Islam

Islam

Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur’an, atext considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: الله‎ Allāh), and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad, considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.

Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to love and serve God. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom they consider prophets. They maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Qur’an to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God.Religious concepts and practices include the five pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, providing guidance on multifarious topics frombanking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.

The majority of Muslims are Sunni, being 75–90% of all Muslims. The second largest sect, Shia, makes up 10–20%. The most populous Muslim country is Indonesia home to 12.7% of the world’s Muslims followed by Pakistan (11.0%), India (10.9%), and Bangladesh (9.2%). Sizable communities are also found in China, Russia, and parts of Europe. With over 1.5 billion followers or over 22% of earth’s population, Islam is the second-largest and one of thefastest-growing religions in the world.

Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, completion and bonding/joining. In a religious context it means “voluntary submission to God”. Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God and following his commands, and rejectingpolytheism. The word sometimes has distinct connotations in its various occurrences in the Qur’an. In some verses (ayat), there is stress on the quality of Islam as an internal conviction: “Whomsoever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam.” Other verses connect islām and dīn (usually translated as “religion”): “Today, I have perfected your religion (dīn) for you; I have completed My blessing upon you; I have approved Islam for your religion.” Still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith. Another technical meaning in Islamic thought is as one part of a triad of islamimān (faith), and ihsān (excellence) where it represents acts of service (`ibādah) and Islamic law (sharia).

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