Durham University Islamic Society

The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone who submits to the will of God".

The message of Islaam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim.

Some people mistakenly believe that Islaam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists.

If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities.

From the very beginning, Islaam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God.

A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don't see it as much today, the word "Mohammedans" was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.

Muslims have six main articles of faith:

Faith in the Unity of God

Muslims believe in the absolute unity of God (Allah).  The essence of Islam is expressed in the phrase "La ilaha illa Allah," meaning "There is no deity but Allah."  "And your God is One God; there is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" (Qur'an 2:163).  This statement of faith distinguishes a Muslim from an unbeliever, a polytheist, or an atheist.  A Muslim is one who grasps the full meaning of this phrase, realizes its significance, reposes true belief in it, and accepts and follows it in letter and spirit.  Belief in the Unity of God means that there is no being worthy of worship except Him, that it is only to Him that heads should bow in submission and adoration, that He alone possesses all powers, that all are in need of His favor, and that all must seek His help and mercy.  This belief is the bedrock of Islam; all other beliefs, commands, and laws of Islam stand firm on this foundation.

Faith in Allah's Angels

Angels are also Allah's creatures, spiritual beings that are under His command.   They administer Allah's kingdom, carrying out His orders obediently.  They have no free-will or ability to disobey; it is their very nature to be Allah's faithful servants.  These angels surround us, and their duties include recording man's deeds in this life, which will be presented on the Day of Judgment.

Faith in Allah's Prophets

Allah is transcendent and beyond all physical limitations of man, so through the medium of an angel, Allah causes His command to be revealed to His human messengers and thus to mankind.  The purpose of our life on this earth is to worship Allah and obey His commands.  Through His Grace and Benevolence, Allah sent prophets and messengers to every nation, in order to communicate with and guide mankind to the right path.

The prophets who were sent to mankind include (among others) Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Jesus, and finally, Muhammad (peace be upon all of Allah's prophets).  These (and many other) chosen men all came with the same message:  Islam.  That is, they taught of faith in One Almighty God, faith in the Day of Judgment, faith in the Prophets and the Books, and asked people consequently to live a life of obedience and submission to their Lord.  This is the definition of a Muslim.  "Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was upright, and bowed his will to Allah's (which is Islam).  And he joined not gods with Allah" (Qur'an 3:67).  Some of these prophets brought revealed books (see below).  They were all men guided by Allah to teach mankind and guide them on the straight path.  Muslims believe in them all and make no distinction between them.  "Say:  'We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in the Books given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord; we make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will in Islam" (Qur'an 3:84).

Muslims believe that the final prophet, Muhammad, came to invite people back to the true teachings of the previous prophets, and to bring to mankind a final and all-encompassing guidance: the Qur'an.  The Qur'an remains in its complete and unadulterated form; there is therefore no need for any more prophets to come.   Allah's message is complete.

Faith in Allah's Revealed Books

Muslims believe in books that Allah has sent down to mankind through His prophets.   These books include the Books of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  These books all had the same source (Allah), the same message, and all were revealed in truth.  This does not mean that they have been preserved in truth.  Muslims (and many other Jewish and Christian scholars and historians) find that the books in existence today are not the original scriptures, which in fact have been lost, changed, and/or translated over and over again, losing the original message.  "They change the words from their right places and forget a good part of the Message that was sent them..." (Qur'an 5:13).  Reading these books today, we have no way of knowing what portion was revealed by Allah, and what was recorded and changed by man.

Muslims believe that Allah sent a final revelation, the Qur'an, through the final Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him and all of Allah's messengers).  "None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar..." (Qur'an 2:106).  The sending of this divine Book is not a new and strange event; but only to confirm, restate, and complete those divine instructions which people had mutilated or lost in antiquity.  "To thee (Muhammad) We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety..." (Qur'an 5:48).  The Qur'an is addressed to all of humanity.  It seeks to guide mankind in all walks of life; spiritual, temporal, individual and collective.  It contains directions for the conduct of life, relates stories and parables, describes the attributes of Allah, and speaks of the best rules to govern social life.  It has directions for everybody, every place, and for all time.  The Qur'an was revealed and preserved in the Arabic language.  While translations into other languages may differ in word choice, the original Arabic script has been uncorrupted and unchanged since its revelation in the 7th century.

Belief in Life After Death

Muslims believe that this world will come to an end on a day Allah has appointed.   "Every soul shall have a taste of death; and only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense..." (Qur'an 3:185).   Everything will be annihilated, and all of the human beings who had lived in this world will then be restored to life and will be presented before Allah.

The entire record of every man and woman - of all their deeds and misdeeds - will be presented before Allah for final judgment.  "We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least..." (Qur'an 21:47).  One who excels in goodness will, by the Mercy of Allah, receive a goodly reward; one whose wrongs overweigh his good deeds will be punished.

It is neither faith nor just to treat everyone equally.  "Is then the man who believes no better than the man who is rebellious and wicked?  Not equal are they" (Qur'an 32:18).  Allah on that day will judge with Justice, and every soul will receive what it has earned.  While unsure of their fate in the Hereafter, Muslims are confident of the Mercy and Justice of Allah.  "Say: 'Oh My servants who have transgressed against their own souls!  Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins, for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'" (Qur'an 39:53).  Those who emerge successfully from Judgment will go to eternal Paradise; those who are condemned and deserve punishment will be sent to Hell.  Allah is the perfect and fair Judge.

Belief in Divine Decree

Muslims believe that Allah has full power and knowledge of all things, and that nothing happens except by His will and with His full knowledge.  What is known as divine decree, fate, or "destiny" is known in Arabic as al-Qadr.  Everything in the world has a predetermined, set course.  The destiny of every creature is already known to Allah.

This belief does not contradict with the idea of man's free will to choose his course of action.  Allah does not force us to do anything; we can choose whether to obey or disobey Him.  Our choice is known to Allah before we even do it.  We do not know what our destiny is; but Allah knows the fate of all things.

Therefore, we should have firm faith that whatever befalls us, it is according to Allah's will and with His full knowledge.  There may be things that happen in this world that we do not understand, but we should trust that Allah has wisdom in all things.

Source: islam.about.com

To become a Muslim, simply say the following words:

Ash hadu alla ilaha illa Allah, wa ash hadu anna Mohammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu.

This means I testify and witness that there is no god worthy of being worshipped other than Allah and that Mohammad is his Messenger. It is known as the Shahada.

Muhammad was born in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him as calm and meditative.

Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near the summit of Jabal Al-Nur, the 'Mountain of Light' near Makkah.

At the age of 40, while engaged in meditative retreat, Muhammad received his first revelation from Allah through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty three years, is known as the Qur'an.

As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which Allah had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622, Allah gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah, 'migration,' in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 420 kilometres to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

After several years, the Prophet died at the age of 63, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.

Source: albalagh.net