The Muslim Faith: Belief In God Explored

Islam is a monotheistic religion with approximately 1.9 billion followers worldwide, making it the second-largest religious group after Christians. The religion is centred on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad, the religion's founder.

Muslims believe in the oneness and uniqueness of God (tawhid) and that God is the creator of all things, all-powerful, all-knowing, and unaffected by the characteristics of human life. They also believe in angels, holy books, prophets, the Day of Judgment, and divine decree.

Muslims believe in the oneness of God

Muslims believe that God is the creator of all things and is all-powerful and all-knowing. God has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life. God is seen as incomparable and without multiplicity of persons, as in the Christian Trinity. Associating multiplicity to God or attributing God's attributes to others is considered idolatry.

Muslims believe that God is the same universal God worshipped by people of all faiths and is referred to as "Allah" in Arabic. The word "Allah" is gender-neutral and has no plural form, reflecting the uniqueness and oneness of God.

The Quran, the holy book of Islam, emphasizes the falsity of all alleged gods and encourages worship of God alone. It asks those who worship man-made objects: "How can you worship things you carve with your own hands, when it is God who has created you and all your handiwork?" (37:95-96).

Muslims also believe in the divine prophets who called people to believe in the oneness of God and monotheism, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muhammad, considered the final prophet in Islam, received revelations from God, emphasizing the message of monotheism and the need to worship God alone.

Muslims believe in angels

The belief in angels is one of the six core tenets of the Islamic faith, and they play a significant role in the lives of Muslims. Angels are believed to have a variety of roles, including:

• Communicating divine revelations from God to prophets, such as the angel Gabriel, who brought the Quran to Muhammad.
• Recording the actions of humans, which will be used to judge them on the Day of Judgment.
• Interrogating humans in their graves.
• Blowing the trumpet to signal the end of times.
• Serving as gatekeepers and custodians of paradise and hell.
• Shaping the development of the human embryo.
• Directing the clouds, winds, and rain.
• Inspiring positive thoughts in the minds of humans, counteracting the whisperings of demons.
• Offering prayers and support to humans, particularly those who are seeking knowledge or performing good deeds.

The presence of angels is believed to bring love, support, protection, and inspiration to believers. The Islamic concept of angels is not merely a theoretical belief but is seen as having practical significance in the daily lives of Muslims, providing a source of meaning, comfort, and strength.

Muslims believe in holy books

Muslims believe that God revealed holy books or scriptures to a number of God's messengers. These include the Quran (given to Muhammad), the Torah (given to Moses), the Gospel (given to Jesus), the Psalms (given to David), and the Scrolls (given to Abraham). Muslims believe that these earlier scriptures in their original form were divinely revealed, but that only the Quran remains as it was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad.

Muslims believe that the Quran is the central religious text of Islam and is the verbatim word of God. The Quran is divided into chapters (surah), which are then divided into verses (ayah). Muslims believe the Quran was verbally revealed by Allah to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel (Jibril), gradually over a period of approximately 23 years, starting in 609 CE when Muhammad was 39, and concluding in 632 CE, the year of his death.

Muslims regard the Quran as the most important miracle of Muhammad, a proof of his prophethood, and the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with the messages revealed to Adam and ended with Muhammad. It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. The Quran is the only book of Allah that is still available in its original text.

Muslims believe in the validity of earlier scriptures, such as the Tawrat (the Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injil (Gospel). However, they believe that these scriptures have become distorted—either in interpretation, in text, or both—and that only the Quran remains in its original form.

Muslims believe that the Tawrat is the holy book in which true commands were revealed to Prophet Musa (Moses) by Allah Almighty. The Zabur is the book of Allah that was revealed to Prophet Dawud (David) in the form of songs or chants. The Injeel is the holy book of Allah Almighty that was revealed to Prophet Eesa (Jesus).

Muslims believe that the holy books call people to worship Allah alone and that He is the Creator, Proprietor, and Owner of this world and the Hereafter.

Muslims believe in prophets

Muslims believe that the first prophet was also the first human being, Adam, created by God. The last prophet in Islam is Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullāh, whom Muslims believe to be the "Seal of the Prophets", with the Quran being revealed to him in a series of revelations.

Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran states: "And for every community there is a messenger." Twenty-five prophets are mentioned by name in the Quran, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. However, Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last in this line of prophets, sent for all humankind with the message of Islam.

In Islam, every prophet preached the same core beliefs: the Oneness of God, the worship of that one God, the avoidance of idolatry and sin, and the belief in the Day of Resurrection or the Day of Judgement and life after death. Prophets are believed to have been sent by God to different communities during different times in history.

Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment

The Quran and the Hadith, as well as the commentaries of scholars, describe the trials and tribulations preceding and during the Qiyāmah. The Quran in Surat al-Zalzalah describes this as: "So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." The Quran also lists several sins that can condemn a person to hell, but it also makes clear that God will forgive the sins of those who repent if He wishes. Good deeds, like charity, prayer, and compassion towards animals will be rewarded with entry to heaven.

Muslims view heaven as a place of joy and blessings, with Quranic references describing its features. Mystical traditions in Islam place these heavenly delights in the context of an ecstatic awareness of God.

The Day of Judgment is also identified in the Quran as Yawm ad-Dīn ("Day of Religion"); as-Sāʿah ("the Last Hour"); and al-Qāriʿah ("The Clatterer"). It is considered a fundamental tenet of faith by all Muslims and one of the six articles of Islamic faith.

Frequently asked questions