What follows is a brief, nutshell introduction to Islam, we hope you enjoy the read.

What is Islam?

“Islam” is an Arabic term which means to submit one’s will to the will of God. Islam is a monotheistic religion that teaches that there is only one divine being, one supreme Creator of the universe. Muslims believe that Islam is the true religion of God revealed to humanity. It is a universal religion that can be practiced by anyone at any time and in every place. The central concept of this way of life is total submission to God.

Islam is a complete, holistic way of living that covers every aspect of life. Islam leaves no stone unturned as it teaches mankind on how to behave in every area of life: individual, social, material, moral, ethical, legal, cultural, political, economical and global.

What is a Muslim?

A Muslim is anyone who submits their will to the one and only true God who is worthy of worship, “Allah” (God). A Muslim also believes in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last and final prophet of God. By submitting oneself and worshiping Allah (God), a Muslim attains peace through obedience to his commandments. Peace is a natural result of submitting to the will of Allah.

For a person to become a Muslim and accept Islam as their faith, they must say and believe in the following phrase:

لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ
“La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammad rasool Allah”

This sentence literally means “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.” The sentence also means “There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger.” The moment a person says this phrase and begins to act upon it they become a Muslim.

Who is Allah?

Allah is the name God Almighty has given Himself as is mentioned many times in the Holy Quran.

“Say: He is Allah, (the) One; Allah, the Eternal; He did not beget (give birth) and He was not begotten (given birth to); And there has never been anyone equal to Him.” [Al Qu’ran 112:1-4]

Muslims believe He has no partners in divinity, which includes having no son, and nothing in the universe is similarto Him. Muslims believe that Allah is the Originator and Sustainer of the universe and that he created human beingsfor only one purpose: to worship Him alone.

To worship anything besides Allah is considered a grave sin. The reward for worshiping Him alone and following hispath is goodness in this world and Paradise in the next.

The Holy Qur’an

A core belief taught in Islam is that human beings are unique from among God’s creation. We have the ability to think freely and choose to behave in any way we wish. In order to communicate and guide mankind, Allah sends Prophets and Messengers with scriptures to teach mankind about the true message. Muslims believe that many scriptures have been revealed to mankind in the past. They include the Torah sent to Moses, the Psalms sent to David, and the Gospel sent to Jesus Christ (peace be upon them all).

The Holy Qur’an is the last revelation from Allah sent to all of mankind and it was revealed to his final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims believe that Islam is not a new religion, but rather a continuation and completion of the message revealed to the Prophets of the past. Allah teaches in the Quran:

Say (O Muhammad): “We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Ishaq (Isaac), Ya’qub (Jacob) and Al-Asbat [the twelve sons of Ya’qub (Jacob)] and what was given to Musa (Moses), ‘Isa (Jesus) and the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allah) we have submitted (in Islam). [Al Qur’an 3:84]

And in another verse Allah tells us that Islam is the final message for mankind:

“This day have I (Allah) perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”. [Al Qur’an 5:3]

The Holy Qur’an contains 114 chapters and it was revealed over 1,400 years ago to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims believe that it is the verbatim word of Allah; it has not been tampered, edited, or changed in any way throughout those years. The Qur’an we have today is the same Qur’an that was originally revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). This scripture covers the major themes of life such as piety, worship, belief, morals, good deeds, sins, death, the afterlife and much more.

Who is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)?

From the beginning of mankind until the present day Allah has sent a Prophet to every nation to guide them to the truth. They were sent to teach their people to worship God alone and not to ascribe any divine partners to Him. The names of these Prophets may sound familiar to you. They include Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Jesus, Muhammad, and many others (peace be upon them all).

Muslims believe Jesus to be a Prophet of God rather than a divine being or son. We will cover this difference in faith between the Muslims and Christians in a future guide. This chain of prophethood began with Adam and ended with Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final Prophet of Allah.

He was born in Makkah in the year 570, about six centuries after Jesus (peace be upon him). He grew up to be known as an honest and truthful person throughout the city. When he reached the age of 40 he was chosen to be a Prophet of Allah. He was chosen at a time when mankind had turned away from the original message of Islam that the previous Prophets had come with. Muslims believe the Gospel, Torah, and other scriptures were distorted by people after their Prophets had passed away.

Allah sent the archangel Gabriel to reveal the Qur’an to Muhammad (peace be upon him) to spread the correct, unadulterated teachings of Islam to the four corners of the globe. Allah gave Muhammad (peace be upon him) the ability to carry on the message successfully and today 1.6 billion believe in this faith. They are grateful for the blessing of calling themselves Muslim.

What are the 5 Pillars?

The religion of Islam stands on five pillars. It is recorded that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon) said:

“Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakat (obligatory charity), making the hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadan.”

