Islam is the perfection of that same religion sent by God at the dawn of civilization and then resent throughout history. God, then, sent Islam by revealing the Qur’an through the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Just as a child is first taught alphabets, so God began teaching religion in primitive forms to the early civilizations. Starting with Prophet Adam, God sent his prophets to all people with the passing of time. Just as mankind was undergoing physical and intellectual evolution, so was it undergoing a religious and spiritual evolution. Finally, when the world reached a stage of understanding that was required for the final lesson from God, He sent His final and complete Word—the Holy Qur’an.

Islam not only corrects the errors, which had found their way into previous religious traditions with the passing of time, it also illustrates such truths as have never been taught to mankind. Islam meets all the spiritual and moral requirements of an ever-advancing human society.

According to Islam, the object of human life is to attain spiritual heights by worshipping the One God and serving His creations. It teaches that everyone has the seed of perfect spiritual development, but rests solely with a person; whether he realizes this full potential or not is a choice he must make. Humans are created by God in the best make, according to Islam.

Islam is the religion that provides true understanding of God and prescribes His true worship. Islam is inherent in human nature and humans are created in accord with Islam.

Islam teaches that spiritual heights are attained by enhancing progressively the quality of one’s relationship with God, through purification of the soul by worshipping Him and performing good deeds.

The cardinal doctrine of Islam is the Unity of God. There is none worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. God is free from all defects, Holy and Transcendent. He is All-Good, All-Mercy and All-Power. He has no partner. He neither begets nor is He begotten, because these are the traits of frail and weak humanity.

Furthermore, Islam helps us to establish a permanent relationship with God and to realize Him during our earthly life as our Helper in all our affairs and undertakings. This Unity of God is the first and foremost pillar of Islam and every other belief hangs upon it.

Islam requires that every Muslim:

• Believe in the absolute Unity of God
• Believe in all the Angels of God, who are spiritual beings created by God to perform various assigned duties.
• Believe in all the books revealed by God including Gita, Torah, Psalms, Gospels and Qur’an.
• Believe in all the Prophet and Messengers of God including Zoroaster, Confucius, Krishna, Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad^sa and Ahmad^as (peace be upon them all).
• Believe in the Last Day of Resurrection and Judgement of humanity.
• Believe in the Decree of God i.e. believing that both the Laws of Nature and the Laws of Religion have been devised by God and He alone holds supreme power over these laws which are operating in the world.

Islam provides practical guidelines for the achievement of internal and external peace and comfort. Islam is equally useful and beneficial for all segments of the human society. It provides guidance for all, and it establishes a sure and certain relationship with the Creator as that is the sure path to complete peace.

There are five pillars of Islam, or five acts of worship prescribed in Islam:

• Bearing witness that there is none worthy of worship but God, and Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger.
• Observance of Prayer five times a day.
• Fasting from dawn to dusk during one month (month of Ramadhan) every year.
• Paying a fixed portion of charity on accumulated wealth for the benefit of the poor and needy.
• Pilgrimage to the Ka‘aba in Makkah, Arabia, at least once in lifetime if conditions permit.

Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa, was born in Makkah, Arabia in the sixth century. He was know throughout Arabia for his honesty and piety. He was inspired with a strong love for God and humanity. At the age of 40, he received his first revelation from God.

God commissioned him as His Messenger and Prophet. The central theme of his message was the achievement of internal and external peace through spiritual union with One God.

True to his character, Prophet Muhammad practiced what he preached and provided a living example of all that Islam teaches. His humility, truthfulness, tolerance, resolve, courage, kindness, and wisdom continue to be a great source of enlightenment and stand as a model for humanity to emulate.

The Holy Qur’an is the literal Word of God and was revealed to Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years.

The Holy Qur’an encompasses a vast array of teachings and is comprehensive code of conduct for humanity. It contains more than 700 commandments giving guidance on each and every aspect of human life. The Qur’an also contains numerous prophecies for the future.

The Holy Qur’an is preserved in Arabic the very in which it was revealed. There are many Muslims who have also memorized the entire Qur’an. Despite being over 1400 years old the Qur’anic text has remained intact as promised in the Qur’an by God Himself.

Its teachings are timeless and matchless. It forms a complete manual, for all people of all ages and all races. It teaches absolute justice and clearly distinguishes right from wrong. Its teachings contain profound wisdom. It tackles issues faced by humanity in their day-to-day existence in an effort to help make life as rewarding as possible.