Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca

• The Five Pillars lay out the beliefs and rituals of the Islamic faith

• They are:

Shahadah

• Shahadah means “the confession of faith” in the Muslim world.

• The Shahadah is: “There is not God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

• This is the very first thing spoken to a newborn child.

• This is also the last thing spoken to someone right before death.

Salat

• Salat means “prayer”. Prayer is very important in the Islam world; Muslims pray five times every day.

• The daily prayers are prayed facing the holy land of Mecca.

• The prayers are read from the holy book of Islam, the Qur’an.

Sawm Ramadan

• The Sawm Ramadan is the fast that takes place during the month of Ramadan.

• During the month-long fast, Muslims have to refrain from food, drinks, and sexual relationships from dawn until dusk each day.

• This process is used to purify Muslims as a “renunciation of the world”.

Zakat

• Zakat means “alms-giving”.• A duty to God of Muslims is to distribute the

wealth they earn to those who are less fortunate than them.

• Islamic law states that everyone must give 2.5% of their money to the less fortunate; this is paid by the Muslims in taxes.

Hajj

• Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca.• All Muslims must go to Mecca at least once in

their lives.• This allows the believers to gain a perspective

on their lives and their places in society.

Works Cited

Bard, Mitchell. "Muhammad." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Muhammad.html>."The Five Pillars." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/5PILLARS.HTM>."The Six Articles Of Faith." Muslim Voices: Islam Blog, Videos and Podcasts Promoting Intercultural Dialogue. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://muslimvoices.org/articles-faith/#>.