A Lecture on Islamic Theology

I. Basic Beliefs of Islam. Before taking up the subject of Islamic theology proper I should like, by way of introduction, to outline the basic religious beliefs which are common to all Muslims. As you may know, Islam was founded by the Prophet Muh.ammad in the Arabian Peninsula in the first quarter of the seventh century. At the age of forty the Prophet began to receive certain revelations which he believed came from God. He was commanded by God to recite these revelations publicly and was told that God had chosen him to be His messenger and prophet. The revelations which he received were collected and preserved as sacred scripture by his companions and followers and this collection of revelations is known as the Qur’ān. I should like to stress here that the Qur’ān is considered by Muslims to be the speech or word of God himself, rather than something composed or written by the Prophet. What the Prophet Muh.ammad himself said, as opposed to what God revealed to him, was also preserved by his followers and later collected into books, and these sayings, which are known as traditions, or h. ad̄ıth, are as authoritative in religious matters as the Qur’ān itself. Islam thus possesses two sources of revealed truth, the first being the Qur’ān, which is the record of God’s message to mankind through the Prophet, and the second being the h. ad̄ıth, or collected sayings and acts of the Prophet. It is from these two sources that the basic religious beliefs of Muslims are derived. What, then, are these basic beliefs? First of all, Muslims believe that God is absolutely one and that Muh.ammad is His messenger or prophet. In fact, to become a Muslim it is sufficient to bear witness to the fact that there is no god but God and that Muh.ammad is His messenger. Muslims further believe that God created the universe, and that He has periodically revealed His word to a number of prophets and messengers, among whom are included Jesus and Moses and the other prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Muslims believe in angels, in the resurrection of the body, in a final Day of Judgment, and in a Heaven and a Hell where humans will be rewarded or punished in accordance with their acts and beliefs in this world. These basic beliefs are summed up in two very short creeds found in two separate verses of the Qur’ān, which I should like to read to you. The first verse is: The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believeth in Allah and his angels and His scriptures and His messengers—We make no distinction between any of His messengers—and they say: We hear and we obey. (Grant us) Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto thee is the journeying. (Qur’ān, II:285)