Islam:
one
of the three major world religions, along with Judaism and
Christianity, that profess monotheism, or the belief in a single
God. In the Arabic language, the word Islam means , surrender, or
, submission, , submission to the will of God. A follower of Islam
is called a Muslim, which in Arabic means , one who surrenders to
God., The Arabic name for God, Allah, refers to the same God
worshiped by Jews and Christians. Islam's central teaching is
that there is only one all-powerful, all-knowing God, and this
God created the universe. This rigorous monotheism, as well as
the Islamic teaching that all Muslims are equal before God,
provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that
transcends class, race, nationality, and even differences in
religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community,
the umma, irrespective of their ethnic or national background. |