Islam: Key facts

Islam: Introduction

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Information: This section contains a brief summary of the history and key teachings of Islam. A version of this article was originally published on the website www.faithnet.org.uk.

The first and most important statement of Islamic belief is the Shahadah:

'There is no God except Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's prophet'

This statement can be said to be a summary of Islam.

Those who follow the way of Islam are known as Muslims.

Islam means 'submission' (or submit to God). This means that Muslims are those who have submitted to the will God, or live as God intends.

Islam is not actually a religion as such, but more a way of life; living according to the Will and instruction of God.

Modern day Islam began in 610 CE, when the The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was visited by the angel Gabriel and told to recite the words of the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam).

PBUH means 'Peace Be Upon Him'. This phrase is often said by Muslims after uttering Muhammad's name, as a sign of respect to him.

Muhammad was appointed and given the ability to recite the Qur'an, even though many Muslims claim he was illiterate. As such, it is commonly believed that this is an evidence for the divine origin of the Qur'an.

Video clip - Muhammad and the Qur'an

Muhammad was called by God to be the final Prophet of Islam, after he began to preach that the polytheism (the worship of many gods) and idolatry (worship of figures which represented God) being practiced in Makkah, had drawn people away from worshipping the true God.

Makkah is also sometimes referred to as Mecca, just as the Qur'an is sometimes called The Koran.

Something to do: Find out the difference between The Koran and The Qur'an.

The Qur'an explains that God (Allah) had previously instructed people how to live through the Prophets of old, but that that this original message had become corrupted by human ideas. For example, according to the Qur'an Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (all of whom are regarded as Prophets), had each proclaimed the true message of Islam, but that divisions and human interests had watered down their original message to such an extent that it had become lost to people.

Islam should not be regarded as a new religion, but a (final) call for people to turn back to the truth they had previously been taught.

Unlike the Bible, the Qur'an is not considered to have been inspired by God, but actually written by God. Muhammad did not write down what he thought God was saying to him, but what God had actually spoke to him. In other words, the Qur'an existed with God in heaven, before it was written down by Muhammad on earth.

Next to the Qur'an, the most important book for Muslims is the Hadith. This is a collection of saying and traditions attributed to Muhammad and his closest friends. The Hadith is said to help Muslims understand religious issues, work out how these may be applied in their everyday life.

Muslims believe that only God is to be worshipped. The worship of anything other than God (or to associate anything with God) is called shirk, and is regarded as the greatest sin in Islam.

Despite his central role in Islam, Muhammad is never worshipped by Muslims (this would also be shirk). Muslims consider Muhammad to be simply a Prophet who spoke on behalf of God.

Sometimes Muhammad is said to have the same status in Islam, as Jesus does in Christianity. However this is actually wrong. Muhammad is regarded by Muslims as simply a flesh and blood man, whereas in Christianity Jesus has come to be equated with God (or God in human form). If any comparison is going to be made, the Bible should be compared with Muhammad (as both are the means by which God's Word has been made known), and Jesus should be compared to the Qur'an (as both are held to be the Word of God).

Muslims refuse to draw or paint the face of Muhammad, in order to prevent him from being wrongly idolised or worshiped.

The Prophet

The Qur'an states that we can see evidence of how Christians have strayed from the truth, because Jesus has come to be equated with God and is worshipped. However, as the Qur'an teaches that Jesus is no more than a prophet (as Muhammad was), this is shirk, and evidence that Christianity has stayed from the Truth of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam are religious duties, and are regarded as necessary acts of worship and obedience for every Muslim:

Shahadah (profession of faith)
Salah (prayers)
Zakah (purifying your wealth by giving to charity)
Sawn (fasting during the month of Ramadan)
Hajj (going on pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in your lifetime)

Muslims pray and worship at a Mosque (or Masjid). Salah (prayer) is performed at specific moments five times a day. Ideally this is done in a Mosque, however it can be done anywhere. The most important thing is that whenever a Muslim does pray, that they do so facing Makkah.

Inside a Mosque in Gloucester (England) showing the Qibla wall, which indicates the direction of Makkah.

There are two main groups of Muslims around the world: Sunni and Shi'ah. These two groups developed because of a dispute over who should lead the Islamic community, after Muhammad died in 632 BCE.

Although Islam is sometimes said to be an intolerant and aggressive religion, this is not actually the case. The Qur'an speaks very highly of Jews and Christians (calling them 'People of the Book'), and mentions with affection many Old and New Testament characters. It also shows how both Jews, Christians and Muslims can trace their roots back to Abraham. In fact, it might be said that is was because of the intolerance of other religions (NB. The Christian Crusades), that Islam resorted to defending itself by violent means (Jihad).