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:
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 ٱلۡحِسَابِIndeed, the religion in the sight of Allāh is Islām. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allāh, then indeed, Allāh is swift in [taking] account.
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:
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِAnd I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is Islam a new 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.
Texts and translations are under scholarly review.