What Muslims Believe Aim: To know what the key beliefs of Islam are and to understand why they are important.

Islam Originating in Arabia, Islam has spread throughout the world and there is an estimated 1.1 billion Muslims in the world. Islam is a religion which is second only to Christianity in size and is prevalent in all corners of the world. 

Submission Muslims are followers of the religion of Islam. The words Muslim and Islam both come from an Arabic word which means SUBMISSION. A Muslim is therefore someone who has submitted to God.

Origins of Islam The religion started in Makkah, Arabia in 7th Century CE, although God’s revelation and religion is much older, in that Muslims believe that the first prophet was Adam. His final revelation was given to Muhammad who was the seal of the prophets and the holy words (the Qur'an) revealed to him via the angel Gabriel where the final revelation of God (Allah) to mankind. They recognise the other prophets such as Moses (Musa), Abraham (Ibrahim) and Jesus (Isa) but Muhammad is Allah’s final and most important prophet. There are in total 28 prophets named in the Qur'an.

What do Muslims believe? Muslims believe that there is one God, whom they called ALLAH. They believe that Allah is ETERNAL which means he was never born and will never die. He made everything, knows everything and is all-powerful, so human beings must worship him. Muslims believe that Allah sent PROPHETS to teach people how to live. A Muslim’s beliefs and values are found in the Five Pillars of Islam which are obligatory To become a Muslim you need only utter the words, ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet’, in front of witnesses and you have become a Muslim.

What is a prophet? A prophet is someone who tells people what God wants.

Symbols Muslims do not use SYMBOLS in the way that followers of some other religions do. When a symbol is needed for Islam, the one most often used is a star and crescent moon.

Language The language of Islam is Arabic. To be understood by people who cannot read it, Arabic words have to be changed into other alphabets. The sounds of letters in English are not the same as the sounds of Arabic letters so sometimes different spellings are used.

Points to know Muslims do not worship Muhammad*. They believe that only Allah should be worshipped and Muhammad* was not Allah. However, Muhammad* is given great respect as Allah’s most important prophet and to show this whenever they mention Muhammad’s* name Muslims add the words peace be upon him.

OTHER TRADITIONS OF ISLAM All male Muslims are circumcised, following in the footsteps of Muhammad. This can be done between 0 –12 years of age, though normally it will happen at the celebration feast called Aqiqah after the birth of the baby (normally 7 days after the birth of the child). There are main different festivals celebrated throughout the Muslim calendar. 

Task Explain why Muslims believe they should submit to Allah. Where did the religion of Islam originate from? What do Muslims believe about Muhammad*? Where are a Muslims beliefs and values found? Draw the symbol used in Islam. Draw a symbol which symbolises you . What is a prophet??Name a prophet? Name one other thing you found out today about Islam Homework: Research the Five Pillars of Islam and write them down for the next day.