Islam (إسلام, “submission” to God) is the religion of Muslims, who believe that God revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century CE as the final message in a line of prophets that includes Abraham, Moses and Jesus. With close to two billion adherents, it is the world’s second-largest religion.
Origins
Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 CE. Muslims believe that revelation began around 610, when he was about forty. In 622 he and his followers migrated to Medina, an event called the hijrah (هجرة, migration), which marks the start of the Islamic calendar. By his death in 632, much of Arabia had embraced Islam.
Scripture and tradition
The Qur’an (قرآن, “recitation”) contains 114 chapters. Muslims regard it as the literal word of God in Arabic. Alongside it stands the sunnah (سنة, “custom”), the example of the Prophet, known through reports called ḥadīth (حديث, “report”). Scholars developed the disciplines of Qur’anic exegesis and of law, fiqh (فقه, “understanding”), from these sources.
The Five Pillars
- Shahādah (شهادة, testimony): the declaration that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger.
- Ṣalāh (صلاة, ritual prayer): prayer five times a day, facing Mecca.
- Zakāh (زكاة, purifying alms): an annual payment to those in need.
- Ṣawm (صوم, fasting): the fast of the month of Ramadan.
- Ḥajj (حج, pilgrimage): the pilgrimage to Mecca, once in a lifetime for those able.
Muslim communities today
Most Muslims are Sunni; Shia Muslims form the largest minority. Sunni law developed in four main schools, the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali, and Twelver Shia law in the Ja’fari school. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country, and most Muslims live in Asia and Africa.
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