ISLAMIC BELIEFS

"O people! Worship your Guardian Lord, Who created you and those who came before you that you may become righteous. Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance; Then set not up rivals unto Allah when you know (the truth)." Holy Qur’an 2:21, 22 What are the Islamic beliefs? Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, in the angels created by Him, in the revealed Scriptures, in the prophets through whom His revelations were made to mankind, in the Day of Judgement and life after death, individual accountability for actions, and in God’s complete authority over human destiny.

What does faith in ‘One God’ mean? Allah, the Creator and Protector of all beings in the universe, big and small, in His essence His goodness and his deeds, remains alone and unique. One offers worship only to Him, who is Almighty, higher than everyone else and Himself being perfect in everything. By monotheism, Islam implies, not the mere belief that there is just one God, but it power the way for prayers and offerings to the one who is all Merciful and Omniscient.

Who is Allah? The Arabic word ‘Allah’ is the shortened form of ‘al-ilah’, ‘The God, the one and only God, the first, the last, the eternal, the hidden, the manifest, the ultimate reality’. Even non-Muslim Arabs use the term ‘Allah’ when they speak of God. The basic creed of Islam is this simple formula: ‘There is no God but Allah’ (‘La ilaha illallah’). The Arabic term ‘Allah’ denoting God, is unique in many ways. It has no plural like ‘gods’; it has no gender like ‘godess’; nor does this word generate a visual image of any kind. "Allah", He is God, the One true God, He is the one who deserves all worship and there is nothing comparable to him. Nevertheless, ninety-nine different attributes of Allah are named in the Qur’an.

Who are the angels? Angels are the servants of God and they were created from light. They are beyond the realm and reach of human comprehension. They do not have freedom of action and can only carry out the command of God.

What are the Scriptures? The Scriptures are the sacred books containing divine revelations from God which were conveyed through His messengers for the guidance of man. Prophets were sent to all peoples of all ages, to warn them and guide them to righteousness and virtue. The names of the four known scriptures are ‘the Torah’, ‘the Zabur’, ‘the Injeel’ and ‘the Qur’an’. ‘The Torah’ was revealed to Prophet Moses (Peace be upon him) and it is the greatest among the Israelites books. The Zabur was revealed to Prophet David (Peace be upon him). ‘The Injeel’ which Allah revealed to Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon him), is a confirmation of ‘the Torah’ and a complement to it. The Qur’an, which was revealed to the last of the prophets, is but a restatement of the faith delivered to the prophets before him. The more the Qur’an is studied with an unprejudiced mind, the more this truth emerges, that the Qur’an is a confirmation of all the earlier scriptures and messages sent by God through His messengers who lived and preached among various sects of humanity.

Who are the prophets? Prophets are men, chosen by God at various stages and under varying circumstances of history, to lead men from darkness to light. The Qur’an repeatedly states the fact that prophets with the same message were sent to each and every community. The process of revelation continued unabated, sometimes in succession, at other times in broken sequences until the period in history, when the termination of Divine revelation and messengership, with the Qur’an and Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) became a significant milestone in the history of mankind. It is true that the lives and mission of many a prophet has been made obscure and distorted by legends that grew around them or by people with vested interests, who used the names of these prophets to exploit men and mislead them from the right faith. No prophet of God has claimed himself to be divine. They were all mortals who lived and passed away from this earth after completing their mission of conveying the basic message to mankind, which was a call for the recognition and affirmation of God’s existence, uniqueness and Lordship over all creation. It is an integral part of Islamic faith to believe in all the prophets of God.

What does Islam say about life after death? Death does not terminate man’s life. On the other hand, Islam teaches that it is the door that opens to an eternal lifer after death. The appropriate reward for one’s earthly deeds, good or bad, is disbursed only in the Hereafter. The Islamic belief is that mankind will be resurrected, on the Day of Judgment, after every creation is destroyed. After being reborn, man will face a trial which will be in absolute control of the Almighty. Here, all the good and bad acts of man during his sojourn on earth will be unfurled before his eyes in order to be ultimately judged by God. The virtuous will be rewarded with virtue and the wrong doers punished appropriately. Those who have made sacrifices and discharges noble deeds will receive the shelter of peace in Heaven and those who have denigrated their lives through vices and evil will be condemned to suffer horrors of Hell. Islam inculcates the concept of accountability both in public and private life of a person by emphasizing the paramount importance of life Hereafter for mankind.

What does faith in destiny mean in Islam? The Law of God, the Creator and Ruler of the worlds, is a powerful, all pervasive law which governs all that comprises the universe. No creation can lodge this Law and man’s position is no different. Even man’s environment and physical constitution are regulated on the basis of this divine law. The good and the bad that befall him happen on the basis of divine Destiny. How they befall on each one is in accordance with the predetermined decision made by the Omniscient Creator, who is aware of the ultimate good and evil of mankind. Hence, Islam directs man to believe in Destiny, whether good or bad, which Allah has measured and ordained for all creatures according to His previous knowledge and as deemed suitable by His wisdom.