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What Muslims Believe

Belief in One God
Islam is a monotheistic religion. Muhammad proclaimed that Allah alone is God and that other idols were not to be worshipped. Muslims reject the Christian concept of the Trinity.

Belief in Angels
Muslims believe that God created angels, who are sinless. In Muslim tradition, angels hold various ranks. Some engage in praise of God, others watch over and intercede for believers, others aide in battle, are present for, and can cause, death. Muslim traditions name the four archangels, who are Gabriel, Michael, Izrail the angel of death, and Israfil who will blow the trumpet on the last day to awaken the dead. God's messages were brought directly to Muhammad by Gabriel. God is believed to be too exalted to speak directly with men. The Qur'an also attributes Gabriel with appearing to the Virgin Mary to announce to her that she would have a son.

Belief in God's Prophets
Muslims believe that God sent many prophets to the nations to teach erring men his ways. The Great Prophets are said to be Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Each of these prophets are believed to have been given books which were God's word, and the Qur'an is believed to have taken the place of all previous revelations of God's will. Jesus is considered to be the greatest of all the prophets except for Muhammad.

Belief in the Books of God
Muslims believe that God has spoken, and has given a number of books to his prophets. In the Qur'an there are references to the Torat (of Moses), the Suhuf (sheets or books of the prophets), Zabur (Psalms of David), Injil (Gospel of Jesus), and Qur'an (of Muhammad). Only the Qur'an is considered binding.

Belief in the Resurrection and Judgment
It is believed that one day the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised and judged for their deeds. Muslims believe in paradise and hell, and they do not profess to know where they will go until the day of judgment. Only those who die as martyrs slain in the battle for Islam are considered to be granted immediate access to paradise.

Islam and the Qur'an
The word "Islam" means surrender, or submission, to the will of God. The religion called by that name emerged over 1300 years ago when Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca, began seeing visions and receiving messages which he believed to be the direct words of God. These messages were recited and then written down and became known as the Qur'an. The Qur'an holds a very special place in the Muslim life. They believe it to be the exact revelation of God to humanity. That is why translations of the Qur'an are not referred to as translations, but interpretations. It does not correspond to the Bible because it is considerd to be the primary revelation of God to the Christian Church.

The Hadith
The Hadith includes the sayings of Muhammed and examples from Muhammad's life. It is used constantly by Muslims as a guideline on how to live a holy life. Islamic tradition says if you do not know what to do in a given situation, they go to the Prophet. He was closest to God, and therefore his example is to be followed.

Muslims and Jesus
Muslims believe in and honor many of the prophets of the Old Testament. But they also say that the Bible must have been corrupted because it points out the errant behavior of these prophets, and since no prophet of God would ever err, the Bible must be wrong. Muslims have a great respect for Jesus, but the view that Jesus is Divine or the Son of God is, to them, the highest blasphemy. The Qur'an says God is not a man, therefore he cannot have a son, and God is so transcendent and "other" than humankind, that He would never stoop to enter our world. Muslims also reject the crucifixion narratives of the New Testament. First, of course, they do not see the need for Jesus to die for our sins, and second, they do not believe God would allow one of his prophets to die in such a disgraceful way. Instead, they say, God put someone else on the cross in the place of Jesus. The story of Christ's death reinforces their belief that the Bible has been corrupted over the years.

Islamic Practices

The primary practices of Islam are the five obligatory "acts of worship", also called the "pillars" of Islam. They are:

Confession of Faith
The first pillar is to confess verbally that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Apostle of God." This is known as "Shahada".

Ritual Prayer
The second pillar is the pillar of prayer, or the "Salat". These are the ritual prayers spoken five times a day, along with the correct postures, which all Muslims are expected to perform.

Obligatory Alms
The third pillar is the giving of alms, known as the "Zakat". Muslims are expected to give a percentage of their possessions every year as a constant reminder that there are others in the world who are worse off than they are, and the Zakat goes toward helping those who are less fortunate.

The Fast of Ramadan
The fourth pillar is the fasting, or the "Saum", during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, the month of Ramadan. Muslims go by the lunar calendar, and so Ramadan moves every year. From sunrise to sunset, Muslims do not eat or drink. Smoking, sexual contact, swearing and anger are forbidden. The faithful are encouraged to use the month of fasting to draw closer to God, and to renew their spiritual strength.

The Pilgrimage
The fifth pillar is the Pilgrimage to Mecca, the "Hajj". Every Muslim who can afford to and is not sick must complete the Hajj. It is a time when all are deemed equal before God regardless of social or financial position. As part of their purification process, participation in the pilgrimage heightens their social status.
 
 

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