The Islamic Belief

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The Islamic Belief

Islam and Muslims

The Arabic word Islam means peace, submission and obedience. The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the teachings and guidance of God as revealed to his prophet Muhammed.

A Muslim is one who believes in God and strives to live his live according to the example and the writings of the Prophet, Muhammed.

The word Allah is the proper name for God in the Islamic belief.

History and Islam

Muhammad was born in the year 570 a.d in the city of Mecca in Arabia. He was born into a rich family and he lived an ordinary life until he was 40. The Muslims believe that when he was 40 God (Allah) made his first revelation to him. He started to preach Islam and soon after both he and his followers were persecuted. He was then commanded by God to migrate to Madinah, another city in Arabia. He continued his work as prophet for 23 years and he died at the age of 63. The Muslims believe that he lived a perfect life and set an example for all human beings.

Islam believes that the message revealed to Muhammad is the same message as was revealed to other prophets such as Abraham and Ismael, Isaac and Jacob and to Moses, Jesus etc. They believe that the message given to Muhammad is the most comprehensive, complete and is the final message.

The Qur’an

The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam. The Qur’an was written during the lifetime of Muhammad. It was written then on separate pieces of palm leaves, parchments, bones etc. Tens of thousands of the followers of Muhammad memorised the whole of the Qur’an. The Muslims believe that God spoke to people through Muhammad and what is written in the Qur’an is God’s message and teachings about how to live. The Muslims believe that the law of God as written in the Qur’an is supreme in all cases. Everyone must obey the Qur’an; the highest and the lowest, the prince and the peasant, the ruler and the ruled.

The Qur’an deals with the basis of creeds, morality, history of humanity, worship, knowledge, wisdom, God-man relationship and his teachings on all aspects. The people of Islam believe that the answers to all the questions about life can be found in the Qur’an. It was written in Arablic first by Muhammad’s followers who learned it by heart and then wrote it down. Muhammad himself could not read or write. The Qur’an is now translated into many different languages.

The Five Pillars of Islam

There are five pillars of Islam

The Declaration of Faith
To bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and the Muhammad is his messenger to all human beings till the Day of Judgement. The Muslim people must follow the way Muhammad lived.

Prayers
Daily prayers are offered 5 times a day as a duty to Allah. These prayers help to strengthen the Muslim’s belief in God and help the person to live a better life.

Fasting the Month of Ramadan (9th month of the Muslim Year)
The Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan. They believe that this helps them to be better people, to have more will-power and be less selfish and to have patience.

Zakat
Each Muslim pays 2.5% of everything saved during the year as a religious duty and this is spent on the poorer people in society.

Pilgrimage to Mecca
This is performed once in a lifetime if a person can afford it financially and physically.

Worship

Islam does not teach or accept mere ritualism. It emphasises intention and action. To worship God is to know him and to love him and to act upon his law in every aspect of life. A Muslim is expected to live a good life, to forbid wrong-doing and oppression, to practise charity and justice and to serve God by serving people.

Every action which is done with the awareness that it fulfills the will of Allah is considered to be an act of worship.

Muslim Life

Islam provides definite guidelines for all people to follow in all walks of life. The guidance it gives covers every part of their lives. The Qur’an reminds people of the purpose of their lives, their duties and obligations towards themselves, other people and their Creator. Muslims are given guidelines as to how to live their lives. They must be always thinking of these and not only aware of God when they are in the Mosque.

Muslims in the World

Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Christianity has the most followers. There are more than 58 countries in the world where Muslims are over 50% of the population.

Prayer

Before prayer the Muslim must first wash and then stand on a clean spot facing Mecca. Prayer can be made anywhere and to make sure the spot is clean they stand on the prayer mat. Each prayer has a series of movements called a Rak’a and before they begin Muslims must decide how many they going to perform.

Fasting

Few of us ever miss a meal unless we are on a diet but during the month of Ramadan (October – November), Muslims do not eat or drink during the hours of daylight. It was during this month that they believe the Angel Gabriel first spoke

to Muhammad and the Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan '‘the gates of paradise are open and the gates of hell shut and the devil in chains”.

During Ramadan the Muslim will get up before dawn, shower and then have a meal before it gets light. He will then fast until dark when he will break his fast by eating dates. By fasting in this way, the rich learn hunger and can sympathise with the poor and everybody benefits from the self-discipline involved.

After thirty days the fast ends with the festival of Id-ul-fitr. All the men gather for special prayers in the mosque and there are also parties at home and gifts are given to the poor. Children wear new clothes and are given books and toys. Homes are decorated and it is a time of great rejoicing rather like Christmas for Christians.

Food Laws

Muslims also have food laws which are very similar to Jews and in some countries Muslim housewives frequently use kosher butchers. These rules were made for reasons of hygiene and Muslims are greatly concerned about personal cleanliness, as indeed are most Asian families. A Muslim must wash thoroughly before prayer.

Mecca

All Muslims who can afford it are expected to visit Mecca at least once in a lifetime. The time for pilgrimage to Mecca is December and January. The time for pilgrimage ends with the festival of Id-ul-adha which in many ways is similar to Id-ul-fitr. Special prayers are again said in the mosque, people exchange greeting cards, there are parties and the giving of presents.

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