Short answer: Islam is the religion of submitting to the one God, Allah, by believing in Him alone and following the guidance He sent through His prophets, the last of whom was Muhammad ﷺ. The Arabic word islam means "submission" or "surrender", and it comes from the same root as salam, peace. A person who follows Islam is a Muslim, "one who submits". Muslims live by the Quran, which they believe is the word of God, and by the example (Sunnah) of the Prophet ﷺ.
About a quarter of the world's people are Muslim, according to the Pew Research Center's estimates, which makes Islam the second largest religion after Christianity. Most Muslims are not Arab: the countries with the most Muslims are Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
What the word Islam means
In Arabic, aslama means to hand yourself over. Islam is handing your life over to God: trusting Him, obeying Him and finding peace in that. The Quran calls this the one religion that God has always asked of people:
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْإِسْلَٰمُ ۗ وَمَا ٱخْتَلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ﴿١٩﴾
Innad deena 'indal laahil Islaam; wa makhtalafal lazeena ootul Kitaaba illaa mim ba'di maa jaaa'ahumul 'ilmu baghyam bainahum; wa mai yakfur bi Aayaatil laahi fa innal laaha saree'ul hisaab
Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah, then indeed, Allah is swift in [taking] account.
Quran 3:19 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Imran
So Muslims do not see Islam as a new religion started in the 7th century. They see it as the same message every prophet brought, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them all. The Quran calls Abraham (Ibrahim) a Muslim in this sense, a man who submitted to God (3:67). Muhammad ﷺ was the final messenger, who brought that message in its last and complete form.
What Muslims believe: the six articles of faith
The clearest summary comes from a famous hadith. The angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet ﷺ in the form of a man and asked him about Islam, faith (iman) and excellence (ihsan). About faith, the Prophet ﷺ answered: "That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in the decree, its good and its bad" (Sahih Muslim 8). Those are the six articles of faith:
- Allah. There is one God, with no partner, no son and no equal. He created everything, and only He deserves worship. This oneness is called tawheed, and it is the heart of Islam.
- The angels. Beings of light who obey God, such as Jibril, who brought revelation to the prophets.
- The books. God revealed scriptures to prophets, including the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus and the Quran to Muhammad ﷺ.
- The messengers. God sent prophets to every people. The Quran names 25 of them. See the prophets of Islam.
- The Last Day. Everyone will be raised after death and judged, then rewarded with Paradise or punished in Hell, by God's justice and mercy.
- The decree (qadar). Nothing happens outside God's knowledge and will, yet people choose and are responsible for their choices.
The shortest statement of who God is in Islam is a four-line chapter of the Quran that Muslims recite every day:
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ﴿٢﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ﴿٣﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ﴿٤﴾
Qul huwal laahu ahad Allah hus-samad Lam yalid wa lam yoolad Wa lam yakul-lahu kufuwan ahad
(1) Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, (2) Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (3) He neither begets nor is born, (4) Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
Quran 112:1-4 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Ikhlas
Read more in the six articles of faith and in our guide Who is Allah?
How Muslims worship: the five pillars
Belief is meant to be lived. The Prophet ﷺ described Islam as a building that stands on five pillars:
بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Islam is built on five: bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving zakat, Hajj, and fasting in Ramadan.
Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16 · narrated by Ibn Umar · sahih
| Pillar | What it is | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Shahada | The declaration of faith: there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger. Saying it sincerely is how a person becomes Muslim. | Once to enter Islam, then repeated daily |
| Salah | The prayer: standing, bowing and prostrating to God, facing the Kaaba in Makkah. | Five times a day |
| Zakat | A yearly payment of 2.5% of savings above a threshold (the nisab), given to the poor and others named in the Quran. | Once a year, if you have the nisab |
| Sawm | Fasting from food, drink and intimacy from dawn to sunset. | Every day of Ramadan |
| Hajj | The pilgrimage to Makkah in the month of Dhul Hijjah. | Once in a lifetime, for those able |
Each pillar has a page of its own on AmalKit: the shahada, how to pray, the zakat calculator, why Muslims fast and Hajj 2027.
The Quran
The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe it is the exact word of God, revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Jibril over about 23 years, from 610 to 632 CE. It has 114 chapters (surahs) and was memorised and written down in the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime. The Arabic text read today is the same text gathered by his Companions. Translations exist in most languages, but Muslims see them as explanations of the meaning, not as the Quran itself.
Start with our beginner's guide What is the Quran?, then read Surah Al-Fatiha, the opening chapter recited in every prayer.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Muhammad ﷺ was born in Makkah, in Arabia, around 570 CE. He was known in his city as al-Amin, the trustworthy. At about forty, while he was praying alone in the cave of Hira, the first verses of the Quran came to him. He taught in Makkah for some thirteen years, faced hard persecution, and in 622 CE moved with his followers to Madinah. That move, the Hijrah, is year one of the Islamic calendar. He died in Madinah in 632 CE.
