Introduction

2010-11-04T05:55:00.001-07:00

Islam (Arabic: الإسلام‎ al-’islām, pronounced [ʔislæːm] ) is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qur’an, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: الله‎, Allāh), and by the teachings and normative example of Muhammad, the last Prophet of Islam. The word 'Islam' means 'Submission (to God)',^[1] and an adherent of Islam is called Muslim.

Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable.^[2] Muslims also believe that Islam is the completed and universal version of a primordial, monotheistic faith revealed at many times and places before, including notably, to the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and that previous messages and revelations have been changed and corrupted over time.^[3] Religious practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five obligatory acts of worship,^[4] and Islamic law (Arabic: شريعة Šarīʿah), which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, encompassing everything from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.^[5]

About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country,^[6] 25% in South Asia,^[6] 20% in the Middle East,^[7] 2% in Central Asia, 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries, and 15% in Sub-saharan Africa.^[8] Sizable communities are also found in China and Russia, and parts of the Caribbean. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world. With about 1.57 billion Muslims comprising about 23% of the world's population^[8] (see Islam by country), Islam is the second-largest religion and arguably the fastest-growing religion in the world

ISLAM The Religion Of Peace

Introduction