Islam 101

Islam means willing submission to God, and it comes from the same Arabic root as the word for peace. A Muslim is one who submits to God. Islam teaches that there is one God who created everything, that He has guided humanity through prophets, and that life has a purpose: to know, worship, and obey Him. With around two billion followers, Islam is the world’s second largest religion.

Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, the same One God worshipped by Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians also call God “Allah.” Islam teaches that God is one, without partners, children, or equals; that He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything; and that He alone deserves worship.

Muhammad ﷺ (570 to 632 CE) was born in Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. Muslims believe he is the final prophet in the line that includes Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them all. At the age of forty he began receiving the revelation of the Qur’an, and over twenty-three years he transformed Arabia from idol worship to the worship of one God. See the proofs of his prophethood and the prophecies he made that came true.

The Qur’an is the literal word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Arabic over twenty-three years. It is not a biography of Muhammad ﷺ; it is God speaking directly to humanity about who He is, why we are here, and how to live. It has been memorized in full by millions and its text has remained unchanged since revelation. Read how the Qur’an has been preserved.

The five practices at the core of Muslim life:

• Shahada: testifying that there is no god but God and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger
• Salah: the five daily prayers
• Zakat: obligatory annual charity given to those in need
• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
• Hajj: the pilgrimage to Mecca, once in a lifetime for those able

Islam’s six articles of faith are belief in: the One God; His angels; His revealed books; His messengers; the Last Day, when every soul is resurrected and judged with perfect justice; and divine decree, meaning nothing happens outside God’s knowledge and will. Heaven and Hell are real, and this life is a test whose results matter forever.

Yes. Muslims love and revere Jesus (Isa, peace be upon him) as one of the greatest messengers of God. Islam affirms his miraculous virgin birth, his miracles by God’s permission, and his title of Messiah. Muslims do not worship him or consider him divine; the Qur’an presents him as a mighty prophet who called people to worship the One God. A Muslim is not a Muslim without belief in Jesus.

Muslims pray five times each day, at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and night, facing the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. The prayer combines recitation of the Qur’an with standing, bowing, and prostration. It takes only a few minutes and serves as a constant reconnection with God throughout the day.

Halal simply means permissible. It most often comes up with food: Muslims do not eat pork or drink alcohol, and meat must be slaughtered in God’s name in a prescribed, humane way. The opposite term, haram, means forbidden. The categories extend beyond food to earnings, dealings, and conduct.

Both agree on the essentials: one God, the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, the Qur’an, the five pillars. The split originated in a historical disagreement over leadership of the community after the Prophet’s ﷺ death. Sunnis, about ninety percent of Muslims, held that leadership was a matter of merit and consultation; Shia held that it belonged to the Prophet’s ﷺ family line.

Islam gave women rights revolutionary for the seventh century: the right to own property, to inherit, to consent to marriage, to seek divorce, and to be educated. The Qur’an addresses men and women as spiritual equals before God. Cultural practices in some Muslim-majority societies do not always reflect Islamic teaching, and it is important to judge Islam by its sources rather than by every practice done in its name. See our Misconceptions section for honest treatments of the hard questions.

By sincerely declaring the shahada: “I testify that there is no god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.” No ceremony, clergy, or witnesses are required, though saying it among Muslims is encouraged. Islam teaches that everything before that declaration is forgiven, and the person begins with a clean record.