Islam

[is-lahm, iz-, is-luhm, iz-]

noun

1. the religious faith of Muslims, based on the words and religious system founded by the prophet Muhammad and taught by the Quran, the basic principle of which is absolute submission to a unique and personal god, Allah.

2. the whole body of Muslim believers, their civilization, and the countries in which theirs is the dominant religion.

Islam

/ ˈɪzlɑːm /

noun

1. the religion of Muslims, having the Koran as its sacred scripture and teaching that there is only one God and that Mohammed is his prophet; Mohammedanism

2. 1. Muslims collectively and their civilization

   2. the countries where the Muslim religion is predominant

Islam

1. A religion, founded by Muhammad, whose members worship the one God of Jews (see also Jews) and Christians (see also Christian)(God is called Allah in Arabic) and follow the teachings of the Koran. Islam means “submission to the will of God”; adherents of Islam are called Muslims. The fundamental belief of Islam is “There is only one God, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day, to fast in the daytime during the holy month of Ramadan, to abstain from pork and alcohol, and to make gifts to the poor. All of them are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (see also Mecca), Muhammad's birthplace, at least once in their lives.

Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims make up the two main branches of Islam.

Islam is the dominant faith in Arab nations, a number of countries of central Asia, and Malaysia and Indonesia.

Other Word Forms

• Islamic adjective
• Islamitic adjective
• non-Islamic adjective
• non-Islamitic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Islam¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Ottoman Turkish islām, from Arabic islām “submission (to God),” from aslama “to surrender, resign oneself, submit oneself (to God's will),” from the Semitic root šlm “to be whole, sound”; akin to Arabic salām and Hebrew shālōm “peace,” from the Semitic noun šalām

Word History and Origins

Origin of Islam¹

C19: from Arabic: surrender (to God), from aslama to surrender

Example Sentences

Those detaining them on their journey from Delhi would even say, "'why didn't you become Hindu? Why did you convert from Islam to Christianity?'," said Mr Noor.

From BBC

There is also a population of Druze, whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs, in Israel.

From BBC

A prominent Taliban cleric had publicly singled him out as an apostate — a traitor to Islam — placing a bullseye on his head.

From Salon

Although Sikhism is a separate religion from Islam, hate crime perpetrators often conflate Muslims with anyone who looks Middle Eastern, and Sikhs with turbans and long beards are often targets.

From Los Angeles Times

Islam agrees there are challenges facing the country, but dismisses concerns of growing Islamist influence, saying it was "part of a broader cultural struggle" that has existed for years.

From BBC