The word Islam is an Arabic word with a profound meaning. It comes from the same root as salām, peace, and it means the willing submission of the whole self to God. A Muslim, therefore, is simply "one who submits to God." This is the essence of the faith: peace attained through submission to the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Islam is not named after a person or a people, unlike many other faiths. It is not a new religion at all, but the final and complete form of the one message God sent to every nation through His prophets: worship the one true God, and live righteously.
"The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account."
(Surah Aal 'Imran, 3:19)
The Heart of Islam: One God
Everything in Islam begins with a single, uncompromising truth: there is only one God, called in Arabic Allah, a word that simply means "The God." He has no partner, no equal, no son, and no rival. He was not born, and He does not die. He is the Creator of all things and depends on nothing.
This concept, the absolute oneness of God, is called tawhīd, and it is the foundation on which the entire religion is built. The Qur'an captures it in a single, luminous chapter:
"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."
(Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:1–4)
To be a Muslim is, first and foremost, to bear witness to this: Lā ilāha illā Allāh, "There is no god but Allah", and that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. The Qur'an teaches that the purpose of human existence itself is bound up with knowing and worshipping this one God:
"I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me."
(Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:56)
Islam: The Message of All the Prophets
One of the most striking features of Islam is that it does not claim to have started in the 7th century. God sent prophets to every people throughout history, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all), and each brought the same core message of submission to the one God. Muhammad ﷺ was the final prophet in this long chain, sent to complete and preserve that message for all of humanity.
"The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him)."
(Surah Ash-Shura, 42:13)
This is why Muslims deeply revere Jesus and Moses (peace be upon them), not as figures of a rival religion, but as their own prophets, brothers in the same mission.
The Two Dimensions of Islam: Faith and Practice
Islam is often described through two complementary structures: what a Muslim believes (the Six Articles of Faith) and what a Muslim does (the Five Pillars). These were famously summarised by the Prophet ﷺ himself, when the angel Gabriel came to him in the form of a man and questioned him before his companions, a report known as the Hadith of Gabriel. (Sahih Muslim 8a, Book 1, Hadith 1)
The Five Pillars of Islam
These are the five acts of worship that form the framework of a Muslim's life. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey."
(Sahih Muslim 8a, Book 1, Hadith 1)
- Shahadah. The declaration of faith: that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger.
- Salah. The five daily prayers, a direct connection between the worshipper and God.
- Zakah. Giving a fixed portion of one's wealth to those in need, purifying both wealth and heart.
- Sawm. Fasting the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset, cultivating discipline and God-consciousness.
- Hajj. The pilgrimage to Makkah, required once in a lifetime for those who are able.
The Six Articles of Faith
Where the pillars are about action, the articles of faith are about belief, the inner convictions of the heart. When Gabriel asked the Prophet ﷺ about īmān (faith), he replied:
"That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil."
(Sahih Muslim 8a, Book 1, Hadith 1)
- Belief in Allah. The one God, described above.
- Belief in His angels. Created beings of light who carry out God's commands.
- Belief in His books. The revelations sent to earlier prophets (including the original Torah and Gospel), completed and preserved in the Qur'an.
- Belief in His messengers. The long line of prophets, from Adam to Muhammad ﷺ.
- Belief in the Last Day. The Day of Judgement, when every soul will be held accountable.
- Belief in divine decree. That nothing happens except by the knowledge and will of God.
A Faith of Reason, Not Compulsion
A common misconception is that Islam spreads by force. Yet the Qur'an itself forbids compelling anyone to believe:
"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things."
(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:256)
Islam appeals to the intellect. Again and again, the Qur'an points the reader toward the natural world, the human self, and the order of the cosmos, inviting reflection: "Do they not reflect?", "Will they not use reason?" Faith, in Islam, is meant to be a conviction reached through both the heart and the mind.
Further Reading
- The Qur'an. Read it for yourself, with translation and recitation.
- Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim. The two most rigorously authenticated collections of the Prophet's ﷺ sayings.
- Riyad as-Salihin (Imam an-Nawawi), a beloved anthology of hadith on faith, character, and worship.
- The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum), an award-winning biography of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Martin Lings.