By Weronika and Toby
ISLAM BELIEFS
Muslims have six main (basic) believes:
1. Belief that Allah is the only God.
“God is one, unique and incomparable. He has no son, or partner and no one has the
right to be worshipped but Him alone.”
2. Belief in the existence of angels.
 They are honored creatures.
 They worship and obey God and fulfill his commands.
 Angel Gabriel –brought down the Quran to Muhammad.
3. Belief in holly Books.
 God revealed books to his messengers.
 God passed Quran to the prophet Muhammad.
4. Belief in the Prophets.
 Prophets are messengers of God.
 Prophet Muhammad is the chosen one, who was sent by God.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment.
 Also called: the Day of Resurrection.
 All people will be resurrected for God`s judgment according to their beliefs
and deeds.
6. Belief in Predestination.
 Also called: Al-Qadar
 God has given human beings freewill; they can choose right or wrong and they
are responsible for their choices
 Belief in predestination includes belief in four things:
 God knows everything.
 God has recorded all that has happened and all that will happen.
 Whatever He wills to happen happens, and whatever He wills not to
happen does not happen.
 God is the creator of everything.
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
The Islamic faith is built upon 5 Pillars:
1. Shahadah ( Declaration of faith) – Muslim declares his faith by reciting a formula
“There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of God”
2. Salach (Five compulsory daily prayers) –prayers contain verses from Quran and
every Muslim has to perform them individually
3. Zakah (Welfare contribution) - payment of fixed proportions of a Muslim's
possessions for the welfare of the entire community and in particular for its
neediest members
4. Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan) – every year in the month of Ramadan, all
Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink and sexual
relations.
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah)- it is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who
are physical and financially able to perform it.
Carrying out these obligations provides the framework of a Muslim's life, and weaves their
everyday activities and their beliefs into a single cloth of religious devotion. Carrying out the
Five Pillars demonstrates that the Muslim is putting their faith first, and not just trying to fit it
in around their secular lives.
By Weronika and Toby
The Holy book of Islam
The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam, and was supposedly revealed to the prophet
Mohammed by God. Together with other sources, the Qur’an lays down the principles of
Sharia, the Muslim way of life and governing of society.
Islam and the Iranian revolution
After the revolution in 1979, Shiite Muslims, who had started the revolution in response to
Westernization, wanted to govern Iran with the principles of Islam under Sharia law.
Since around 90% of Iran’s population was Shiite, the people supported Ayatollah Khomeini,
a Shiite cleric, as the new leader of Iran, as well as his reforms which aimed to structure
Iranian society in accordance with Muslim belief.
This is why the Iranian revolution is also known as the Islamic Revolution, because after the
revolution, Iran turned away from Westernization and returned to its traditional Muslim
values.
The fact that the revolution was led by a leader of a religion which united 95% of the Iranian
population meant that people of all social statuses were able to strive towards the same goal of
toppling the regime of the Shah.
In short, the beliefs of Islam united the revolution against proxy government of Western
powers and helped shaped many of the reforms that followed the revolution and were put into
place by the government of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Key Terms:
Qur’an: The holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the word of God
Sharia: The laws which govern the lifestyle of Muslims. It is based upon the Qur’an, the
teachings of Mohammed and the teachings of Muslim scholars.