Introduction to Understanding Islam and its Principles

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Introduction to Understanding Islam and its Principles

The Arabic word "Islam" literally means "submission." Islam, as a faith, means total and sincere submission to God. Such submission to God brings peace and tranquility.The name Islam is universal in its meaning. It does not refer to a nation or tribe of people, like Judaism which refers to the tribe of Judah. Nor does it take its name from a particular individual, as does Christianity from Christ or Buddhism from Buddha. Islam was not a name chosen by human beings; it was divinely communicated from God. Islam is a complete way of life, implying a total submission to God. One who submits his or her will to God, voluntarily, is called a Muslim. It was not Muhammad but Adam (Peace be upon them) who first brought Islam to humanity. Then, each Prophet and Messenger (Peace be upon them) came to exhort the people to clear understanding of God's commandment and offered teachings pertinent to that time until finally the Prophet Muhammad came with the Last Testament.Allah is the proper Name of the One true God who created the heavens and the earth. It should be mentioned that Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians call God by the name Allah.

THE SIX ARTICLES OF FAITH: 
1. BELIEF IN GOD
2. BELIEF IN HIS ANGELS
3. BELIEF IN HIS BOOKS
4. BELIEF IN HIS PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS
5. BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT
6. BELIEF IN DIVINE DECREE

BELIEF IN GOD

Islam emphasizes that God is One, The creator of all that exists, and He is unique in every way. Only God has the right to be worshipped.

BELIEF IN HIS ANGELS

The angels are creations of God. God created them from light. They are powerful and always do precisely as they are commanded by God.God has revealed to us the names and the duties of some of the angels. A Muslim must believe in the existence of angels. Gabriel and Michael are among the angels mentioned in the Qur'an. For instance, it is Gabriel's duty to take God's revelation to the Prophets and Messengers (Peace be upon them).

BELIEF IN HIS BOOKS

Muslims believe in all of the original scriptures revealed by God to His different Messengers (Peace be upon them). A Muslim must believe in every scripture mentioned by God in the Qur'an. God revealed them, and they are the actual Word of God. The scriptures that God mentions in the Qur'an are as follows:

1. The original Scrolls as revealed to Abraham
2. The original Torah as revealed to Moses
3. The original Psalms as revealed to David
4. The original Injeel (Gospel of Jesus) as revealed to Jesus
5. The Qur'an as revealed to Muhammad (which is still available in its original form) (Peace be upon them all)

Muslims do not consider the Bible that is presently in circulation in various editions and versions to be an accurate representation of the older scriptures that were revealed before the Qur'an. According to the Qur'an, people have distorted these scriptures for their own worldly gain. What remains of them is a mixture of truth and contamination introduced by man. Although Muslims believe in all the previous books, they only live and are guided by the Qur'an and the authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

BELIEF IN HIS PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS

The Prophets and Messengers were individuals who received revelation from God and conveyed it to mankind. They were sent to humanity to return people to monotheism and to guide them to the path of salvation. None of the Prophets and Messengers share in any part of God's divinity. They were merely human beings. It is forbidden for a Muslim to worship them or to use them as a conduit to God. A Muslim should never invoke them, make supplications to them, or seek God's mercy and forgiveness through them. All such acts are polytheistic, and anyone who engages in them is outside the fold of Islam as taught by every single Messenger.Throughout the ages, God sent Prophets to nations all over the world. A Muslim must believe in all of the Prophets and Messengers sent by God. God has mentioned some of them in the Qur'an. Among those who have been mentioned by name are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (Peace be upon them all). All of the Prophets and Messengers came with the teachings of Islam. They were all Muslims. The monotheistic people who truly followed the revealed teachings of the Prophets and Messengers of God were Muslims. For example, when Moses (Peace be upon him) came and proclaimed his Prophethood, anyone who truly followed him in monotheism was Muslim until the time of the next Prophet. Likewise, when Jesus (Peace be upon him) came and declared his Prophethood with clear signs and miracles,   it was obligatory for everyone to accept him unconditionally if they were to be considered Muslims. All those who rejected him became unbelievers by that rejection. The rejection of any of God's Messengers is disbelief in all of them. All the Prophets and Messengers called upon humanity to worship God alone without ascribing to Him any partner, and they   all submitted completely to God, which is Islam.The Prophets, from Adam to Muhammad (Peace be upon them), were all brothers in faith. They all called people to the same truth. Different Messengers came with different sets of laws that God sent through them to guide and govern the people, but the essence of their teachings was the same. They all called people away from the worship of created things to the worship of the Creator. Muslims are required to love and respect all of the Prophets and Messengers of God (Peace be upon them). If a person rejects or dislikes any one of them, that person is not a believer.Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has the distinction of being God's final Messenger and the seal of the Prophets. Because God completed His revelations to mankind and perfectly preserved them forever in the Qur'an, and because His final Prophet and Messenger was able to lead an exemplary life for the twenty-three years of his Prophethood and set clear guidelines for all the generations to follow, no Prophet or Messenger will come after him. This is the reason Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is known as the seal of the Prophets. This means that the manifestation of the divine law that is embodied in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is for all of humanity until the Day of Resurrection (Day of Judgement). To be a believer, it is obligatory to believe in Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the laws that have been revealed through him, as well as in all the Prophets and Messengers who came before. Muhammad and the Prophets and Messengers before him (Peace be upon them) also had to believe in and obey Almighty God. Although Muslims believe in all the Prophets and Messengers of God, they are to follow only the lifestyle of Muhammad, the final Prophet and Messenger (Peace be upon him).

BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

All Muslims must believe, without doubt, in the Day of Judgement and the physical resurrection when the body will be re-created and the soul will be reunited with the body by God's unlimited and amazing power. Just as God created us the first time, He is surely able to bring us forth from death to stand in [the] perfect judgement before Him. From the Day of Judgement, death will be no longer; our existence will be forever. The Day of Judgement is when each and every individual will stand before  the creator and be questioned about his or her deeds. On that climactic day, we will each see in detail the results of even the smallest good and the smallest evil we have set forth in this life. On this day, lying and deception will be impossible. The ultimate reward is Paradise and the penalty is Hell. Heaven and Hell are literal places of existence, not a figment of imagination. God describes Paradise as a fantastic place of pleasure, filled with amazing eternal gardens with rivers flowing beneath. No hot or cold, no disease or fatigue, no evil will exist. God will remove disease from   the heart and body of mankind, and everything one wishes for will be granted. It will be said to those who enter Paradise, "This Paradise you have inherited as a result of God's Mercy and your good deeds."God describes Hell as an eternally horrible place, beyond imagination, a fire whose fuel is men and stone. When stern angels place people in Hell, they will say, "Taste of that which you used to deny."   (Being a Muslim does not assure Paradise unless he or she dies in a state of Islam - submission.) We believe God is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful; however, He is severe in His punishment.God's Infinite Justice is Absolute and Perfect. On the Day of Judgement, all deeds will be revealed, and everyone will be justly treated. We will not enter Paradise because of our deeds alone, but by God's Majesty and Unlimited Grace.

BELIEF IN THE DIVINE DECREE

God, in His timelessness, knows everything that goes on in His creation and when it occurs. From the perspective of temporal beings like us, this means that God Knows everything that happened in the past through His all-encompassing knowledge, everything that is now taking place by His supreme power, and everything that will happen in the future by His infinite wisdom. God's divine knowledge is perfect. He knows all, and all that He knows will come to pass.God has absolute sovereignty over His creation. Everything that exists within His creation and every event that occurs is a direct result of His creating it. Nothing happens in creation except by His power, His  will, and His knowledge.

THE FREE-WILL OF THE HUMAN BEING

An important aspect of Islam is that every human being has the free-will to choose between right and wrong. God has honoured humanity with this great gift. It carries grave responsibility, and, on the Day of Judgement, we will be accountable for our use of this gift.Human free-will does not in any way contradict the fact that God knows everything that will ever occur in creation. Someone might ask: "If God knows that I am going to commit a sin tomorrow, then it is unavoidable that I do so because God's knowledge is infallible and what God knows will come to pass." God's knowledge of this person's decision does not mean that he or she is being forced to make that decision. Human free-will does not in any way contradict God's absolute sovereignty over everything in creation. Nor does it contradict the fact that nothing happens in creation except what God Wills. Some might say, "Therefore, I have no free-will. My free-will is but an illusion." God created within each of us the ability to formulate an intention. God wants us to be able to make our own choices. When a person makes a choice, God, by His divine will, creates the actions and circumstances that allow the person's intention to be carried out. It Is God's will that human beings have free-will. God is not always pleased with the decisions  people make, but He wants them to be able to make these decisions from their own free choice. An example is a person's will to do a good deed. The good deed may never be carried out, but God may reward the person for his or her intention to do a good deed. If the good deed comes to pass, God's will allowed it to take place and God will reward for both intent and action. God may reward you for good deeds willed but not carried out; He does not punish for bad intent not acted upon. God allows us choice (which we often squander).

THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION

It follows from this emphasis on free-will that Islam can only be accepted by free choice. The purpose of human life is to worship God of one's own free-will. Therefore, matters of faith only have value if they are accepted on the basis of choice. If a person is coerced into accepting any religion, that acceptance is false and has no value. God says, "There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things." [Qur'an 2:256]

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

There are five obligatory acts of worship that every Muslim must dutifully carry out. Failure to do so is a grave sin. The edifice of Islam rests upon these pillars. One cannot be considered a Muslim if he or she denies that any one of these acts is obligatory.   The five obligations of Muslims are:1. The Declaration of Faith, to "Testify that there is no deity except God, and that Muhammad is His Messenger", "Shahada"
2. To Pray five times a day, "Salat"
3. To Pay the yearly Alms, "Zakat"
4. To Fast during the month of Ramadhan, "Sawm"
5. To Make a pilgrimage to Makka, "Hajj"

From: http://muslim-canada.org/islam_is.html#2