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About Islam
An introduction for visitors, neighbours, and anyone curious.
What is Islam?
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."
Sources & further reading
- Qur’an, Āl ʿImrān 3:19 — "the religion in the sight of God is Islam" · quran.com
- Qur’an, al-Ḥujurāt 49:13 — "that you may know one another" · quran.com
- The Hadith of Gabriel — Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8 · sunnah.com
- "Islam is built upon five" — Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 8 · sunnah.com
Jesus in Islam
One of the greatest messengers of God.
Jesus — ʿĪsā ibn Maryam, peace be upon him — holds a central place in Islam. He is one of the greatest of God’s messengers: born miraculously of the Virgin Mary, he healed the sick and raised the dead by God’s leave, and called his people to the worship of the One God. The Qur’an devotes an entire chapter to his mother Mary and speaks of him with honour throughout.
Belief in Jesus is part of being a Muslim: he is among the prophets every Muslim must affirm, and no Muslim mentions him without wishing him peace.
إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ
"[Remember] when the angels said: O Mary, God gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary — distinguished in this world and the Hereafter, and among those brought near to God."
In the Qur’an and the Sunnah
What Muslims believe about Jesus
Six things every Muslim affirms about Jesus — from the Qur’an and the prophetic tradition.
- 01 مريم
His mother Maryam
Mary is the only woman named in the Qur’an, honoured with a chapter bearing her name. The Qur’an describes her as chosen above the women of the worlds.
- 02 المولد
The miraculous birth
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary without a father — a miracle of God’s creative command. The Qur’an likens his creation to that of Adam: God said "Be", and he was.
- 03 الرسالة
A messenger of God
A human prophet and messenger, honoured with titles given to no other prophet — the Messiah, a Word from God — and a servant of God who called his people to worship God alone.
- 04 المعجزات
His miracles
By God’s leave he healed the blind and the leper, raised the dead, and breathed life into the form of a bird of clay — signs God gave His messenger, each one "by God’s permission".
- 05 الرفع
Raised, not crucified
The Qur’an declares that Jesus was neither crucified nor killed — it only appeared so — and that God raised him to Himself, alive.
- 06 النزول
His return
The Prophet ﷺ taught that Jesus will return before the end of time as a just leader. Muslims await his return.
His message
A teacher of mercy
In the Qur’an and the prophetic tradition, Jesus stands out as a model of humility, mercy, and detachment from worldly splendour — a teacher of forgiveness, justice, and care for the poor.
For Muslims, love of Jesus is part of faith itself. His example is a reminder that devotion to God and compassion for one’s fellow human beings belong together.
Sources & further reading
- Qur’an, Āl ʿImrān 3:33–60 — the birth and mission of Jesus · quran.com
- Qur’an, Maryam 19:16–36 — Mary and the birth of Jesus · quran.com
- Qur’an, al-Nisāʾ 4:157–158 — raised to God, not crucified · quran.com
- Qur’an, al-Māʾidah 5:110 — his miracles by God’s leave · quran.com
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3448 — the descent of Jesus at the end of time · sunnah.com
- Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 155 — the return of Jesus · sunnah.com
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.