Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

im a christian. i am really interested and want to know about islam as a religion. can u please explain all the teachings and beliefs right from scratch?  

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Answer:

Christians and Islam six articles of faith

In the name of Lord God Who Created, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever the Lord guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but the One Lord God Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Beloved sister, the truth is that Islam is not only a religion or a set of beliefs and teachings, but a complete code and way of life laid down by none other than the Lord Creator Himself. Although it might take a few conversations to explain in detail all the fineries of the teachings and beliefs of Islam, what we can do as step one is list the six conditions of belief or faith which constitute the absolute basis and the pivot of the perfect way of life called Al-Islam. Such is the importance of belief in all these six listed conditions that if one were to fall short in believing or accepting even the minutest aspect of any one of these absolutely paramount six conditions, one would be regarded as a disbeliever in the Sight of the Lord.

Ref - 1^st Condition of Belief: Belief in the Absolute Oneness of the Lord Creator or Absolute Monotheism of the Lord God Who Created everything in existence.

• To believe with absolute conviction that there is only and only One Lord God Who Alone is the Creator, Sustainer, Provider and Cherisher of everything that exists in creation.
• To believe with absolute conviction that absolutely nothing in creation (no person, no Prophet, no deity, no god, no image, no nothing!) deserves worship except the One and Only Lord God Who created.
• To believe with absolute conviction that none (and I repeat none) in creation shares even the minutest part in the Godhead or Lordship of the One and Only Lord Who created.
• Every single rite and ritual of worship should be thus directed towards none (and I repeat none) except the Lord Most High Who created.

Ref – 2^nd Condition of Belief: Belief in the appointment of all the Messengers of the Lord All-Mghty.

• To believe with absolute conviction that from time to time the Lord All-Mighty chose and appointed Messengers and Prophets amongst mankind to guide them to His Way.
• To believe in every single Messenger as appointed and declared by the Lord: be it Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohamed (peace be upon them all). To disbelieve in the appointment of any of the Messengers of the Lord would be tantamount to disbelief.
• To believe with absolute conviction that the Last and Final Messenger appointed by the Lord is Mohamed (peace by upon him).

Ref – 3^rd Condition of Belief: Belief in all the Revealed Books of the Lord All-Mighty.

• To believe with absolute conviction that from time to time the Lord Most High revealed His Message in the form of Books upon His appointed Messengers for the guidance of mankind.
• To believe with absolute conviction that it was the Lord God Alone Who Revealed the Book (Sahifa) to Prophet Abraham, the Psalms (Zubur) to Prophet Dawood, the Torah to Prophet Moses, the Gospel (Injeel) to Prophet Jesus, and finally the Quran as His Last and Final Message for the guidance of all mankind to His Last and Final Messenger Mohamed (saws). Disbelief in any of the Lord’s Revealed Books or even a part of it would tantamount to disbelief in the Sight of the Lord.

Ref – 4^th Condition of Belief: Belief in the office of the Angels of the Lord Most High.

• To believe with conviction that the Lord has created Angels amongst His creation as His obedient slaves who fulfill each and every one of The Lord’s Commands without question or hesitation whatsoever.
• To believe in each and every appointed and named Angel of the Lord like Michael, Israel, Israfeel, Malik, the Angel of Death, the Angels of Mercy, the Angels of Punishment and Torture, and the Arch-Angel Gabriel (Jibrael). To disbelieve in even one of the appointed and named Angels of the Lord would be tantamount to disbelief in the Sight of the Lord.

Ref – 5^th Condition of Belief: Belief in the concept of the Hereafter

• Belief with absolute conviction that every human being is born innocent and sent by the Lord to this earth to live one lifetime as a test; and only on the Day of Judgment in the Hereafter the Lord Most High will Declare the results of who amongst mankind passed their test of obedience and patience and who amongst them failed due to their arrogance and disobedience.
• To believe with absolute conviction that those who pass the test will be rewarded with the Mercy, Grace and Unimaginable and Everlasting Rewards of Paradise in the Hereafter; and those who fail the ordained test will deserve everlasting humiliation and torture in the Fire of Hell forever.
• To believe with absolute conviction that none except the All-Knowing, All-Mighty Lord Alone Will be the Judge on that Tumultuous Day of Judgment; and none (and I repeat absolutely none) in creation will have authority or power or influence over His Judgments and Decisions.

Ref – 6^th Condition of Belief: Belief in the ‘Qadr’ or Destiny or the Divine Decrees of the Lord Most High.

• Belief with absolute conviction that nothing, absolutely nothing happens in the Universe by accident…but each and everything is planned, pre-determined and recorded before it came into existence by the Divine Decree, Will, Permission and Pre-Determination of the Lord Most High Who Created.
• To believe with absolute conviction that every condition that befalls mankind, good or bad, is pre-determined by the Lord Most High to test and see how does man react in a given set of good or evil conditions.

Beloved sister, in your striving to search for the Truth, we humbly suggest that we take one condition at a time and only move to the next when one is absolutely convinced regarding that condition of faith or belief.

All the above listed six conditions are so paramount to belief, that if one believes in the above listed six conditions is considered a ‘Believer’ in the Sight of the Lord Who Created, but if one disbelieves in even the slightest aspect of any one condition, it would tantamount to ‘Disbelief’ in the Sight of The Lord Most High.

Beloved sister, before we conclude this letter, we would like you to know that each and every aspect of this perfect and approved ‘way…code….conduct of life’ called Islam is based on the Perfect and Absolute Knowledge and Wisdom of the Lord Who Created, and thus it is in total and absolute alignment with logic and nature. And that is precisely why Islam allows, actually encourages, one who wishes to understand this Straight Way to ask as many questions as one wishes before accepting this ‘way’ as their ‘way of life’.

Thus beloved sister, please never ever hesitate to ask or pose any question about Islam that arises in your mind until your heart is totally and completely satisfied….that is the God-given right to every individual before they wish to accept this Perfect and Straight Way of Life that leads to the Mercy, Grace and Rewards of the Lord Most Merciful.

May the Lord God Who Created have Mercy upon you, bestow upon you the Wisdom and the Courage to strive the necessary striving that is necessary in the search of the Truth, and guide you to the Path that leads to His Mercy and His Grace.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to The Lord’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. The Lord Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan