Islam Blog

Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qur’an, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: الله‎, Allah), and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah) of Muhammad, the last Prophet of Islam. The word Islam means 'Submission (to God)', and an adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.

Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable. Muslims also believe that Islam is the completed and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims maintain that previous messages and revelations have been changed and corrupted over time, but consider the Quran to be both unaltered and the final revelation from God. Religious practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five obligatory acts of worship, and the following of 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.

The majority of Muslims belong to one of two denominations, with 75-90% being Sunni and 10-20% being Shi'a, in addition to a small minority belonging to other sects. About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East, 2% in Central Asia, 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries, and 15% in Sub-saharan Africa. 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 (see Islam by country), Islam is the second-largest religion and arguably the fastest-growing religion in the world.