CORE BELIEFS ISLAM

• Tawhid


  Oneness in reference to God and is the basic Muslim belief in the oneness of Allah
• Shahadah


  Declaration of faith, which consists of the statement, 'There is no god except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'
• Shirk


  Association; regarding anything as being equal or partner to Allah
• Qur'an


  That which is read or recited. The divine book revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Allah's final revelation to humankind
• Salat


  Prescribed communication with and worship of Allah, performed under specific conditions, in the manner taught by the Prophet Muhammad, and recited in Arabic. Muslims believe that the five times of Salat are fixed by Allah
• Sawm


  Fasting from just before dawn until sunset. Abstinence is required from all food and drink as well as smoking and sexual relations
• Zakat


  Purification of wealth by payment of annual almsgiving. An obligatory act of worship
• Adhan


  Call to prayer, usually performed by a muezzin
• Halal


  Any action or thing which is permitted or lawful, often used in reference to foods that are permitted
• Du'ah


  Varying forms of personal prayer
• Saddaqah


  Voluntary payment or good action for charitable purposes
• Hadith


  Saying; report; account. The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, as recounted by his household, descendants and companions. These are a major source of Islamic Law
• 'All Muslims should always pray in a mosque.'
• All Muslims should pray in a mosque


  Communal prayers in a mosque are an important expression of the ummah
• It is not practical for all Muslims to always pray in a mosque because of work or school commitments
• What is important is that Muslims perform the daily prayers
• The Prophet Muhammad said that the whole earth was a mosque
• It may not be practical for the young and elderly to pray in a mosque
• It is neither an expectation or rule that Muslims must pray in a mosque
• Some Muslims attend mosque for Friday prayers
• Women and small children traditionally pray at home
• Muslims may live in a community where there is no mosque
• Qur'an 15:98-99 and 29:45: ''But celebrate the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves in adoration. And serve your Lord until there come to you the hour that is certain.' 'Recite what is sent of the book by inspiration to you and establish regular prayer: for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that you do''
• Afterlife


  Life after death; the belief that existence continues after physical death
• Environmental sustainability


  Ensuring that the demands placed on natural resources can be met without reducing capacity to allow all people and other species of animals, as well as plant life, to live well, now and in the future
• Euthanasia


  From Greek, eu 'good' + thanatos 'death'. Sometimes referred to as 'mercy killing. The act of killing or permitting the death of a person who is suffering from a serious illness
• Evolution


  The process by which different living creatures are believed to have developed from earlier, less complex forms during the history of the earth
• Abortion


  When a pregnancy is ended so that it does not result in the birth of a child
• Quality of life


  The extent to which life is meaningful and pleasurable
• Sanctity of life


  The belief that life is precious, or sacred. For many religious believers, only human life holds this special status
• Soul


  The spiritual aspect of a being; that which connects someone to God. The soul is often regarded as nonphysical and as living on after physical death, in an afterlife
• Christians believe


  • Life is precious and is given as a gift from God and therefore it belongs to Him
  • Only God has the right to give life and only God has the right to take it away
  • Life has a purpose and should be protected
• Christians: ''Your body is a temple of the holy spirit.''
• Christians: ''Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.''
• Humanists


  • See a special value in life but not because it comes from God
  • There is no life after death and we do not have souls
  • Life is precious because we only have one
  • Our purpose on earth is to make ourselves and each other as happy as possible, so life is not sacred, but worthy of the highest respect
• Measuring quality of life


  • The extent to which life is meaningful and pleasurable
  • How much pain someone is in
  • The extent to which human rights are granted
  • Social and living conditions
  • Disability
  • Ability to feed yourself and go to the toilet
• There are problems with trying to measure quality of life
• Humanist views on abortion


  Humanists have a situation ethics approach to abortion, that they should try and do the kindest thing that will do least harm
• for sanctity of life jeremiah 1 verse 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Genesis 1 verse 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
• Euthanasia


  The practice of ending a terminally ill person's life to relieve them of their suffering