What is

Islam?
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 What is Islam?

“Islam” is an Arabic word meaning peace

and submission. A practicing Muslim
strives to submit whole-heartedly to God,
thereby achieving peace in this life as well
as in the afterlife. “Mohammedanism”
is a misnomer for Islam and offends its
very spirit and message.
Islam is the last of the three Abrahamic
religions preceded by Judaism and
Christianity. As such, it is a religion based
on revelation that mentions belief in One
God and the guidance revealed by God
to the prophets. The prophets of Islam
include Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and
Jesus: hence Islam is not a new religion
but the final culmination and fulfillment
of the same basic truth revealed by God
through all His prophets to every nation
(Al-i ‘Imran, 3/84).
Around the year 610 AD, a man named
Muhammad was spending time alone
in the cave of Hira where he regularly
4-5
retreated from the hustle and bustle
of the busy trading town of Mecca in
order to contemplate on the mysteries
of life. Muhammad was known as “the
trustworthy” amongst his friends and
family as he was always sincere and
honest in his dealings with others. It was
towards the end of the lunar month of
Ramadan, during the night that is now
known and celebrated as the Night of Qadr,
when the revelations of the Qur’an began
to be transmitted through Archangel
Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him). He continued to receive
these revelations for twenty-three years.
The verses were memorized and written
down by the companions and followers
of the Prophet Muhammad, and is the
same Book (the Qur’an) that Muslims
read today.
In addition to the Qur’an, Muslims have
the recordings of the Prophet’s lifetime
and practices (Sunnah). This includes
such things as the manner of praying
and ablution, the details on how to
perform the pilgrimage, and many other
practices that illustrate the belief in one
God. There are also the sayings and acts
of the Prophet as witnessed by the people
of the time that have been transmitted
and recorded. These are known as hadith
and serve as a guide on how to live the
religion of Islam.
What do Muslims Believe in?

1. One God: Muslims believe in the One,

Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God, the
Sole Creator, Sustainer and Cherisher of
the Universe. Muslims prefer to use the
Arabic name for God, “Allah”, because it
has no plural, feminine or diminutive
that could be associated with idolatry
(i.e. gods, goddesses or semi-gods).
2. The Angels: Muslims believe that
Allah created the angels such that they
cannot commit sins nor do they have
gender.
3. The Prophets: With the belief that
Allah sent His messengers and prophets
to all people, Muslims faithfully accept
Biblical prophets, also mentioned in
the Qur’an, including Adam, Ishmael,
Isaac, Moses, David, and Jesus (peace
be upon them all). All prophets were
human beings like us who, as chosen
examples for their people, committed
no grave sin. Muslims accept Jesus as a
prophet, believe in his virgin birth, and
pay utmost respect to him. His name
(Isa) is mentioned in the Qur’an almost a
hundred times.
 4. The Books: To believe in the Holy
Books of Allah that were sent before
the Qur’an and in the Qur’an as the
final words from Allah is a pillar of the
Muslim faith. The Qur’an was revealed
to the last prophet, Muhammad, through
the Archangel Gabriel. It confirmed and
finalized all previous revelations that
were sent to humankind through Allah’s
messengers. The Qur’an is a miracle in
many ways including that its meanings
still apply in modern times.
5. Predestination and Divine Decree:
A Muslim believes in the predestination
(al-qadr), which relates to the ultimate
power of Allah. It means Allah is
the Omniscience, Omnipotent, and

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Omnipresent. He has knowledge and
power to execute His plans. Allah is not
indifferent to this world. Allah is the Wise,
Just, and Loving, and whatever He does
has wisdom though we may sometimes
fail to fully comprehend it.
6. Resurrection: The following verse
explains the significance of believing in
the principles of faith including the Last
Day:
“It is not righteousness that you
turn your faces towards east or
west; but it is righteousness to
believe in Allah and the Last Day,
and the Angels, and the Book, and
the Messengers; to spend of your
 substance, out of love for Him, for
your kin, for orphans, for the needy,
for the wayfarer, for those who ask,
and for the ransom of slaves; to be
steadfast in prayer, and practice
regular charity; to fulfill the
contracts which you have made;
and to be firm and patient, in pain
(or suffering) and adversity, and
throughout all periods of panic.
Such are the people of truth, the
Allah-fearing.” (Baqarah, 2/177).

What are the Five Pillars

of Islam?

1. Shahadah (Testimony)

There are five pillars of Islam, the

first being the declaration of faith, the
shahadah, a simple formula that all the
faithful pronounce: “There is no god but
Allah, and Muhammad is the servant
and Messenger of Allah.” These words are
to be uttered with sincere conviction and
under no coercion. The significance of
this testimony is the belief that the only
purpose of life is to serve and obey God,
 and this is achieved through following
the example of Prophet Muhammad, the
messenger to all human beings until the
Day of Judgment. Anyone who declares
the shahadah is a Muslim even if s/he
does not observe other duties required
from Muslims in Islam.

2. Salah (Five Daily Prayers)

Daily prayers are offered five times a day

as a duty towards Allah. They strengthen
and enhance the belief in Allah and
inspire man to a higher morality.
Salah purifies the heart and prevents
temptation towards wrongdoings
and evils. Male Muslims are greatly
encouraged to perform their five daily

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prayers in the mosque in congregation.
Female Muslims are free to pray where it
is most convenient.

