"O ye that believe! Fear Allah (God), and believe in His Apostle, and He will bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide for you a Light by which ye shall walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your past): for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Qur'an, 57:28)

LEARN ABOUT ISLAM:

What is the extent of the Muslim presence worldwide? Is every Muslim an Arab and every Arab a Muslim?

Muslims can be found all over the world, in every country. Islam is a universal religion, the second largest faith world wide. There are large concentrations of Muslims in Asia and Africa, a Muslim majority in Turkey and Albania, and a large minority in Europe, Russia, and India.

What does the word Islam mean?

The word Islam comes from an Arabic word Aslama, which means to obey, and Salima, which means peace. By obeying the will of God, one can obtain peace and happiness. Unlike the name of other religions like Christianity from Jesus Christ, the name Islam is not grounded on a person or a place.

Who is a Muslim?

The Qur’an, the Holy Book in Islam, speaks of everything in the universe as being created according to a measure which is set by the Creator. All heavenly bodies float through space according to the laws set by God. Plants need sunlight to grow and flourish. Anything which follows the laws measured out for it by the Creator lives in a state of submission and is thus a "muslim" which literally means "one who submits". However, if a human being consciously acknowledges God and chooses to follow His guidance, this person becomes a Muslim (with a capital "M"). One who believes in all the prophets, ending with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and all the scriptures, ending with the Qur’an is a Muslim.

Did Muhammad invent Islam by copying from the Jews and Christians since the Qur’an says many of the same things as the old scriptures.

A Muslim would reply that the reason why the Qur’an says many of the same things as the old scriptures is because they come from the same source, the same God. All the prophets, from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them), were brothers, not competing for everyone’s soul, but giving the same message. Their common message was to ask people to believe in God, to enjoin the good, and to avoid the evil.

What is the name of God in Islam?

In Islam, the name of God is Allah (swt). This word means "the one and only". In many ways, it is better to refer to God as Allah. It is not subject to plurality, such as ‘god’ or ‘gods’. It also does not lend itself to gender, such as ‘god’ or ‘goddess’. Many say that Muslims are not referring to the same God as the Jews or the Christians when they say Allah. However, when a French person says "Dieu", no one says it is the French God. It is the same God. In fact, the Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Middle East all call God Allah. Allah is simply the Arabic word meaning God.

Was Allah the name of one of the many idols that the Arabs used to believe in? Did Muhammad then take this name and use it to describe the one god he wanted to preach.

Long before Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Ibrahim and Ishmael introduced monotheism to the Arabs. So, at one time, the Arabs used the name Allah in the true sense. But, in time, this belief was perverted. When Prophet Muhammad came, monotheism was restored. This is shown by the Ka’aba. The Ka’aba was built as the first mosque for one God. In time, people began to worship idols and put idols in it. But this doesn’t change its origin.