1. Belief in One God and the Testimony of Faith (Tawheed)

Tawheed (pronounced tow-heed) is an Arabic term which refers to the unique belief in the oneness of God. It is Islam’s concept of monotheism in which the religion’s core tenets are built upon.

It refers to the belief that there is only one divine being that is worthy of worship – Allah. When Muslims mention the name of Allah, they are calling out to the one true God of the universe. Tawheed is the first and the most important pillar of the five pillars of Islam. Believing and acting on this pillar is the key to entering Islam. In order to become a Muslim and enter into the fold of Islam a person must pronounc the testimony of faith, or shahada in Arabic. The testimony of faith is a single statement:

لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ

“Laa ilaha illa Allah Muhammad Rasoolullah”

This sentence means “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” It means to admit and to believe that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger. The entirety of the religion and all of its teachings is built upon the foundation of this belief in God. The testimony of faith (shahada) is the most important thing in the life of a Muslim. The words “La ilaha illAllah” are announced during the call to prayer and in sermons. It is the phrase by which the earth and heavens were raised. Every single creation was created for this phrase. This is the phrase which distinguishes between a Muslim and a person of another faith.

2. The 5 Daily Prayers (Salah)

The prayer is the second most important pillar in Islam, and it is the first thing that a person will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment. If the person’s prayer is good, then that person will be successful. But if the person’s prayer is incorrect in some way, then that person will have achieved failure. There are five obligatory prayers that every sane adult Muslim has to observe every day. Allah tells us about these prayers in the Qur’an:

“Guard strictly (five obligatory) the prayers especially the middle prayer (i.e. Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience.” [Al Qur’an 2:238]

The five daily prayers are:

• Fajr (early morning, before dawn)
• Duhr (mid-day, just after noon)
• ‘Asr (mid afternoon)
• Maghrib (just after sunset)
• Isha (at night, after dark has fallen)

The prayer is the link between a person and Allah. It is an intimate relationship a person has with His Creator and it should be performed to the best of one’s ability. One of the many things that Islam is known for is the brotherhood and sisterhood between Muslims. One of ways this feeling of belonging is achieved is through the prayer in congregation.

3. Giving Wealth to Zakat

Zakat is the third pillar of Islam. It is a specified portion of a Muslim’s wealth that is given to those in need. It is the amount given once a year to support specific categories of people. The amount is about 2.5% of total wealth which includes the following asset classes:

• Gold and silver
• Precious metals
• Stocks and shares
• Real estate
• Cash
• Agricultural livestock

These are the most common asset classes for which Zakat is paid from. The linguistic meaning of zakat is “that which purifies.” It is considered to be a way for Muslims to purify their wealth and income. Similar to how the prayer (salah) purifies a person’s soul, zakat purifies your assets and earns you the pleasure of Allah because your wealth is distributed to those in need.

Allah has enjoined upon the Muslims zakat which is taken from those who have wealth and given to those in need. Zakat is only obligatory for Muslims who have reached puberty (i.e. they are adults), are mentally stable, and are financially capable. Furthermore, the amount of wealth a person has must reach a certain threshold known as the nisaab. The nisaab is a minimum amount of wealth a person must have before zakat becomes due upon them. The wealth should be in their possession for one year.

This pillar of Islam is not required for those who do not meet the criteria above. For example, if you are a university student with plenty of debt, a father who lives paycheck to paycheck, or a person whose wealth has not reached the nisaab (minimum amount) then zakat is not required for you to pay.

4. Fasting in the month of Ramadan

Fasting in the month of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. It refers to the practice of abstaining from eating food, drinking liquids, and having intercourse from the break of dawn until sunset. Similar to the pillars that have been mentioned already, fasting is obligatory upon every sane, adult Muslim, male and female alike.

Allah has enjoined upon the Muslims to fast for one month of the year in order to strengthen our faith, piety and God consciousness. This involves avoiding that which Allah has forbidden, practicing patience throughout the day, bringing our desires under control, competing in generosity through charity, and demonstrating co-operation and mutual compassion. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“O you who believe! Observing the fast is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious.” [Al Qur’an 2:183]

The month of Ramadan is a great month as it was the period in which Allah revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The reward for good deeds, acts of charity and acts of worship are multiplied in this month.

5. Hajj – The Pilgrimage to Makkah

The fifth and final pillar of Islam is to perform the hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah. Every year millions of Muslims make their way to the Kaba, the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah to perform the pilgrimage. It is one of the most significant forms of worship in Islam and it demonstrates unity among the Muslims. This action is required from every Muslim to perform at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially capable. It is a deed that requires much time and energy from a person which is why it is required to be done only once in a lifetime.

The reward for performing hajj is great. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said concerning the reward of hajj:

“He who performs Hajj seeking Allah’s pleasure and avoids all lewdness and sins (therein) will return after Hajj free from all sins, just as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.”

To learn more please email the centre for an Introduction to Islam info pack.