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 ٱلۡحِسَابِInvero, la religione presso Allah è l'Islàm. Quelli che ricevettero la Scrittura caddero nella discordia, nemici gli uni degli altri, solo dopo aver avuto la scienza. Ma chi rifiuta i segni di Allah, [sappia che] Allah è rapido al conto.
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 لِيَعۡبُدُونِÈ solo perché Mi adorassero che ho creato i dèmoni e gli uomini.
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
L’Islam è una religione nuova?
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.
Testo coranico e traduzioni: QuranEnc. Traduzioni dei hadith: HadeethEnc. La fonte è indicata per ogni voce. Hai trovato un errore? Faccelo sapere.