What Is Islam? Beliefs, Practice, and Daily Life

Islam is the world's second-largest religion, with over 1.8 billion followers across every continent. Most Muslims live in Asia (Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh) and Africa (Egypt, Nigeria), not in the Arab world — only about 20% of Muslims are Arab.

Islam shares deep roots with Judaism and Christianity. Muslims revere Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all) as prophets of the same God. Islam, as Muslims understand it, is the continuation and completion of the same message.

The Six Articles of Faith

Muslims believe in six core articles:

1. One God (Allah) — without partners, parents, children, or equals.
2. The angels — created from light, who carry out divine instructions.
3. The revealed books — the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Quran. Muslims believe earlier scriptures were authentic in their original form, and the Quran is the final, unchanged revelation.
4. The prophets — including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them). Muhammad is the last in the line.
5. The Day of Judgement — every soul will stand before God and account for its life.
6. Divine decree (qadar) — God's knowledge and will encompasses all things, while human beings retain real moral choice.

The Five Pillars of Practice

Belief becomes lived faith through five core practices:

1. Shahada — testifying that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger.
2. Salah — five short daily prayers at set times, facing Makkah.
3. Zakat — an annual 2.5% charity from accumulated wealth, given to the poor.
4. Sawm — fasting from dawn to sunset throughout the month of Ramadan.
5. Hajj — a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Makkah, for those physically and financially able.

The Quran

The Quran is the central religious text of Islam — believed by Muslims to be the literal word of God, revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) over 23 years. It is preserved in its original Arabic, memorised in full by millions of Muslims worldwide, and recited daily in prayer.

The Quran has 114 chapters (surahs), ranging from a few verses to several hundred. It addresses theology, law, ethics, history, and the life of the soul. Translations exist in every major language, but Muslims regard the Arabic original as the actual revelation.

The Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah, Arabia, in 570 CE. At forty, while in retreat in a mountain cave, he received the first verse of the Quran from the angel Gabriel. He preached the new faith for 23 years until his death in 632 CE, by which time most of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim.

Muslims do not worship the Prophet — only God. But they study his life (the seerah) closely, because his actions and sayings (the hadith and Sunnah) form the second source of Islamic guidance after the Quran. The Prophet's family and household were known for their gentleness, justice, and care for the poor.

Sunni and Shia

Within a generation of the Prophet's death, two main branches of Islam took shape — Sunni (about 85-90% of Muslims worldwide) and Shia (about 10-15%). They share the Quran, the five pillars, the same prophets, and the same monotheism. They differ on the legitimate succession of leadership after the Prophet and on certain aspects of religious authority.

Within Sunni Islam, four mainstream schools of jurisprudence (madhabs) coexist: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali. They differ on minor legal details (how to pray, how to calculate zakat, etc.) but agree on essentials. AskSakina honours all four.

What Daily Life Looks Like

• Five short prayers at set times, taking a few minutes each.
• Avoiding pork, alcohol, and gambling.
• Modest dress (the specifics vary by culture and personal practice).
• Annual fasting in Ramadan — the lunar ninth month.
• Daily voluntary acts: Quran reading, charity, kindness to neighbours.

Common Misconceptions

• Islam is not Arab — most Muslims are not Arab. The largest Muslim populations are Indonesian, Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi.
• Allah is not a different god. 'Allah' is simply Arabic for 'God' — Arab Christians use the same word.
• Jihad does not mean holy war in the popular media sense. It means struggle, and Islamic spiritual traditions have long emphasised the inner moral struggle against one's own ego as the 'greater jihad.'
• Women in Islam — like in any global tradition, lived practice varies hugely. The Quran establishes equality of moral worth and specific rights to property, divorce, and inheritance.