Central to a Muslim's beliefs is the belief in One God - Allah. Allah is Arabic for God - the 'One God' of the Christian and Jewish traditions. A Muslim learns about God or Allah from the description in the Qur'an (kur ann), sometimes spelled "Koran" - the holy book of Muslims. The Quran mentions 99 attributes of God that describe the character of God. The following are some of the major attributes of God emphasized in the Quran.
Belief in Angels - MALAIKA
Before the creation of human beings, Allah created angels or malaika (ma laa eka). They are made of "light", while we are made of "clay". The Qur'an describes angels as beings without gender.
There are numerous angels and each has a specific responsibility that they carry out every day. Angels also do not have the will or the choice to disobey Allah. Thus there is a clear difference here with the Judeo-Christian tradition. Because angels are without the capacity to disobey God, Satan in Islam, unlike the Biblical description, is not viewed as a "fallen angel".
The Qur'an describes Satan as one of the Jinn. Jinn are another creation of Allah made of smokeless fire; with similar attributes as human beings, particularly the ability to judge and choose between right and wrong. Bothangels and jinns are “ghaib” or unseen to human beings.
The most significant angel mentioned in the Qur'an is the Messenger Angel, Jibreel or Gabriel. Gabriel is responsible for transmitting the revelation and message of God to the prophets and messengers throughout history who would then deliver it to their communities.
Each person has two angels appointed to them in order to record what s/he has done - good or bad. This record is presented as a book of deeds on the "Day of Judgement".
Belief in Books - KUTOOB
The Qur'an is the final revelation transmitted through the Angel Gabriel to the last messenger, Muhammad (pbuh). Muhammad (pbuh) lived approximately 1400 years ago in what we now know as Saudi Arabia. The Qur’an was revealed over a period of 23 years. The following is the meaning of the first revealed verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad,
“Read in the name of your Lord Who Created; created human beings from something that clings. Read and your Lord is Most Generous; Who taught by the pen, taught human beings that which they did not know.”
(Qur’an 96: 1-5)
As part of their belief, Muslims must acknowledge other revelation given to messengers before Muhammad (pbuh), specifically,
Suhoof – Scrolls of Abraham
Al-Zoboor – Psalms of David
Al-Taurah-Torah – Old testament given to Moses
Al-Injeel – Bible/ New Testament
These scriptures were revealed and meant to provide guidance for the communities of these messengers. The Qur'an, however, is the final revelation to humanity relevant for all times and is not exclusive to any one people or to any one nation.
Belief in Prophets and Messengers - RUSOOL
The Qur'an states that thousands of prophets were sent by Allah to guide communities and nations and mentions twenty-five of these prophets and messengers by name. Many of the prophets and messengers also appear in the Bible and Torah. The following is a list of some prophets and messengers with their accompanying Arabic name and phonetic spelling:
Suhoof Ibrahim - Scrolls of Abraham
Al-Zaboor - Psalms of David
Al-Taurah-Torah - Old Testament given to Moses
Al-Injeel - Bible/ New Testament
Adam - Adam (aa dum)
Noah - Nuh (nooh)
Job - Ayub (i yoob)
Jonah - Yunus (you nus)
Abraham - Ibrahim (ib bra heem)
Lot - Lut (loot)
Ishmael - Isma'il (is ma eel)
Isaac - Ishaq (is haaq)
David - Dawud (daa ood)
Solomon - Sulaiman (soo lay man)
Jacob - Ya'qub (yah qoob)
Joseph - Yusuf (you soof)
Moses - Musa (moo sa)
Aaron - Harun (haa roon)
Zachariah - Zakariah (za ca ree ya)
John The Baptist - Yahya (ya he ya)
Jesus - Isa (ee sa)
Muhammad - Muhammad (moo ham mad)
Muslims are taught not to favour one prophet over the other. The only distinction Muslims make is just as Adam was the first, Prophet Muhammad is the last Prophet sent by Allah,
“...We make no distinction between one or another of Allah's Apostles...”
(Qur’an 2: 285)
Muhammad is not singled out as a favorite prophet. However he is mentioned in the declaration to emphasize his position as the last prophet. Muhammad's examples and sayings are especially important to Muslims because he demonstrated Qur'anic teachings. Muhammad's life has been meticulously recorded by his followers as “sunnah.” It is customary for Muslims to pronounce peace and blessings upon Muhammad after mentioning his name.
One who was inspired by Allah to guide his people and community to worship Allah and to believe in Life hereafter, is considered a nabi (na bee) a (prophet).
One who was inspired to guide and convey the word of Allah in the form of a scripture or a book is considered a rasool or a (messenger). Prophet Muhammad is both a nabi and a rasool.
Belief in the Day of Judgement - YAWM AL-QIYAMAH
The Qur’an describes the advent of the Last Day as shocking, trying, and nothing anyone has ever experienced.
“When the sky is ripped apart; when the stars are scattered; when the oceans are suffered to burst forth; and when the graves are turned upside down; then each soul shall know what it has sent forward and what it has kept back.”
(Qur’an 82: 1 - 5)
A Muslim is comforted with the knowledge that if s/he suffered any injustice during her/his life, God will recompense her/him and mete out ultimate justice on the Day of Judgement or Yawm Al-Qiyamah (yawm al ki yama).
On this day, all of humanity will gather together in front of one Judge - Allah, and be questioned for what they did during their life in this world. Each person will be handed a book or record of deeds, compiled during the life of this world by two angels, one appointed to record all good deeds and another to record all bad deeds.
Although a Muslim is taught that whatever one does in this life will determine whether s/he will be admitted into Heaven or Hell, the final decision rests with Allah. Therefore, Muslims pray for Allah's mercy and forgiveness.
Belief in the Afterlife - AL-AKHIRA
The ultimate goal of a Muslim is to enter Jannah (jun nuh) or Heaven and to avoid the punishment of Jahannam (ju hun num) or Hell. Both places are described in detail in the Qur’an. Heaven is a place where one will receive "what no eye has ever seen and no heart has ever imagined".
Belief in God's Ultimate Knowledge - AL-QADR
Al-Qadr (al kuh dur) is perhaps best translated as predestination, or the idea that everything has already been determined by God. Allah knows what each of us will do before we attempt it and has knowledge of how things will turn out. Moreover, Allah has ultimate control and power over everything, and has given human beings the ability to judge and make decisions with respect to choosing right from wrong.
