1. How did Islam Begin?
Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around belief in the one supreme being. In this regard, it shares some beliefs with Judaism and Christianity by tracing its history back to Abraham, and ultimately to the first prophet, Adam. All the prophets preached the same universal message of belief in one supreme being and kindness to humanity. The last in the series of prophets, according to Muslims, was Muhammad.

2. More About Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) around 570 CE. He worked first as a shepherd and then as a merchant. He was not happy with the people around him because of social and economic injustice. The people were worshipping many gods and had forgotten the message of prophet Abraham to worship only one. Muhammad loved to pray and meditate in the mountains. On one of those occasions, in the year 610 CE, when he was about 40 years old, he received a revelation from Allah through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). He continued to receive messages from Allah throughout his life and he began preaching to others what he had learned. His main message is that there was no other but Allah and that people should lead their lives in a way that was pleasing to Allah.

3. Muhammad, the later years
In 622, Muhammad fled Mecca after hearing of a plot to assassinate him. Legend has it that he and a friend, Abu Bakr, hid in a cave. It is in Medina Medina, where Muhammad fled in 622, is the second holiest site in Islam. Muhammad is buried at Medina. While a visit to his tomb there is not a prescribed part of the pilgrimage, many pilgrims make use of their presence in Arabia to visit it, and other places associated with the prophet's life.

4. Medina
This flight from Mecca to Medina (hijrah; commonly transliterated Hegira) marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. In 622 C.E., when the Prophet migrated to Medina, his preaching was soon accepted, and Islam emerged. Ten years later Muhammad would return to Mecca, conquer the city, destroy the idols at the Ka’bah, before being embraced by the people in Mecca, the Arabian Peninsula, and later the Middle East in addition to North Africa.

5. Muhammad, the later years continued
Mecca's leaders felt threatened because they thought he was going to over throw the empire for himself. More importantly, they were worried that the spreading belief in one supreme being would destroy what made them money: the Kaʿbah. The Ka’bah was a holy site for the various Bedouin tribes of the area. Once a year, the tribes would make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Setting aside any tribal feuds, they would worship their pagan gods in the Ka’bah and trade with each other in the city. Leaders didn’t want to loose that money if people converted to Islam and stopped visiting the Ka’bah.

6. After Muhammad
Sunni Islam is a denomination of Islam which believes that the Islamic prophet Muhammad's first Caliph was his friend and father-in-law Abu Bakr. Sunni Islam primarily contrasts with Shi’a/Shi’ite Islam, which holds that Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin Ali was his first caliph. The group now known as Sunnis chose Abu Bakr, the prophet's adviser, to become the first successor of Muhammad, or caliph, to lead the Muslim state. Shiites favored Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law.

7. How Many Muslims are There?
Islam spread quickly first throughout Arabia and surrounding countries, then throughout the world. There are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world with 7 million in the United States. Only about 18% of Muslims are Arabs and live in the Middle East. The countries with the largest Muslim populations are Indonesia and India. There are two basic groups of Islam: the Sunnis (about 80% of the world's Muslims) and the Shi'ites (about 20% of the world's Muslims). Although they share the same basic beliefs, they disagree on who was the rightful leader of Islam after Muhammad's death.

8. What does Islam Mean?
Islam is an Arabic word which means “surrender, submission, commitment and peace.” Thus, Islam can be defined as a path to attain complete peace through voluntary submission to the divine will.

9. Who is Allah?
Allah is the Arabic word for God; like God is the Latin word for Yahweh. All three names refer to the same supreme being that is worshipped by the people of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The word Allah is sometimes preferred over God because it is neither masculine nor feminine. Also, there is no plural for Allah.

10. What do Muslims Believe?
Belief in one supreme being
Belief in the angels
Belief in all of the holy books that have been sent to prophets: Torah to Moses, New Testament to Jesus, and Qur’an to Muhammad
Belief in all the prophets: Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (Jesus not considered the son of God, but an important prophet)
Belief in the Day of Judgment; life after death. The best reward for performing good deeds is getting closer to Allah
Belief in divine decree=Allah is all-powerful and nothing can happen w/o his permission, however he gave humans freedom to be good or bad.

11. What is the Final Revealed Scripture (Holy Book) for Muslims?
Muslims believe that the last revealed scripture sent by Allah was the Qur’an. It is the speech of Allah revealed in the Arabic language to Muhammad during his mission of 23 years. It was written down by scribes & memorized during the lifetime of Muhammad. The Qur’an emphasizes moral, ethical, and spiritual values with the aim of establishing justice for everyone. Many Muslims try to learn to read the Qur’an in Arabic, its original language. It is not uncommon for Muslims to memorize whole chapters of it as they read part of it each day.

12. Sacred Texts Aside from the Qur’an
The Sunnah is a record of Muhammad’s words and deeds. It is used to help interpret the Qur’an. The Sunnah also has instruction in it on belief, worship, and behavior. Refers to the way Muhammad lived, which provides a model for the duties and the way of life expected of Muslims

13. Jihad
the spiritual struggle within oneself against sin. a war or struggle against unbelievers.

14. Afterlife
Paradise is a place of physical and spiritual pleasure with delicious food and drink

15. Sacred Places
The most sacred place for Muslims is the Kaʿbah sanctuary in Mecca, the site of an annual pilgrimage. It is much more than a mosque; it is believed to be the place where the heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly. According to Muslim tradition, the Kaʿbah was built by Abraham. The Prophet’s mosque in Medina is the next in sanctity. Jerusalem follows in third place in sanctity as the first qiblah (i.e., direction in which the Muslims offered prayers, before the qiblah was changed to the Kaʿbah) and as the place from where Muhammad, according to tradition, made his ascent to heaven.

16. Worship: location, day, leaders
The general religious life of Muslims is centered around the mosque. In the days of the prophet and early caliphs, the mosque was the center of all community life, and it remains so in many parts of the Islamic world to this day. Small mosques are usually supervised by the imam (one who administers the prayer service) for Friday services. Many large mosques also function as religious schools and colleges.

17. Sharia Law
The Qur’an and the Sunnah are the basis of this; it sets rewards for good behavior and punishments for crimes. These are blended with modern legal systems in many countries today

18. Sharia Law
The Qur’an and the Sunnah are the basis of this; it sets rewards for good behavior and punishments for crimes. These are blended with modern legal systems in many countries today