Basic Beliefs of a Muslim

These are the 6 Articles of Iman (faith) that every Muslim must believe in and
live by.

Belief in God:
Muslims believe in one, incomparable God, He has no son nor partner, and that
one has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and
every other god is false. In the Qur'an, God describes Himself:

Say, “He is God, the One. God, to Whom the creatures turn for their needs.
He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none like Him.” (Qur'an,
112:1- 4)

Belief in the Angels:

Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored
creatures. The angels worship God alone, obey Him, and act only by His
command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down the Qur'an to
Muhammad.

Belief in God’s Revealed Books:

Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for
mankind and as guidance for them. Among these books is the Qur'an, which
God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad . God has guaranteed the Qur'an’s
protection from any change.

Belief in the Prophets:

Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of God, starting with Adam,
including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus (peace be
upon them). But God’s final message to man, a repeating of the eternal
message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that all the
prophets and messengers were created human beings who had none of the
divine qualities of God.

Belief in the Day of Judgment:

Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection) when all
people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to their beliefs and
deeds.
Belief in Al-Qadar:
Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in
Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill.
Rather, Muslims believe that God has given human beings freewill. This means
that they can choose right or wrong and that they are responsible for their
choices. The belief in Divine Predestination includes belief in four things:
1) God knows everything. He knows what has happened and what will happen.
2) God has recorded all that has happened and all that will happen.
3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and whatever He wills not to happen
does not happen.
4) God is the Creator of everything.
 The Five Pillars of Islam

Islam has five pillars, or cornerstones, on which we should build our lives. A
good strong building has 4 strong cornerstones, and good Muslims have 5
because we want to be strong in the way we live! Remember, our goal in life is
to join Allah in Jannah (paradise) one day!

The Qur'an tells us that Allah created man to worship Him. We need to follow
His rules to do this the right way.

The pillars are our five basic duties. Allah is the one who gave us these
requirements. We don’t follow them only if we feel like it, we are REQUIRED to
follow them. Think about this: We all ask Allah that He let us get this or do
that, like get a good grade on our test or get to go to a great place for dinner.
But how can we expect Him to grant our wishes if we don’t even do the things
He’s asking US to do?????

1. Shahadah - our basic belief

Do you know the Shahadah? This is our belief as Muslims! It's what MAKES us
Muslims!

Allah (SWT) is One!

After the name of Allah, we write SWT - this means "Subhana-Hu wa Ta'ala," or
"Allah is glorified."

Muhammad (S) is His Messenger!

After the name of Prophet Muhammad, we write S - this means "Salla
Allahu ‘alaihi wa-Sallam," or "May the blessings of Allah be upon him."

So all Muslims believe that Allah is One, He is the ONLY God, and Muhammad is
His Messenger! In Arabic we say,

La Illaha Illala, Muhammad ur Rasulullah

2. Salah - Daily Prayer

We must pray to be good Muslims. Before we pray we do Wudu, or clean up in a

special way. We wear clean clothes, and pray facing the Kabah. We pray FIVE
TIMES A DAY: Fajr - Dhohur - Asr - Maghrib - Isha ! Praying to Allah this often
helps us to remember Him every minute of the day. And if we keep Allah in our
minds all the time, it helps us to be better people and keeps us from doing
wrong things Insha'allah.

We should start praying when we are 7 years old, and once we reach 10 years
old we should not miss any prayers. This is a VERY important requirement of
Muslims, and like I said before, how can we expect Allah to answer our prayers
if we are not performing all of our prayers?

3. Fasting

Muslims fast every day during the month of Ramadan. We don't eat or drink
anything during the day. We also pray, read the Qu'ran, and do good deeds all
day instead of bad ones. We watch our tongues and don't fight with each other.
Once you reach 10 years old, you are required to fast. Of course this is quite
hard, but it is one more thing that helps us to be better people. We remember
Allah, as well as those who don't have as much as we do in life. We learn not to
be greedy and selfish. People in some parts of the world go without much food
every single day, not just during Ramadan. Before you're 10 years old, you
should try to fast for a few days during Ramadan so you can begin to get used
to it.

When we’re fasting, we try to continue our lives like we usually do, and not
take it extra easy. We go to school and work like we always do, and not sit
around watching movies or taking naps on the weekends. If you’re bored or
hungry, why don’t you read the Qur’an or ask your mom or dad to read it to
you?

4. Zakah - Sharing

Allah has given some of us a lot of money and other things, and others not very
much. WHATEVER WE DO HAVE, IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF ALLAH. Allah want us
to share our money and things with those who don't have it (the poor).

Ask your parents to let you know about the Zakah they give for your family.
When do they give it during the year, and to whom? When you get a little
older, maybe Insha’Allah they’ll include you in the Zakah planning.
5. Hajj
If we can afford it and are healthy enough to make the trip, we are required to
go once in our lives to Makkah and visit the Kabah during Hajj. We are called
pilgrims. We perform many rituals while we're there, and we pray to Allah to
forgive us and guide us.

Makkah and Medina are very important and wonderful cities! Insha’allah when
you go for your Hajj, you will feel the powerful feelings that most people talk
about when they go. When you see the Kabah for the first time, you will realize
that you are the closest to Allah that you will EVER be while you are alive.
Many people change a lot once they complete their Hajj, like a new person,
and they make sure they are better Muslims once they go home. They decide to
practice the religion of Islam as well as they can, because they feel fresh and
strong. SUBHANALLAH! ALLAHU AKBAR!