What are the core beliefs of Islam?

Islam is a monotheistic faith that arose in seventh-century Arabia on revelations Muslims believe the prophet Muhammad received from God through the angel Gabriel, gathered in the Quran. Its bedrock is the shahada, the declaration that there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger. Belief is often summarized as six articles of faith: in one God, in angels, in the revealed scriptures (including the Torah and Gospel), in a line of prophets from Adam through Jesus to Muhammad, in a final Day of Judgment, and in God's divine decree. Alongside belief sits practice: the Five Pillars, which are declaring faith, praying five times daily, giving alms (zakat), fasting during Ramadan, and making the pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca once if able. Together, creed and practice define what it means to submit to God.

The organizing principle of Islam is tawhid, the absolute oneness and indivisibility of God. God is understood as one, without partner, offspring, or physical form, unbegotten and beyond human likeness. This uncompromising monotheism shapes everything: it is why Islamic sacred art historically favored geometry and calligraphy over depictions of God, and why associating anything with God, called shirk, is considered the gravest error. The word Islam itself means submission or surrender, and Muslim means one who submits. Faith is not merely intellectual assent but a way of aligning one's whole life with God's will. Muslims regard Muhammad as the last in a long chain of prophets sent to every people, delivering the same essential message of monotheism. The Quran, revealed in Arabic, is held to be God's literal, final, and unaltered word.

Today roughly 1.9 billion people, about a quarter of humanity, are Muslim, making Islam the world's second-largest religion after Christianity and its fastest-growing. Most Muslims are not Arab; some of the largest Muslim populations live in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The faith is broadly divided into Sunni and Shia branches, a split rooted in a seventh-century dispute over rightful leadership after Muhammad's death, with Sunnis forming roughly 85 to 90 percent of Muslims. Daily life for observant Muslims is patterned by the five prayers, dietary rules (halal), and the annual rhythm of Ramadan, when many fast from dawn to sunset. Each year around two million pilgrims converge on Mecca for the hajj, one of the largest human gatherings on Earth. Islamic law, or sharia, guides worship and ethics and is interpreted in many different ways.

Myth: Muslims worship a different God from Jews and Christians. Reality: Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, used by Arabic-speaking Christians too, and Islam claims the same God of Abraham. Myth: Islam is an Arab religion. Reality: Arabs are a minority of Muslims, and most live in South and Southeast Asia. Myth: jihad means holy war against non-believers. Reality: the word means struggle or striving, most often the inner effort to live faithfully, though it carries military meanings in specific contexts. Myth: the Quran and the Bible are unrelated. Reality: Islam honors many biblical figures, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, whom Muslims revere as a prophet, though not as divine. Myth: all Muslims practice identically. Reality: beliefs and customs vary enormously across cultures, sects, and levels of observance.