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What is Islam?
An introduction for visitors, neighbours, and anyone curious.
A Muslim is one who willingly submits to God (Allah) alone, recognising that there is no deity but Him and that Muhammad ﷺ is His final messenger. Islam is not a new religion — it is the same message of pure monotheism carried by every prophet from Adam to Jesus, completed and preserved in the Qur’an.
The word "Islam" (إِسْلَام) comes from the Arabic root س-ل-م (s-l-m), and its primary meaning is submission and surrender — the voluntary handing over of oneself to the will of the Creator. The same trilateral root also gives us salām, peace. For Muslims, a lasting peace of the heart is the fruit of that submission.
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ
"Indeed, the religion in the sight of God is Islam."
Islām — how a Muslim lives their faith
The Five Pillars
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Islam is built upon five …" These five practices are the foundation of a Muslim’s daily life.
- 01 / 05
الشهادة
Shahāda — Testimony
A sincere declaration: "There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." One statement, said with conviction, enters a person into Islam.
- 02 / 05
الصلاة
Ṣalāh — Prayer
Five daily prayers at appointed times, facing the Kaʿba in Makkah. A direct link between the servant and their Lord, woven through the rhythm of the day.
- 03 / 05
الزكاة
Zakāh — Obligatory Charity
2.5% of surplus wealth held for a year, given annually to those entitled. A purification of wealth and a right that the poor hold over the rich.
- 04 / 05
الصوم
Ṣawm — Fasting in Ramadan
Abstaining from food, drink, and marital relations from dawn to sunset for one lunar month. Trains the body in restraint and the heart in God-consciousness.
- 05 / 05
الحج
Ḥajj — Pilgrimage
Once in a lifetime for every Muslim who is able, a pilgrimage to Makkah in rites stretching back to the Prophet Abraham — peace be upon him.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 8; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 16.
Imān — what a Muslim believes
The Six Articles of Faith
These six beliefs are articulated in the well-known Hadith of Gabriel, in which the angel Jibrīl came in human form and asked the Prophet ﷺ about Islam (practice), Imān (faith), and Iḥsān (spiritual excellence).
- 01 الله
Belief in God
One God, Creator of all — without partner, without likeness, neither begetting nor begotten. Known by His most beautiful names and attributes of perfection.
- 02 الملائكة
Belief in the Angels
Noble creatures of light with no free will of their own, tasked by God. Jibrīl brought the revelation; Mīkāʾīl oversees provision.
- 03 الكتب
Belief in the Revealed Books
The Torah given to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus, and the final Qur’an to Muhammad ﷺ.
- 04 الرسل
Belief in the Prophets
From Adam to Muhammad ﷺ — including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them all — each sent to call their people back to their Creator.
- 05 اليوم الآخر
Belief in the Last Day
Death is not the end. Every soul will be raised and held to account, and rewarded or answered for what it has earned.
- 06 القدر
Belief in Divine Decree
God’s knowledge encompasses all that was, is, and will be. Human choice is real; God’s knowledge of our choices is perfect.
Source: Hadith of Gabriel — Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 50.
The Book and the Messenger
The Qur’an and the Prophet ﷺ
The Qur’an is the final revelation — preserved in Arabic exactly as it was recited by Muhammad ﷺ, revealed in stages over 23 years (610–632 CE), and organised into 114 chapters (sūrahs). It has been memorised cover to cover in an unbroken chain for more than fourteen centuries.
Muhammad ﷺ (c. 570–632 CE) was born in Makkah. Even before prophethood, his people called him al-Ṣādiq al-Amīn — "the truthful, the trustworthy." He received his first revelation at the age of forty in the cave of Ḥirāʾ, and over the remaining 23 years of his life transmitted the Qur’an and taught a way of life rooted in worship, justice, mercy, and knowledge.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُواْ
"O mankind, indeed We have created you from a male and a female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another."
Come and see for yourself
IKC Lund welcomes Muslims and non-Muslims alike. If you have questions — about belief, practice, or simply what a mosque looks like inside — come by during prayer times and speak with us. No question is unwelcome.
Sources & further reading
- The Qur’an — recommended English translations: Saheeh International, M. A. S. Abdel Haleem (Oxford), or Marmaduke Pickthall.
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim — the two most rigorously authenticated hadith collections.
- The Hadith of Gabriel — Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 8.
- Sīrat Rasūl Allāh — Ibn Isḥāq, trans. Alfred Guillaume (*The Life of Muhammad*, Oxford University Press).
- For questions in person: visit IKC Lund during any prayer time — Åldermansgatan 14, Lund.