Islam is a monotheistic religion based upon the Qur’an, which adherents believe was sent by God (Arabic: Allāh) through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Followers of Islam, known as Muslims (Arabic: مسلم), believe Muhammad (pbuh) to have been God’s final prophet; most of them see the historic record of the actions and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) related in the Sunnah and Hadith as indispensable tools for interpreting the Qur’an.
Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is considered an Abrahamic religion. With a total of approximately 1.4 billion adherents, Islam is the...
second-largest religion in the world. The majority of Muslims are not Arabs (in fact only 20 percent of Muslims originate from Arab countries). At current rates, Islam will soon become the second largest religion in the United States, and it is already the second largest faith in the UK.
Secular historians place Islam’s beginnings during the late 7th century in Arabia. Under the leadership of Muhammad and his successors, Islam rapidly spread by religious conversion and military conquest. Today, followers of Islam may be found throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
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