Next to Christianity, Islam is the next most popular religion of the world, with 1.3 billion followers accounted for in 2002. The word "Islam" comes from the Arabic word which means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship, which they call "Allah". Anyone who follows the religion of Islam is termed a "Muslim." The main focus of Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place, or thing other than Allah. Islam rejects the worship of Allah's creation and instead encourages the worship of Allah himself.
Similar to the other major religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, Muslims believe in one unique God. Unlike Christianity and Judaism though, Muslims believe that Allah has neither a son nor partner and should be worshipped alone; no one shares in His divinity or attributes. Islam also rejects the existence of any human form of God. They acknowledge Jesus as a prophet, not the son of God. Any human form of God is considered blasphemous because God is far removed from every human imperfection.
Some other beliefs of Islam are the belief in the existence of angels and the belief that God revealed books to His messengers as guidance for them. Among these books is the Holy Quran, which Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Quran, which is the last revealed word of God, is the primary source of Islam faith and practice. It deals with all subjects which concern human beings, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and humans. It also provides guidelines and detailed teachings for a just society, proper human conduct, and an economic system. Muslims believe that by following the Quran, one will live a satisfying life. On the other hand, one who turns away from the Quran will have a life of hardship.
The second source of Islam is the Sunnah. The word Sunnah has come to denote the way the Prophet Muhammad lived his life.
