What Is Islam Islam is one of the world’s major religions It was founded in the seventh century CE by Muhammad in what is now Saudi Arabia Followers of Islam are called Muslims Like Christianity and Judaism Islam is monotheistic It teaches that there is only one God called Allah and that he created the world The Arabic word Islam means submission or surrender Muslims strive to live a life obeying the will of Allah Vocabulary Monotheistic religions teach the belief that there is only one God rather than many gods or none at all 4 Muslims pray in a mosque in Yinchuan China
This map shows the world distribution of Islam Darker green countries have a higher percentage of Muslims Today Islam is the second largest religion in the world It has about 1 6 billion followers worldwide or one-fifth of the world’s population Most Muslims live in North Africa the Middle East and southern and central Asia 5
BelIefs and PractIces At the center of Islam is this statement of faith called the shahadah There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah It states the oneness of God and the belief that Muhammad was the last prophet in a long line of prophets Muslims believe that God is kind and fair and that God created the world Vocabulary A prophet is a religious messenger This person shares a message that he or she believes has come from God with other people 6 The shahadah appears in Arabic above the entrance to a mosque
Muslims pray at five specific times each day often in mosques but also sometimes in markets or other public places and will one day judge humankind They believe that the Koran the holy book of Islam is the word of God as told to Muhammad Muslims practice their faith not just as a religion but also as a way of life Five duties called the five pillars of Islam are expected of every Muslim The first pillar the shahadah or statement of faith is the most important The second pillar of Islam is prayer Muslims pray five times a day at dawn midday midafternoon sunset and before going to bed Before prayer Muslims wash 7
