Our Faith

The primary message of Islam is the Oneness of God (that the Creator of the world is One and He alone is worthy of worship), and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is God’s Messenger and Servant. Someone who believes this is a Muslim. Muslims also believe in God’s angels; all prior revelation from God (e.g., the Torah, Psalms, Injeel); all the prophets sent to humanity (including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon them all); the Day of Judgment; and the Decree of God. 

A Muslim has five main religious duties, which are the 5 Pillars. These are a declaration of faith in the Oneness of God and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger (Shahadah), the prescribed 5 daily prayers (Salat), payment of charity on a certain portion of wealth (Zakat), fasts from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan (Sawm), and the spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially capable.

Islam teaches that each person is born pure. The Holy Quran tells us that God has given human beings a choice between good and evil, right and wrong, and that this life tests us on what choices we will make. We are taught to seek God’s pleasure through faith, prayer, perseverance, service and charity, with rewards in this life and the Hereafter for any good deeds we do. Islam’s main message is to love and worship God and to serve and treat all of God’s creation with kindness and compassion. Rights of parents in old age, orphans and the needy are clearly emphasized in the Quran.

In addition, Islam granted a package of women’s rights 1,400 years ago that was unparalleled for over a thousand years elsewhere. These included the right to own property, the right to inheritance, the right to choose to enter into a marital contract, the right to divorce, the right to child custody, the right to an education, and more. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught his followers that the best of them were those who treated women well.  He also appointed women to positions of power and valued them as human beings and committed partners to men.