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ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY

Islamic Ideology is based upon some basic beliefs and five basic acts which are known as The
Pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam; also arkan ad-din, "pillars of religion").
Basic Islamic Beliefs
1) Belief in God:
Islam's most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called tawhd (Arabic: )
Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has no son nor partner, and that none
has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false.
He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity,
nor His attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:
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1. Say: He is Allah, the one and Only;
2. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
3. He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
4. And there is none like unto Him.
(Quran, 112:1-4)
No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but
God alone.
God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the
whole universe. He manages all affairs.
2) Belief in the Angels:
Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam. The Arabic word for angel ( malak)
means "messenger". According to the Qur'an, angels do not possess free will, and worship God

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in total obedience. Angels' duties include communicating revelations from God, glorifying God,
recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death. They are also
thought to intercede on man's behalf. The Qur'an describes angels as "messengers. Muslims
believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored creatures. The angels worship
God alone, obey Him, and act only by His command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought
down the Quran to the prophet Muhammad .
3) Belief in Gods Revealed Books:
Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind and as
guidance for them. Among these books is the Quran, which God revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad . God has guaranteed the Qurans protection from any corruption or distortion.
God has said:
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Indeed, We have sent down the Quran, and surely We will guard it (from
corruption). (Quran, 15:9)
When Muslims speak in the abstract about "the Qur'an", they usually mean the
scripture as recited in Arabic rather than any translation of it. To Muslims, the
Qur'an is perfect only as revealed in the original Arabic; translations are necessarily
deficient because of the impossibility of preserving the original's inspired style.
Translations are therefore regarded only as commentaries on the Qur'an, or
"interpretations of its meaning", not as the Qur'an itself.
4) Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God:
Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of God, starting with Adam, including Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them). Those humans chosen
by God to be his messengers to bring the "Will of God" to the peoples of the nations. But Gods
final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad . Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God,
as God has said:
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Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger
of God and the last of the prophets... (Quran, 33:40)

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Muslims believe that all the prophets and messengers were created human beings who had
none of the divine qualities of God.
5) Belief in the Day of Judgment:

Belief in the "Day of Resurrection", Yawm al-Qiymah (Arabic: ) is also very important
for Muslims..Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection) when all people
will be resurrected for Gods judgment according to their beliefs and deeds.
6) Belief in Al-Qadar:
Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine
Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill. Muslims believe that God
has given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and that they
are responsible for their choices.
The Pillars of Islam
The Pillars of Islam are five basic acts in Islam, considered obligatory for all believers.
The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith.
They are (1) the shahadah(creed), (2) daily prayers (salat), (3) (zakat), (4) fasting
during Ramadan and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.
Testimony
The Shahadah, which is the basic creed of Islam that must be recited under oath with the specific
statement: "

", "I testify there are no deities other than

God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This testament is a foundation
for all other beliefs and practices in Islam.
Prayer
Ritual prayers, called alh or alt (Arabic: ), must be performed five times a day. Salah is
intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that
expresses gratitude and worship. Salah is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed
depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in the Arabic language, and consist of
verses from the Qur'an.
Zakat
"Zakt" (Arabic: zakt "alms") is giving a fixed portion of accumulated wealth by those who
can afford it to help the poor or needy. It is considered a religious obligation that the well-off
owe to the needy because their wealth is seen as a "trust from God's bounty". The Qur'an and the
hadith also suggest a Muslim give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving (adaqah).

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Fasting
Fasting, (Arabic: awm), from food and drink (among other things) must be performed from
dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadhan. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to
God,. Sawm is obligatory for men and women. flexibility is allowed depending on
circumstances, but missed fasts usually must be made up quickly.
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage, called the ajj (Arabic: a) during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in
the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the pilgrimage to
Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. Rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around
the Kaaba, touching the black stone if possible, walking or running seven times between Mount
Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina and to spend some time in
ARFAT and MUZDALFA.
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Books to be consulted
Minhaj Al- Muslim by ; Abu Bakr Jabir Al-Jazairy
The Quranic foundations and structure of muslim society by ;Dr. Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari
Introduction to Islam by ; Dr.Hamidullah