It goes without saying that Islam is not a new religion in terms of fundamental beliefs and pillars and most legislations. It is rather a heavenly message revealed to Prophet Muhammad as a supplement and complement to the previous divine messages, mainly the so-called “Judaism” and “Christianity
According to the Muslim faith, Islam is the religion of all prophets, and even, maybe, the name of the true religion of God every time and everywhere. There are numerous pieces of evidence for those facts, not to mention the substantiation of its articles of faith and pillars by the Biblical scriptures including the Old Testament and the New Testament despite the systematic distortion and corruption they experienced.
The Six Articles of the Muslim Faith in the Bible
Islam has six articles of faith as follows: 1- Belief in God, 2- Belief in angels, 3- Belief in the Holy Scriptures, 4- Belief in the prophets and messengers, 5- Belief in the Judgement Day, and 6- Belief in predestination.
Those articles of faith are separately found in the Qur’an but provided altogether in the well-known Gabriel hadith.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab reported: “One day when we were with the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) a man with very white clothing and very black hair came up to us. No mark of travel was visible on him, and we did not recognize him. Sitting down beside the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him), leaning his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs, he said: … ‘Now tell me about faith.’ He replied: ‘It means that you should believe in Allah, His Angels, His Scriptures, His Messengers and the Last Day, and Predestination.’ He said: ‘You have spoken the truth…” (Muslim)
As for belief in God, we find it in the Bible, including the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example, in the first of the verses of the Bible, we find a confession that God is the Creator Who created heavens and Earth. In the Old Testament, we read: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
In the Old Testament, we also find an admission that it is God Who created man. We read: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (Genesis 1:27)
We also come across an acknowledgement that God is the Lord. We read: “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” (Genesis 2:4)
Similarly, in the New Testament, we find a statement quoted from Jesus himself confirming that worship and prostration should be intended solely for God alone. We read: Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written, You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” (Matthew 4:10)
As for belief in angels, we find it in the Bible, including the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible tells us that God actually has angels. About Hagar’s story in the Old Testament, we read: “But the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness on the road to Shur. And He said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from, and where are you intending to go? And she said, I am running away from my mistress Sarai. The Angel of the Lord said to her, Go back to your mistress and [humbly] submit to her control. Also the Angel of the Lord said to her, I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be numbered for multitude. And the Angel of the Lord continued, See now, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael [God hears], because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your affliction.” (Genesis 16:7-11)