Religion – Islam 

Islam was established by the prophet Muhammad during the first years of the seventh century CE. Its holy book is the Quran; the text of the Quran was revealed to Muhammad by a celestial being named Jibrīl, or Gabriel. In Islam, Allāh is the one and only God who created the universe and all within it. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims or Moslems. There are an estimated 1.9 billion worldwide, making Islam the second-largest religious population after Christianity. Islam teaches that Jesus was also a prophet, as were Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

Islam traces its origin to the Arabian Peninsula in 610 CE. Muslims teach this is when Muhammad (also spelled Mohammed and Mohammad), Islam’s founder, received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel, or Jibrīl, in Arabic. These revelations continued until 632, the year Muhammad died. By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam. Over the next several centuries, the Muslim religion and Muslim rule expanded outside of Arabia. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean region, north Africa, and parts of Asia, from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Indus Valley in the east. The Muslim world experienced scientific, economic, and cultural prosperity during this period.

Islam and Christianity clashed during the Middle Ages, resulting in a mixing of cultures that still exist today. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all claim Jerusalem as their holy city, where uneasy tension often creates wars. All three religions have adherents living in almost every country of the world.

Islamists believe in one God, Allāh, who created everything. He is viewed as a personal god and no intermediaries are required, such as clergy, to contact God. Allāh is a term without plurality or gender. Islamists teach that the doing of the will of Allāh is the purpose of living.

Islamic belief has five “pillars.” The first pillar of Islam is the assertion of faith. That is expressed in two phrases: "There is no god but Allāh" and "Muhammad is the messenger of Allāh." The second pillar is prayer, which Muslims do five times each day, usually but not necessarily at a mosque. The third pillar is alms giving, charity, for community support. The fourth pillar is “Ramadan,” a month-long fast in which Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours. Ramadan is performed each year and is a period of reflection and recharging of faith. The fifth pillar is making a pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and the location of the Kaaba, a sacred stone building at the center of Mecca’s Mosque. The Quran specifically says that those capable of making the pilgrimage are required to do so.

There are variations of beliefs and rituals within Islam, as there are in all major religions. The unifying factor for all sects is Allāh, the one God. In any discussion of Islamic beliefs, it should be noted that the religion’s holy book, the Quran, is sometimes supplemented by the Hadith. Many Muslims believe the Hadith contains sayings of the prophet Muhammad and is a major source of guidance apart from the Quran. However, not all Muslims are in agreement about the authenticity or importance of the Hadith. For others, it is a major field of study within Islam.

Ibrāhīm (Abraham) is mentioned in 35 suras, or chapters, of the Quran. Muslims regard him as a prophet and patriarch, the archetype of the perfect Muslim. Islamic tradition states Abraham’s purpose and mission throughout his life was to proclaim the oneness of God. In Islam, he holds an exalted position among the major prophets, and he is referred to as "Abraham the Friend of God," also "Father of Muslims," and the role model for the community.

Abraham is the patriarch of three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews and God. In Christianity, he is the spiritual ancestor of all Jewish or non-Jewish believers. In Islam, he is a link in the chain of Islamic prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad.

By total number of adherents, Christianity and Islam comprise the largest and second-largest religious movements in the world, respectively. Judaism is the smallest of the three major Abrahamic religions, and Samaritanism is the smallest of the minor ones. Roughly half of the world’s population belongs to one of the religions that claim Abraham as a founding father.

In Islam, Jesus is the forerunner of the prophet Muhammad, and he prophesied Muhammad's coming in sura 61, verse 6 of the Quran. In it, Jesus speaks of a messenger to appear after him named "Ahmad." Islam associates Ahmad with Muhammad. Muslims teach that evidence of Jesus' prediction is also in the Bible’s New Testament, citing a reference to a spiritual “Advocate” whose coming is foretold in the Gospel of John (John 14:16, 26). This differs from the Christian belief that the Advocate is the Spirit of Truth or Holy Spirit.

Jesus is mentioned more than 180 times in the Quran, directly and indirectly, and also referred to by many titles, the most common being the Messiah. Muhammad described himself as the "nearest of all people to Jesus."

Muslims do not worship Jesus, who is known by his Arabic name, Isa. Nor do they consider him divine, but they do believe that he was a prophet or messenger of God. Islam teaches that neither Jesus nor Muhammed brought a new religion. Both taught what Abraham taught: monotheism, a personal God of all people. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all grew out of the Abrahamic tradition.

The Quran emphasizes Jesus's monotheism, placing him among the greatest prophets. Jesus Christ is also widely venerated in Sufism (a branch of Islam). Sufis have much ascetic and mystic literature about Jesus. They teach that he is the most important historical Jewish-Islamic prophet-messenger of the Abrahamic faiths.

Maryam (Mary), the mother of Jesus, is revered in Islam. The Quran refers to her seventy times and explicitly identifies her as the greatest woman who ever lived. In the Quran, the nineteenth Sura (chapter) is named after her and she is the only woman named in the Quran.

According to the Quran, Mary received messages from God through the archangel Gabriel. God informed Mary that she had miraculously conceived a child through the intervention of the divine spirit, though she was still a virgin. The name of her child was chosen by God, being Isa (Jesus), who would be the "anointed one," the promised Messiah. Mary is believed to have been chosen by God, "above all the women of the worlds."

Islam provides spiritual guidance for many people; it is practiced by nearly two billion believers around the world. It originated in the 6th century after Christ when Muhammad founded it as a protest against the social demands of foreign faiths and the incoherence of his own people's religious life.

While Islam differs from Christianity and Judaism, it is important to recognize the unique perspectives of all religions in humanity’s collective spiritual journey. It is also important to understand and appreciate that all religions have made contributions to spiritual understanding.

The Islamic religion of today is a complex and diverse faith that has evolved over fifteen centuries, and like all religions, it will continue its evolution. Religions that refuse to evolve with ever-changing civilization do not endure, and Islam has proven its ability to adapt while retaining its core principles and expanding its believers.

As humanity moves more rapidly into the modern age, people are seeking a religion that aligns with their highest ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness. They want a religion that is consistent with facts and in harmony with their understanding of the world. This is why it is important for all religions to constantly reevaluate themselves, adapt to the real needs of the human soul, and then realize the commonality of this need.

Wise teachers know that true religion is not about blindly following beliefs or rituals. It is about having a personal and meaningful relationship with God and treating others with love, compassion, and respect. Religion should not restrict or oppress people. Rather, it should set them free to follow the truth and live a life of spiritual growth and fulfillment, all the while embracing new understandings and promoting love and unity among all people. If there is to be peace on earth, there must be an exchange of religious ideas and ideals, of thoughts and goals. Each nation must become familiar with the thinking and traditions of all others. Ignorance breeds suspicion, and suspicion is incompatible with the essential attitude of sympathy and love.