Colorful Islamic geometric designs and Arabic script on a wall in the Saadian Tombs, Marrakesh, Morocco. Late 16th century.
Islam fast facts and introduction
"Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Scriptures and the Prophets."
— Qur'an 2:177
Name Means
Arabic, "submission"
1.6 billion
Place Founded
Date Founded
Founder(s)
Major Branches
Sunni, Shi'a, Sufism
One God (Allah in Arabic); the same God revealed (imperfectly) in the Jewish and Christian Bibles
Five Pillars: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Pilgrimage, Fasting. Mosque services on Fridays. Ablutions before prayer. No alcohol or pork. Holidays related to the pilgrimage and fast of Ramadan.
Main Holidays
Al-Hijra, Ramadan, 'Id Al-Fitr
Qur'an (sacred text); Hadith (tradition)
Star and crescent; name of Allah in Arabic; color green; mosque silhouette.
Islam is one of the largest religions in the world, with over 1 billion followers. It is a monotheistic faith based on revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad in 7th-century Saudi Arabia. The Arabic word islam means "submission," reflecting the faith's central tenet of submitting to the will of God. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
According to Islamic tradition, the angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet over the course of 20 years, revealing to him many messages from God. Muslims recognize some earlier Judeo-Christian prophets—including Moses and Jesus—as messengers of of the same true God. But in Islam, but Muhammad is the last and greatest of the prophets, whose revelations alone are pure and uncorrupted.
The Prophet dedicated the remainder of his life to spreading a message of monotheism in a polytheistic world. In 622, he fled north to the city of Medina to escape growing persecution. This event marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Eight years later, Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army and conquered the city for Islam. By Muhammad's death, 50 years later, the entire Arabian Peninsula had come under Muslim control.
The sacred text of Islam, the Qur'an, was written in Arabic within 30 years of Muhammad's death. Muslims believe it contains the literal word of God. Also important is the tradition of the sayings and actions of Muhammad and his companions, collected in the Hadith.
Islamic practices center on the Five Pillars of Islam—faith; prayer; fasting; pilgrimage to Mecca; and alms—and include several holidays and rituals as well.
Islam and the Judeo-Christian West have had a challenging relationship for centuries and today's conflicts in the Middle East are religiously charged. Thus a focus on the facts and efforts towards mutual understanding are particularly important when it comes to Islam.
Mathematical Miracle Of The Quran
The Mathematical Miracle of the Quran, (Appendix 1) - Part 2
of the Authorized English translation of the Quran "One of the Great Miracles" [74:35] Part II WHY 19! As pointed out later in this Appendix, all God's scriptures, not only the Quran, were mathematically coded with the number "19." Even the universe at large bears this divine mark. The number 19 can...
Salat - Mathematical Structure
Introduction The contact prayer was given to the Prophet Abraham and passed on to us from generation to generation. The prayer existed before Muhammad. Muhammad's sole mission was to deliver the Quran. There is no dispute concerning the number of units in all five daily prayers. The Quran's mat...
"From whencesoever you start forth, turn your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque; that is indeed the truth from your Lord. " {1} The most sacred place in Islam is the Ka'ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Ka'ba is a mosque (built by Abraham according to Muslim tradition) constructed around a bla...
The History of Kaaba
[Quran; 2:125] We have rendered the shrine (the Ka`aba) a focal point for the people, and a safe sanctuary. You may use Abraham's shrine as a prayer house. We commissioned Abraham and Ismail: "You shall purify My house for those who visit, those who live there, and those who bow and prostrate." The...