Articles of faith in Islam

According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach them how to live according to His law. Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are a few of these respected prophets. They believe that the final Prophet was Muhammad. When mentioning a phropet, Muslims typically say "Peace be upon him (PBUH)" in English or " 'alayhi as-salām (عليه السلام) " in Arabic. Muslims believe the Quran to be the book of divine guidance and Allah's final revelation to mankind revealed from Allah to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. The name “Allah” literally means “The God.” Allah has no gender (although the pronoun “He” is typically used), no physical appearance, and shares power with no one.

There are six articles of faith in Islam:

• • • Belief in the one God

    • Belief in angels

    • Belief in the scriptures, and revelations of God

    • Belief in the prophets and messengers

    • Belief in the Day of Judgment - the Afterlife (Heaven and Hell)

• • • Belief in predestination (God’s divine decrees)

The Five Pillars

In Islam, there are also five “pillars,” or acts of faith, which every Muslim must perform. They are:

• • • Declaration of faith (shahadah)

    • Prayer (salah)

    • Fasting (sawm)

    • Charity (zakah)

    • Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Declaration

A Muslim declares her/his belief by saying the Shahada.

In Arabic, this means: “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah. Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah”.

In English, this means: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger.”