Islam has a number of beliefs that it teaches one to adhere to.
God
The cornerstone of Islamic faith is a strict belief in monotheism. God is considered one and without an equal. Every chapter of the Qur'an (except for two) begins with "In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful". God describes Himself in Sura al-Ikhlas, (chapter 112): "Say: He is God The One, God The Eternal. He never begot, nor was begotten. There is none comparable to Him." See the entry on the 99 names of Allah for Muslim views on God's attributes.
Prophets
Islam teaches that God may reveal His will to mankind though an angel; such recipients of revelation are known as prophets. Islam makes a distinction between "prophets" and "messengers". Although all messengers are prophets, not all prophets are messengers.
Notable prophets include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, all belonging to a succession of men guided by God. Muhammad is viewed as the 'Last Messenger', bringing the final message of God to all mankind through the Qur'an. Messengers and prophets were sent to every nation and civilization, and every messenger was given a book for those people. These individuals were mortal humans; Islam demands that a believer accept all of the prophets, making no distinction between them. In the Qur'an, twenty five specific prophets are mentioned.
Islamic law
The study of scripture is strongly emphasized. The Qur'an is the foremost source of Islamic jurisprudence, and the second is the Sunnah (Life and way of the Prophet). One cannot practise Islam without consulting both texts. From the Sunnah, related but not the same, come the Ahadith (narrations of the Prophet). A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet or what he approved - as opposed to his life itself, which is the Sunnah.
The Day of Judgement
Other key beliefs include the Day of Judgement, Heaven and Hell, the Angels, the Jinns (a species of invisible beings), , and the mercy, wisdom, and almighty strength of God.
Pre-Islamic Practices
Some Islamic behaviors are similar to pre-Islamic practices from the Arabian Peninsula - in particular, the hajj and three of its associated practices: circling the Kaaba, kissing the Black Stone, and the stoning of three pillars outside Mecca.
Hajj
Revelation of the Qur'an
Muslims believe that the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad when Allah (God) sent an angel to dictate a series of revelations to him; Muhammad then recited this to his companions, many of whom were said to have memorized it and written it down on available material. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was illiterate; the revelations to Muhammad were later gathered by his companions and followers in book form. Muhammad is considered to be the final prophet, sent to preach the same message as the prophets of Christianity (Jesus) and Judaism (Moses) (and possibly Zoroastrianism and other ancient religions).
According to Islam, all the prophets taught their nations the same message of the oneness of God. In the past, however, the message of Islam became distorted by later generations and the revealed scripture corrupted, leaving reason for another messenger to be sent . As Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last of a long line of prophets, they have taken his message to be a sacred trust, and have taken great care to ensure the message was assembled and transmitted in a manner that did not betray that trust. Although Muslims make scrupulous efforts to protect and respect the Qur'an, they believe that it is not through their own endeavours, but by the Mercy of God that the Qur'an is preserved intact and will never be altered.
Miscellaneous
Muslims believe that Muhammad was a truthful man, as were all prophets, and that prophets are helped by Allah to avoid wrong actions and to speak out against wrong committed by others. However, Muslims also believe that perfection is an attribute of God alone, and the Quran specifically records, in surat Abasa, a time when God rebuked Muhammad for turning away in annoyance from a blind man who came to ask him about Islam and interrupted him as he was attempting to persuade another person.
The seven Elements of Belief
There are several beliefs shared by all Muslims:
God (in Arabic, Allah)
Angels
Satan
Books (sent by God)
Messengers (sent by God)
Day of Judgment
Both good and evil (or more precisely, what people call good and evil) come from God. (Although in terms of Evil, it is more a product of people being misguided by the Devil.)
Religious authority
There is no official authority who decides whether a person is accepted to, or dismissed from, the community of believers. Islam is open to all, regardless of race, age, gender, or previous beliefs. It is enough to believe in the central beliefs of Islam. This is formally done by reciting the shahada, the statement of belief of Islam, without which a person cannot be classed a Muslim. As no one can split open another's heart to see what's inside, it is enough to believe and say that you are a Muslim, and behave in a manner befitting a Muslim to be accepted into the community of Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic duties of Muslims:
the recitation and acceptance of the Creed (Shahada)
daily prayer (Salat or Salah)
paying ritual alms (Zakat or Zakah)
observing the fast of Ramadan (Saum or Siyam)
making the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj or Haj)
1 -[Islam]
2 -[Islam : Islamic Beliefs]
3 -[Islam : The Qur'an]
4 -[Islam : Historical origin of Islam]
5 -[Islam : Denominations of Islam]
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