as founded by the followers of Mohamed the Prophet (570 – 632 A.D.) and his followers in the early 7^th century, and is one of the three major monotheistic religions of the world, along with Christianity and Judaism.  Practitioners of Islam, known as Muslims, worship Allah and live according to the instructions revealed to Mohamed the Prophet, which are recorded in the Qur’an.

Islam embraces the greatest number of holy texts among the Abrahamic religions, including the Jewish Pentateuch (“Suhuf Ibrahim”), Torah (“Tawrat”) and Psalms (“Zabur”); the Christian Gospels (“Injil”); and its own Qur’an.  The Qur’an is also supplemented by the hadith which is the collected oral tradition concerning the actions of Mohamed the Prophet and his early followers.  This large number of texts is explained by Islam’s doctrine of progressive revelation, wherein divine revelation still continues, and each successive revelation supersedes those before it.  Thus, while the Gospels and Torah are holy texts, the Qur’an takes primacy, especially in areas of conflict between the Qur’an and the rest of the texts.  The same principle of progressive religion is also applied to their prophets:  Mohamed the Prophet was the greatest and final prophet in a series of prophets including Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Noah and Adam.

Some of the basic tenets of Islam include acknowledgement that Allah is the one and only god and that Mohamed is his final and greatest prophet; that the Qur’an is the literal and infallible word of Allah as revealed to Mohamed by the archangel Gabriel; that angels exist as the messengers of Allah; and that there will be a “Day of Judgment” during which one’s life, thoughts and actions will be judged.   Islam also holds to the doctrine of predestination, though there is a significant degree of variance between sects as to the exact way in which free will functions within that predestination.

Islam also prescribes many practices which Muslims must follow, the most important of which are the “Five Pillars of Islam:”

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.)    <!--[endif]--> The shahadah, which is the most basic Islamic creed, which states that Allah is the only god, and that Mohamed is his prophet.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.)    <!--[endif]-->The salah, which is a set of ritual prayers preformed five times per day while facing the Kaaba, and consists of verses from the Qur’an.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.)    <!--[endif]--> Zakat, or obligatory alms-giving, the majority of which go to assisting the poor and the advancement of Islam.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.)    <!--[endif]-->Swam, or fasting, during the month of Ramadan.  During Ramadan no Muslim (with certain exceptions) is allowed to eat or drink between sunrise and sunset.  There is some variation among sects concerning this Pillar, usually in regard to when fasts ought to occur.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.)    <!--[endif]-->The Hajj, or mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca and the Kaaba.  Every Muslim is required to make this pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime if they are able to do so.