What Muslims Believe

Here are a few points I found on this website that helped me get a start in trying to understand more about what Muslims believe, (Although I don't necessarily totally agree with all their witness approach at the end of their article) It's a start:

http://www.christiananswers.net/evangelism/beliefs/islam.html

What Muslims Believe

"Islam has seven fundamental beliefs that every Muslim must accept as a part of his/her religion (the Emanul Mufassil, or Faith Listed in Detail). Every Muslim learns this formula as a part of his/her religious training." ^*

• “Belief in God” (who, in Arabic, is named “Allah”)
• "Belief in the angels" (both good and bad)
• "Belief in the revealed Books of God
• Belief in God's many prophets" (including Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and other Christians and Jews are familiar with)
• "Accepting that there will be a Last Day
• Belief in the divine measurement of human affairs
• Belief in life after death"

* Yahiya Emerick, Understanding Islam (Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002, p. 18.)

Muslims also believe in Satan and in a Day of Judgment on which God will send people to either heaven or hell. They also believe that Ishmael (the father of the Arab world), not Isaac, received the promise from God through Abraham; this helps to explain why Arab Muslims feel that their claim to the Holy Land is a God-given right.

Is it true that Islam is a lot like Christianity?
Although the two religions share some terminology and even some theology (monotheism, for instance), Islam is fundamentally different from Christianity. Islam is a works-oriented religion, while Christian faith is based on salvation by grace through faith as a result of the shed blood of Christ. In Islam, if God wants to forgive sin, He simply says, “It is forgiven.” Christianity recognizes the necessity of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin. (Hebrews 9:22)

How Do Muslims Believe They Will Be Saved?

As a works-oriented religion, Islam requires that its adherents earn their way to heaven by performing the five pillars of the faith.

1. Say the confession of faith. A Muslim must confess, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is the prophet of God."
2. Pray. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day: shortly before sunrise, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon, and after sunset.
3. Give alms. Muslims are to give about 2.5 percent of their wealth.
4. Fast during Ramadan. For one lunar month, from sunrise to sunset, Muslims are not to allow anything to pass down their throat. (Theoretically, a good Muslim would even spit out his or her saliva.) Then from sunset to sunrise, they are permitted to eat as little or as much as they want. This is their way of developing discipline and relating to the poor. (Travelers, young children and pregnant or nursing mothers do not need to keep the fast.)
5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim who is financially able is supposed to travel to the birthplace of Islam once in his or her lifetime.

But do Muslims have any guarantee of salvation?
Muslims have no guarantee of being saved. They believe that all their works will be accounted for and that on Judgment Day, if your bad works outweigh your good works, you are going to go to hell. But if your good works outweigh your bad works, you'll probably go to heaven. (Since God is all-powerful, they concede that He may do with you as He pleases, even if you have been very righteous. They hope He won't be having a “bad day” at Judgment.) A third possibility is that you could go to hell and burn your sins off for a while and then be allowed into heaven. The only way Muslims can be guaranteed to go to heaven is through “jihad.” Although it is often translated “holy war,” “jihad” literally means "exerting force for God." One could be in “jihad” by writing a book about Islam, or by sharing his faith to bring others to Islam, or by physically fighting for the cause of Islam. If a Muslim dies in “jihad,” he is guaranteed to go to heaven.