3. Sawm (Fasting)

Muslims keep Ramadan, the fasting

month, not only by abstaining from food,
drink, and marital intercourse from dawn
to sunset but also from evil intentions
and desires. It teaches love, sincerity,
and devotion. It develops a sound social
conscience, patience, unselfishness, and
will power. It also helps the wealthy to
understand the difficulties of those who
suffer from hunger.

4. Zakah (Purification of Wealth)

Islamic worship is not limited to

the spiritual realm alone. Material
obligations apply to those who can
afford. Zakah is the annual payment of
2.5% of one’s net savings and commercial
assets held for a year as a religious duty
and a purification of one’s wealth. The
sum is to be spent directly on poorer
sections of the community. Muslims are
required to help the poor, orphans, and
the needy by providing them with at
least a fixed amount of money in order
to facilitate their lives in an attempt
to get rid of inequality. Islam always
encourages Muslims to share their
material opportunities with those less
fortunate. The minimum of this sharing
is to give zakah

5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

This duty is to be performed once in a

lifetime having that one has the health
conditions and financial means to do
so. Over the last 1,400 years, the Islamic
miracle of real brotherhood of all races
and nations has been seen in action
as Muslims gather for pilgrimage, Hajj,
annually in the sacred city of Mecca
where the House of Allah, the Ka’bah, is
located. As the only pilgrimage site and
the direction to be faced for the five daily
prayers, the Ka’bah, an ancient cubic
shaped building dating from Abraham’s
time, is now circumambulated by around
three million Muslims each year, all in
white gowns, during the Hajj period.
These are the ritual obligations of Islam,
each of which has an inner spiritual
effect for the sincere ones: therefore, faith
and sincerity are essential components
of these acts. In addition to these ritual
obligations, Muslims make personal
prayers known as dua.
 Salvation in Islam

In Islam, every human being is born

sinless; there is no original sin. Each
person is responsible for their own acts,
and no one shall bear the burden of
others (An’am, 6/164). Each person is
inspired with the knowledge of Allah and
naturally inclined toward Islam before
birth. It is therefore our responsibility to
seek the guidance of Allah and keep our
hearts pure from corruption. Allah is the
judge of all, and no one has the right to
grant salvation or dictate punishment
except Him.

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 Mosque

The mosque, in its most basic form,

is simply a clean area designated for
prayers. Mosques throughout the world
have taken on various architectural
forms reflecting local cultures. They
range from detached pavilions in China
and elaborate courtyards in India to
massive domes in Turkey and glass and
steel structures in the United States.
As you walk into a mosque, you may be
impressed by the architecture and the
calligraphic decoration based on the
Arabic script or by the lightning and
 the spaciousness of this place where
Muslims have gathered for centuries for
the five daily prayers and other religious
services. The Friday prayer, the one that
is optional for women and obligatory
for men to perform in the mosque, is
a weekly congregational prayer which
includes a sermon (khutbah) by the
imam addressing social issues as well as
directing Muslims to a virtuous life. The
imam, for example, recites the following
verse from the Qur’an at the end of
sermons: “Surely Allah enjoins the doing
of justice and the doing of good (to
others) and the giving to the kinsfolk,
and He forbids indecency and evil and
rebellion; He admonishes you that you
may be mindful.” (Nahl, 16/90)
In Islam, it is not necessary to be in a
mosque to pray since God is not confined
to a building, as Prophet Muhammad said,
“The whole earth is a mosque.” Having
said this, a traditional mosque consists
of a domed building and a minaret from
where the call to prayer is performed.
There is no altar, just the simple space to
pray together and often a mihrab (niche)
to indicate the direction of Mecca which
Muslims face to for their prayers.

18-19
Prayer and the Call to Prayer

The five daily prayers performed by

Muslims are central to the practice of
Islam. After performing ablutions, a
physical preparation in which parts of the
body such as the face, arms and feet are
washed, the prayer begins and includes
set movements and recitations from
the Qur’an in its original form of Arabic.
One cycle of prayer is called a rakah, and
varying numbers of rakah are performed
for each of the prayer times.
 Prayer in Islam involves the body, mind,
and soul in an act of remembrance and
surrender amidst the business of every
day affairs. It is a few minutes apart
from the concerns of everyday worldly
life that can infuse other activities with
a sense of peace and purpose. As for the
congregational setting of prayer, Muslims
stand in line shoulder to shoulder which
symbolizes the equality of all believers.
The timing of the prayers is calculated
according to the movement of the sun:
for example, the noon prayer time begins
when the sun has just passed its zenith
at one’s location. Therefore, the timing
for these prayers change with the change
of seasons in accordance to where one
is located on the globe. Thus, there is
not even a single moment without a
prayer being made throughout the world.
To remind people of the prayer times,
the call to prayer (adhan), is recited in

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Arabic aired from the
minaret. This is done
by the muazzin who
is chosen for the task
based on recitation
skills and good
character. The very
first muazzin was
Bilal, an Ethiopian
black Muslim, a
companion to the
Prophet Muhammad
who was known for
his beautiful voice.
 Translation of the
Call to Prayer

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
I testify that there is no god but Allah.
I testify that there is no god but Allah.
I testify that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.
I testify that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to salvation! Come to salvation!
Allah is the Greatest! Allah is the
Greatest!
There is no god but Allah.
The cycle of the prayer times, which
are based on the rhythms of the natural
world, provide a framework for living and
a foundation for those moments in life
that occasionally lift us out of this time/
space continuum and allow us to draw
close to the Divine Being.

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 Contact
Presidency of Religious Affairs
General Directorate of Religious Publications
Department of Publications in Foreign Languages and Dialects

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