Islam is the last of the major monotheistic traditions to emerge in history. Today, it is the second largest religion on Earth, numbering over a billion adherents. Islam being a highly popular religion in the world; beliefs, ethics, sacred texts & writings, rituals and ceremonies and its contribution to individuals need to be discussed to comprehend and understand the religion. Like all religions, Islam is based on belief with the purpose of requiring faith and trust, which Muslims, the adherents of Islam, have in their almighty God, Allah. The term Islam, frequently translated as ‘submission’ reflects the decision of a Muslim to abide in mind and body by the spirit of God. In this sense, beliefs and practice are impossible to separate; faith and practice are intertwined as one.
The belief system of a religion is the most important characteristic it shall uphold. The base of Islamic beliefs is the revelations the prophet Muhammad received from God, these revelations collectively, are known as the Qur’an. The Islamic Aqida, the creed, contains six key articles of beliefs as revealed by Allah: the belief in Allah as the one and only God, the belief in the holy books, belief in the Prophets, belief in angels, belief in the Day of Judgement; The day when the life of every human being will be assessed to decide whether they go to heaven or hell, and lastly the belief in Predestination; that Allah has the knowledge of all that will happen. The six fundamental beliefs are often condensed into three aspects: Tawhid – this expresses the oneness of Allah, everything on earth was conceived by him. It is Allah who is therefore the sustainer of the universe and the only source of human guidance. Risalah- refers to the important role played by the prophets in Islam; to share the religion of truth and make it victorious. Akhirah – refers to the important Muslim belief in a life after death. Tawhid, Risalah and Akhirah summarise the whole of
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