Muslims do not worship him. They love him, follow his example and send blessings on him, which is why his name is followed by ﷺ, "peace and blessings be upon him". His words and actions, recorded in the hadith collections, explain how to live the Quran day to day. The Quran describes his mission like this:
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةًۭ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿١٠٧﴾
Wa maaa arsalnaaka illaa rahmatal lil'aalameen
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.
Quran 21:107 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Anbiya
Read his life in brief on the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Islam in daily life
In the same hadith of Jibril, the Prophet ﷺ described the highest level of the religion, ihsan: "That you worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, He sees you" (Sahih Muslim 8). That awareness is meant to shape everything, not only prayer. In practice, a Muslim's day includes:
- Prayer at set times, from before sunrise to night. See prayer times for your city.
- Halal food: no pork, no alcohol, and meat slaughtered in God's name.
- Character: honesty, keeping promises, kindness to parents and neighbours, modest dress and speech. The Prophet ﷺ said he was sent to perfect good character (reported by Malik in al-Muwatta and by Ahmad; graded sahih by later scholars).
- Remembrance of God: small phrases through the day such as Bismillah before eating and Alhamdulillah after.
- Family and community: marriage, caring for parents and children, the Friday prayer at the mosque, and the two Eids.
Islamic law, the Sharia, gives the details of worship and daily dealings. Scholars have explained it through four main Sunni schools of law: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. AmalKit shows the Hanafi view first and the others where they differ. Read more in What is Sharia?
Islam and other faiths
The Quran says plainly: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion" (2:256). Faith has to be chosen freely. Jews and Christians have a special place as "People of the Book", who received earlier scriptures. Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the greatest prophets and in his virgin birth, but not that he is God or the son of God. Our guide Islam and Christianity sets out what the two faiths share and where they differ.
Sunni and Shia Muslims
Most Muslims are Sunni, a name that comes from following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and the community of his Companions. A minority are Shia. The split began over who should lead the community after the Prophet ﷺ died: Sunnis accepted Abu Bakr and the caliphs after him, while Shia Muslims hold that leadership belonged to Ali, the Prophet's ﷺ cousin and son-in-law, and his descendants. Both groups share the Quran, the five daily prayers, the fast of Ramadan and the Hajj, but they differ on some beliefs, hadith sources and points of law. AmalKit follows the Sunni scholarly tradition.
Common misunderstandings
- "Allah is a different god." Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word in their Bibles and prayers.
- "Islam is an Arab religion." Arabs are a minority of the world's Muslims. Islam has been part of Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas for centuries.
- "Jihad means holy war." The word means striving. Its first meaning is the struggle against one's own ego and bad habits. Fighting is a narrow part of it, with strict rules set by law, and harming civilians is forbidden.
- "Muslims worship Muhammad." They do not. Worship belongs to God alone. Muhammad ﷺ is God's servant and messenger.
How a person becomes Muslim
There is no ceremony, fee or priest. A person becomes Muslim by believing and saying the shahada: ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah". Many people say it in front of witnesses at a mosque so the community can welcome and support them, but witnesses are not a condition. All past sins are forgiven when a person accepts Islam.
Thinking about Islam, or just took your shahada?
Our step-by-step guide covers the first prayers, wudu, what to learn first and how to find a community.
Open the new Muslim guideFAQ
What is the religion of Islam in simple words?
Islam is the belief that there is one God, Allah, who alone deserves worship, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His final messenger. Muslims pray five times a day, give charity, fast in Ramadan and make the pilgrimage to Makkah once if they can.
Who founded Islam?
Muslims believe Islam was not founded by a person. It is the religion of all the prophets, renewed and completed through the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Arabia in the 7th century. Historians date its beginning as a community to his first revelation in 610 CE.
What is the holy book of Islam?
The Quran. Muslims believe it is the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Arabic. It has 114 surahs. The hadith collections, which record the Prophet's ﷺ words and actions, are the second source of guidance.
Do Muslims believe in Jesus?
Yes. Jesus (Isa) is one of the greatest prophets in Islam. Muslims believe in his virgin birth and his miracles, and that he will return before the end of time, but not that he is God or the son of God.
What is the difference between Islam and Muslim?
Islam is the name of the religion. A Muslim is a person who follows it. The word Islamic describes things connected to the religion, such as Islamic law or Islamic art.
How many Muslims are there in the world?
The Pew Research Center estimates that about a quarter of the world's population is Muslim, roughly two billion people, with the largest numbers in Asia and Africa.
Sources
- Sahih Muslim 8, the hadith of Jibril, narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16, narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar.
- Quran 3:19, 3:67, 21:107, 112:1-4 and 2:256, translation by Sahih International.
- On good character: Malik, al-Muwatta, Kitab Husn al-Khuluq; Musnad Ahmad, narrated by Abu Hurayrah.
- Pew Research Center, How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020 (2025), for the share of Muslims in the world population.
Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English translation by Sahih International. Hadith gradings are those of the hadith scholars named; where a hadith number is not given, the collection and narrator are cited instead.