Islam comes from the same root as the word “Salam”, meaning peace. Therefore,

the name of the religion itself carries a deep spiritual meaning – true peace can be

achieved through knowing Allah (Almighty God), obeying His Commands, and

ensuring that all acts of worship are directed towards no one but Him.

The central teaching of Islam is that Allah (Almighty God), the One, the Unique,

Incomparable Creator of all that exists, alone is worthy of all worship. Hence, Islam

is not a new religion, but a continuation of the clear and profound message of pure

monotheism revealed by Allah (Almighty God) throughout history to all of His

prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. With the revelation of the Qur’an,

Allah’s final message to mankind, this primordial religion received a name: Islam.

5:3].

The laws that Allah (Almighty God) revealed to each prophet differed according to

the needs of the community to which he was sent, but the religion was the same –

submission to the Will of Allah (Almighty God): Islam. Allah (Almighty God) says:

And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve Allah

Thus, the religion of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, was Islam. Muhammad was

therefore the final, not the first, prophet of Islam. Through his prophethood, Allah’s

divinely revealed religion was perfected and completed for all mankind.

This continuity is reflected in the 6 core articles of faith in Islam:

1. Belief in Allah (Almighty God)

2. Belief in the Angels

3. Belief in the Scriptures

4. Belief in the Prophets

5. Belief in the Life Hereafter

6. Belief in Divine Predestination

It is also reflected in the 5 pillars of Islam, which form the basic structure of an

Islamic life:

1. Testimony of faith – to declare: “There is none worthy of worship except Allah;

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”

2. Prayer

3. Fasting

4. Charity

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca – at the heart of which lies the first building established for

the worship of Allah (Almighty God), built by Abraham and his son Ishmael

A Muslim is ‘one who submits to the Will of Allah (Almighty God)’. Anyone, in any

period of history, who has submitted to the Will of Allah (Almighty God) is thus

considered a Muslim. Hence, all of the prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus,

and Muhammad, were Muslims.

In the past, Muslims were often mistakenly referred to as “Muhammadans” by

Europeans. This was due to the widespread propagation of a malicious distortion

over several centuries claiming that Muslims worship Muhammad, just as Christians

worship Jesus. Of course, this is antithetical to the most basic teaching of Islam - a

Muslim is absolutely not permitted to worship anything besides Allah (Almighty God).

Today, there are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, which is 22% of the world’s

population. Islam is predicted to become the religion with the most adherents

worldwide by 2050. It is estimated that over 6 million Muslims live in America. A

common misconception is that all Muslims are Arabs, another is that all Arabs are

Muslims. In fact, only 18% of Muslims are Arabs. Whilst most Arabs are Muslims,

they are not exclusively so. Millions of Arabs are Christians - the majority of Arabs in

America are in fact from Christian backgrounds.

Muslims come from all races and ethnicities – Bosnians, Nigerians, Egyptians,

Chinese, Indians and many others.

The country with the highest Muslim population is

Indonesia in south-east Asia, with over 210 million - more Muslims than in all the

Arab countries combined. Islam is, and always has been, a universal faith intended

for all mankind - the companions of Muhammad included Arabs, Persians, Africans

and Byzantine Romans. Thousands of Americans of varying heritage - European,

Asian, Latino, African and other – convert to Islam every year, adding to the rich

tapestry of the Muslim world.