Introduction to Islam:

1. Origins of Islam
a. Islam means submission to Allah (God)
b. The word Islam means ‘entering into a condition of peace and security with God,
through allegiance or surrender to him”
c. Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad who lived from 570 CE to 632 CE in
Mecca in modern day Saudi Arabia
d. The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the teachings and guidance of God
as revealed to His Prophet Muhammad PBUH
2. Six Articles of Belief
a. Belief in One Allah
b. Belief in the angels of God
c. Belief in In the books of God, esp. Quran
d. Belief in the prophets of God, esp. Muhammad
e. Belief in the day of Judgment (or the afterlife)
f. Belief in the supremacy of God’s will (or predestination)
“We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham,
Ismael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes and in (the books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets,
from their Lord. We make no distinction b/w one and another among them and to Allah do we
bow our will (in Islam)” [Quran: 3:84]
3. The Five Pillars of Islam
a. Shahdah: By reciting this, one enters Islamic faith
b. Salah (Prayer)
c. Zakat (Charity)
d. Saum (Fasting)
e. Hajj (Pilgrimage)
4. Sources of Law
a. Holy Quran
b. Shariah: Sharia is the sacred law of Islam, based on the divine revelations contained in
the Quran and Sunnah
c. Ijma: Means ‘The agreement of Islam’. It is an important mechanism for resolving
theological conflicts because it embodies a sense of past community in present actions.
5. Sunni and Shia: The division that arose over the order of caliph succession in the first century of
the Islamic calendar
6. Organizational Structure: Muslims do not require an intermediary b/w themselves and God.
7. The basic concepts of Islam:
a. The concept of Worship and Righteousness (birr).
“It is not righteousness that you turn your face toward East or West but it is
righteousness to believe in Allah and the last day, and the angels and the book, and the
messengers, and to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans
for the needy for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves: to be
 steadfast in prayer , and give zakat to fulfill the contracts which ye have made, and to be
firm and patient, in pain [or suffering] and adversity, and throughout all period of panic.
Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing” [Quran 2:177]
b. The concept of Faith (Iman):
“The true believers are those only who believe in God and His Messenger (Muhammad)
and afterwards doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of
God. Such are the sincere” [Quran 49:15]
HADITH:
“None of you can be a true believer unless, he loves for his fellow believer what he loves
for himself. He who believes in God and Last day of Judgment is forbidden to cause any
harm to his neighbor, is to be kind to his guests – especially the strangers, and is to say
the truth or else abstain”
c. Concept of Piety (Taqwa):
“Lo! The noblest of you, in the sight of God Almighty is the best in conduct” [Quran 49-
13]
d. The concept of Prophet-hood
e. The concept of Life
f. The concept of Religion
g. The concept of Sin
i. No concept of Original Sin: “He is so gracious and compassionate that His
forgiveness is encompassing and His mercy all -inclusive” [Quran 7:156]
h. The concept of Freedom: “The Truth is from your Lord, Let Him who will, believe, and let
him who will, disbelieve” [Quran 18:29]
i. The concept of Equality: “O mankind, verily We have created you from a single (pair) of
a male and female, and have made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each
other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous ” [49:13]
j. Concept of Brotherhood: “One Muslim is like a building brick to the others; one part
strengthens the others” [Sahih Bukhari]
k. The concept of Peace:
i. Daily Salutations
l. The concept of Community: “You should be kind to those who are on earth and He who
is in Heavens will be kind to you” [Sahih Bukhari]
m. The concept of Morality: Prohibition of certain things like wine, pork etc.
“All kinds of intoxicating wines, liquors, and spirits” [Quran 2:219]
n. The concept of Universe: Principle of moderation
8. Conclusion