Is Muslim a Religion?

The followers of Islam, Muslims believe that there is only one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is his prophet. A Muslim also thinks that Adam, from the Old Testament of the Bible, was the first prophet.

As of 2015, there were 1.8 billion Muslims in the globe, accounting for around 24% of the worldwide population. However, while Islam is the world’s second-largest religion (after Christianity), it is also the fastest-growing.

Who is a Muslim?

When we say Muslims, we’re referring to people who believe in or practice Islam. Islam is an Arabic word that means “submission to God” and is derived from a word that means “peace.”
Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is a monotheistic religion. To put it another way, they only believe in one God: Allah (the Arabic name for God).
Muslim believers strive to live a life that is entirely dedicated to Allah. Nothing is allowed without Allah’s permission, they believe. They believe that people have free will and that it is up to them to choose Allah’s path.

Six Main Beliefs of a Muslim

• Belief that Muslims must worship only one, all-knowing God – Muslims believe that all of the Prophets sent the same messages to humanity, all of which talked of monotheistic.
• Belief in the holy books – Muslims believe that Allah revealed the holy writings to a select group of his messengers.
• Belief in angels (or Malaikah) – that they were created before humanity, with the intention of communicating with them while obeying Allah’s commands.
• Belief in the Prophets – The Muslim religion recognizes 25 prophets, including Moses, Jesus, and Abraham.
• Predestination – is the belief that Allah has already chosen routes and pre-planned everything that will happen in the environment and in people’s lives.
• Belief in Allah’s Day of Judgment, when He decides how people will spend their afterlives.

What is Islam?

The word “Islam” means “submission to the will of God.” It is a religious faith of a Muslim, based on the words and theological system founded by the prophet Muhammad and taught by the Quran, with the primary principle of unconditional devotion to a single and personal God, Allah.

The Five Pillars of the Muslim Faith (Islam)

The Five Pillars of Islam, as stated in the Qur’an, outline five responsibilities for Muslims:

1. Shahadah: (Arabic: Muslims must recite this sentence several times a day as a confession of faith. “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger,” it says in a brief.
2. Salah: An Arabic phrase uttered at dawn, soon after midday, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dusk in all five daily prayers.
3. Zakah: A Muslim’s obligation to contribute money to the impoverished (around 2.5 percent of their savings and valuables every year at the very least).
4. Ramadan: Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan. For the whole month of Ramadan, they will not eat or drink anything during daytime hours.
5.  Hajj: Muslims must make a religious pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lives (if they are able).

The Everyday Life of Muslims

Many principles for daily living and human interactions can be found in Islam. The Quran is the first source of these laws, and the hadith, or records of the prophet Muhammad’s words or actions, is the second.

• Prohibitions: In Islam, anything that is damaging to the body, mind, soul, or society is forbidden (haram), whereas anything that is good is permitted (halal) (halal). Pork, alcohol, and mind-altering narcotics are all forbidden in Islam. Muslims must eat meat that has been butchered and blessed in an Islamic manner. This meat is referred to as “halal.” Gambling, taking interest, fortune-telling, killing, lying, stealing, cheating, oppressing or abusing others, being greedy or stingy, having sex outside of marriage, disrespecting parents, and mistreating relatives, orphans, or neighbors are also prohibited for Muslims.
• Role of clergy: In Islam, there is no hierarchy of clergy, and Muslim religious leaders do not have the authority to pardon people’s sins. Without any intermediary, each person has a direct relationship with God. Ulema are religious leaders or academics who have studied and are experts in various elements of Islam, including Sharia, hadith, and Quranic recitation. It’s also worth noting that there is no single Islamic authority, therefore Muslim academics have differing viewpoints.
• Conversion to Islam: Muslims are encouraged to communicate their faith with others after converting to Islam. Muslims, on the other hand, are forbidden from criticizing others’ beliefs or engaging in religious confrontations or arguments. Conversion does not require a formal ceremony. To convert to Islam, all one has to do is believe in and utter the shahada.

Muslim Denominations

• Sunni – Islam’s most populous sect. They recognize the first four caliphs (leaders) as Muhammad’s legitimate successors.
• Wahabi – A Sunni sect in Saudi Arabia made up of members of the Tameem tribe who follow Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulawahab’s rigorous orthodox teachings.
• Shiite, the second-largest branch of Islam, – or Shia, believes that only the caliph Ali and his descendants are genuine heirs to Muhammad, and rejects the first three caliphs.
• Alawite – A Shiite sect centered in Syria that holds similar but differing foundational beliefs about Ali’s divinity and the seven pillars of the faith. In addition to Islamic holidays, they observe various Christian and Zoroastrian feasts.
• Kharijites – Members of Islam’s first sect who split from Ali’s followers over a new leader’s selection technique. They were noted for their staunch adherence to the Quran’s observation and violent extremism. They are now referred to as the Ibadi or Ibadities.
• The Nation of Islam is a predominantly African-American religious organization that was founded in the 1930s in Detroit, Michigan. It belongs to the Sunni sect.
  Other Sunni and Shiite sects exist in African and Arab countries.