The Religion of Islam

     Islam is the third largest monotheistic religion after Judaism and Christianity; there are over one billion followers! Islam is spread across the Middle East and Asia. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh, and then India. Around 21% of the world is Muslim. Here is a fix to a common misconception: Most Arabs are Muslims, but not vice versa!

     The religion of Islam started in the seventh century CE. “Islam” means submission, or surrender, and is based on revelation. Islam comes from the word "salam," which means peace. The religion builds on Judaism and Christianity. It started with a man named Muhammad. At the age of forty, Muhammad went to meditate in a cave in Mecca and had a revelation from God. He received revelations from 610 until 632, when he passed away. The Qur'an is a book of Muhammad’s revelations, which God, Allah, wrote through Muhammad — thus, God’s language is Arabic, because the Qur'an was first written in Arabic. Because of this, the Qur'an is not translated into any other language, unlike the Bible.

     Muhammad is revered as the ultimate prophet. There were many other prophets before him, including Noah, David, Moses, and Jesus. Allah is God, and Muhammad is his messenger.

     Once Muhammad died, the question of who would be his successor caused the division of Muslims: Sunni and Shi’a. Sunnis believed that a non-family member should be his successor, while Shi’as believed that his son-in-law, husband of the revered Fatima, should be his successor. Fatima’s hand is a famous Muslim sign; her hand wards off all evil. Muslims are not iconic. You will never see a picture of Fatima or Muhammad, or anyone. They want you to be Muslim for God's message, thus the art is usually geometric patterns or calligraphy.

The Five Pillars of Islam:

1. The duty of Shahada, which is the Muslim profession of faith: “There is no other god but God, and Muhammad is his messenger.”
2. Prayer five times a day towards Mecca.
3. Zakat, or giving alms
4. Fasting at Ramadan (9th month of Islamic calendar).
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) depending on your finances. Around three million people a year make this voyage.

This is a photograph of the Hassan II Mosque. It is the third largest mosque in the world, following the mosques in Mecca and Medina. It can hold over 100,000 people! Its minaret is the largest in the world.