| Islam
(Arabic:
الإسلام;
al-'islām (help·info))
is a monotheistic
religion
originating with the teachings of Muhammad,
a 7th
century Arab
religious and political figure. It is the second-largest
religion in the world today, with an estimated 1.4 billion
adherents, spread across the globe, known as Muslims.[1]
Linguistically, Islam means submission, referring to the total
surrender of one's self to God
(Arabic: الله,
Allāh), and a Muslim
is "one who submits to God".[2]
Muslims believe that God revealed
the Qur'an
to Muhammad and that Muhammad is God's final
prophet.
The Qur'an and the traditions of Muhammad in the Sunnah
are regarded as the fundamental sources of Islam.[3][4]
Muslims do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion but
as the restorer of the original monotheistic
faith of Adam,
Ibrahim
and other prophets
whose messages had become corrupted
over time (or according to some authorities only
misinterpreted).[5][6][7]
Like Judaism,
Christianity,
and the Bahá'í
Faith, Islam is an Abrahamic
religion.[8]
Today, Muslims may be found throughout
the world, particularly in the Middle
East and North,
West
and East
Africa. Some of the most populous majority-Muslim countries are
in South
and Southeast
Asia. Other concentrations are found in Central
Asia. Only about 20 percent of Muslims originate from Arab
countries.[9]
Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity
in many European
countries, such as France,
which has the largest Muslim population in Western
Europe, and the United
Kingdom.[10][11]
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