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ISLAMIC BELIEFS
There are Six Articles of Faith that all Muslims
believe in. The first is that "there is no God but Allah."
The second Article of Faith is belief in a hierarchy of
angels, of which the archangel Gabriel is the highest. Each
Muslim is assigned two angels, one to record his good deeds
and the other to record the bad deeds. At the bottom of the
angelic hierarchy are the jinn, from which we get the
word "genie." They are a Muslim version of demons. The third Article of Faith is belief in 104 holy books,
with the Koran as the final revelation. The fourth is belief
in the prophets. According to the Qur'an, God has sent a
prophet to every nation to preach the message that there is
only one God. 124,000 prophets have been sent, most of them
unknown but some of them biblical characters, including
Jesus. Muhammad, though, is the prophet for all times, the
"Seal of the Prophets."
The fifth Article of Faith is belief in predestination. All
things, both good and evil, are the direct result of the will of
Allah. Islam is a very fatalistic religion.
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The sixth Article of Faith is the day of judgment. Those whose
good deeds outweigh their bad will be rewarded with Paradise; those
whose bad deeds outweigh their good will be judged to hell. Islam is
a religion of human works. The Bible tells us, though, that we can
never earn God's acceptance on the basis of our deeds.
There are Five Pillars of Islam, obligations every Muslim must
keep. The first is reciting the creed, "There is no God but Allah,
and Mohammed is his messenger." The second is prayer: 17 cycles of
prayer, spread out over five times of prayer each day. They must
wash in a prescribed manner before they kneel down and face toward
Mecca.
The third pillar is almsgiving, 2.5% of one's income for the
poor. The fourth pillar is fasting during the lunar month of
Ramadan. Muslims must forego food, water and sex during daylight
hours. The fifth pillar is making the pilgrimage to Mecca at least
once in their lives.
When God wishes a man well, He gives
him insight into his faults.
Islamic Proverb
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