here is some religious spam for your own thread...
Islam (
Arabic:
الإسلام; al-'islām (
help·
info); pronounced: [ɪs.ˈlæːm]
[note 1]) is a
monotheistic,
Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the
Islamic prophet Muhammad, a 7th century
Arab religious and political figure. The word
Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to
God (
Arabic: الله‎, Allāh).
[1] An adherent of Islam is known as a
Muslim, meaning "one who submits [to God]".
[2][3] The word
Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which
Islām is the infinitive. There are between 1 billion and 1.8 billion Muslims, making Islam the
second-largest religion in the world, after
Christianity.
[4]
Muslims believe that God
revealed the
Qur'an to Muhammad, God's
final prophet, through the angel
Gabriel, and regard the Qur'an and the
Sunnah (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam.
[5] They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of
Abraham,
Moses,
Jesus, and other
prophets. Islamic tradition holds that
Jews and
Christians distorted the revelations God gave to these prophets by either altering the text, introducing a false interpretation, or both.
[6]
Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the
Five Pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community.
[7] In addition to the Five Pillars,
Islamic law (
sharia) has developed a tradition of rulings that touch on virtually all aspects of life and society. This tradition encompasses everything from practical matters like
dietary laws and
banking to
warfare and
welfare.
[8]
Part of
a series on
Islam
Beliefs Allah · Oneness of
God
Muhammad · Other prophets
Practices Profession of faith · Prayer
Fasting · Charity · Pilgrimage
Texts and laws
Qur'an · Sunnah · Hadith
Fiqh · Sharia · Kalam · Sufism
History and leadership
Timeline of Muslim history
Ahl al-Bayt · Sahaba
Sunni · Shi'a
Rashidun caliphs · Shi'a imams
Culture and society
Academics · Animals · Art
Calendar · Children
Demographics · Festivals
Mosques · Philosophy
Science · Women
Politics · Dawah
Islam and other religions
Christianity · Judaism
Hinduism · Sikhism · Jainism
See also
Criticism ·
Islamophobia
Glossary of Islamic terms
Islam portal
v •
d •
e
Almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations, the
Sunni (85%) and
Shi'a (15%). The schism developed in the late 7th century following disagreements over the religious and political leadership of the Muslim community. Islam is the predominant religion in much of
Africa and the
Middle East, as well as in major parts of
Asia.
[9] Large communities are also found in
China, the
Balkan Peninsula in
Eastern Europe and
Russia. There are also large Muslim immigrant communities in other parts of the world, such as
Western Europe. About 20% of Muslims live in
Arab countries,
[10] 30% in the
Indian subcontinent and 15.6% in
Indonesia, the largest Muslim country by population.
[11]
