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What is Islam?

Short answerIslam is the religion of pure monotheism: belief in one God, Allah, the Creator of everything, and surrendering to Him through worship and obedience. Muslims believe it was the message of all prophets, from Adam, Noah and Abraham to Moses and Jesus, completed with Muhammad ﷺ and the Quran. About two billion people, roughly a quarter of humanity, are Muslim.

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What the word means

In Arabic, “Islam” means submission to God, and shares a root with peace (salām). A “Muslim” is one who submits to God alone. The Quran presents this as the religion of God with all the messengers:

Quran
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡإِسۡلَٰمُۗ وَمَا ٱخۡتَلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلۡعِلۡمُ بَغۡيَۢا بَيۡنَهُمۡۗ وَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ

Gewiß, die Religion ist bei Allah der Islam. Doch diejenigen, denen die Schrift gegeben wurde, wurden erst uneinig, nachdem das Wissen zu ihnen gekommen war - aus Mißgunst untereinander, Doch wer Allahs Zeichen verleugnet -, so ist Allah schnell im Abrechnen.

Aal Imran 3:19

Why were we created?

In Islam the purpose of life is to know and worship God. Worship includes prayer, good deeds and good character, not only rituals:

Quran
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ

Und Ich habe die Ginn und die Menschen nur (dazu) erschaffen, damit sie Mir dienen.

Adh-Dhariyat 51:56

The core beliefs and practices

  • The six articles of faith: belief in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and divine decree.
  • The five pillars of Islam: the two testimonies of faith, prayer, charity (zakat), fasting in Ramadan and pilgrimage (Hajj).
  • The scripture: the Quran, the word of God revealed to Muhammad ﷺ, explained in practice by the Sunnah.

Who are Muslims today?

Muslims live on every continent; the largest Muslim-population countries are in Asia, and Arabs make up roughly one-fifth of Muslims worldwide. The Pew Research Center estimated about 2.0 billion Muslims in 2020, around 25.6% of the world’s population.

Häufige Fragen

Ist der Islam eine neue Religion?

Muslims see Islam as God’s one message through all the prophets, with Muhammad ﷺ as the last of them, restoring and completing pure monotheism.

What is the difference between Muslim and Arab?

A Muslim follows Islam regardless of nationality; an Arab belongs to the Arabic language and culture. Arabs include Muslims, Christians and others.

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