Iman – Believing in the Oneness of Allah, God Almighty.

Malaeekah – Believing in Angels; created by Allah; workers of Allah.

Kutub – 104 scriptures and books revealed to various messengers throughout time, last being the Quran.

Rusul – Believing in the messengers of Allah.

Yaumul Aakhir – Believing in the Day of Judgement and Resurrection.

Qadr – To believe in the Divine Destiny and that the good and bad are all from Allah.

The Islamic sacred book, believed to be the word of Allah (God) as dictated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic. The Quran consists of 114 chapters of varying lengths, known as suras; the first sura is part of the daily ritual prayer. These chapters touch upon all aspects of human existence, including matters of doctrine, social organization, and legislation.

Muslims believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last and final Messenger of God to be sent to humanity. He was sent to complete the mission of the previous Messengers (including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others) of calling people to believe in God and follow the guidance and teachings of God. Muslims regard Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as their highest role model and aim to follow in his footsteps in all of their actions. This is why Muslims hold Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in very high regard and are seriously hurt when anyone tries to belittle him.

Muhammad (pbuh) was born in the city of Makkah in Arabia in the year 570 AD and died in 632 AD.

At the age of 40, Muhammad (pbuh) started to receive revelations from God through the angel Gabriel. These revelations were the word of God, conveyed to Muhammad (pbuh) through the angel Gabriel. Muhammad (pbuh) was told by God that he was chosen as a Messenger to his people, and that the revelations he was receiving were the holy Qur’an and they were a message from God to all of humanity. He was also instructed to deliver the message to his people, and to teach and guide them. The revelations continued for 23 years until shortly before the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished his mission of delivering the message to humanity. He has left us with the holy Qur’an (the word of God) and the Sunnah (the teachings of Muhammad (pbuh)). Through his sacrifices and those of his followers, Islam today is the largest and fastest growing religion in the world. One out of every five people in the world is a Muslim. It is for this reason that Michael H. Hart, in his 1978 book “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History”, ranked Muhammad (pbuh) as the single most influential person in the history of the world.

Islam honors all the prophets who were sent to mankind. Muslims respect all prophets in general, but Jesus in particular, because he was one of the prophets who foretold the coming of Muhammad. Muslims, too, await the second coming of Jesus. They consider him one of the greatest of Allah’s prophets to mankind. A Muslim does not refer to him simply as “Jesus,” but normally adds the phrase “peace be upon him” as a sign of respect.

No other religion in the world respects and dignifies Jesus as Islam does. The Quran confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Quran is entitled “Mary”), and Mary is considered to have been one of the purest women in all creation. The Quran describes Jesus’ birth as follows:

“Behold!’ the Angel said, God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and in the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and he shall be of the righteous. She said: “My Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?’ He said: “Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.” [3:42-47]

Prophet Muhammad emphasized the importance of Jesus by saying: “Whoever believes there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is a servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven. [Bukhari]