Islam

“” God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds.

— Prophet Muhammad

Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad. Muslims believe Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith revealed through prophets like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Islam is also the second largest religion in the world.

Islam is also the fastest growing religion. Throughout his history, Islam mostly grew and spread through conquest under the caliphates. Islam was founded by Prophet Muhammad in the Middle East. Whether he's calling for peace, war, or sharia law, Islam is a major force on the world stage — religiously, politically, and culturally.

History

Founding

Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the early 7th century in Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. Around 610 AD, Muhammad began receiving "revelations" from the angel Gabriel, which were later compiled into the Quran, the holy book of Islam. His teachings centered on monotheism, calling for the worship of one God, Allah, and emphasized social justice, charity, and moral conduct, with strict laws and harsh punishments. He tried to preach for 12 years but was only able to recruit his immediate family and friends.

After facing persecution in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina in 622 AD, an event known as the Hijra, which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Medina was the Jewish hub of business and trade. Muhammad became a military warrior and established an Islamic Theocracy, uniting the tribes under Islam and leading a community governed by Sharia (Islamic law). Over the next decade, Muhammad successfully spread Islam across the Arabian Peninsula, culminating in the conquest of Mecca in 630 AD. Muhammad passed away in 632 when Arabia was unified under Islam, leaving behind a rapidly growing religious community.

Early Days

After Muhammad's death, his close companions were chosen as caliphs (successors), marking the beginning of the Rashidun Caliphate. This period is considered the golden age of Islamic governance and saw the first four caliphs, known as the "Rightly Guided Caliphs," lead the Muslim community.

Some tribes decided that they were done with Islam and left, some rebelled under leaders who declared themselves new prophets. But Abu Bakr, the first caliph, set brutal campaigns against them and killed them for apostasy, a crime in Islam. These campaigns were known as the Ridda Wars, which lasted from 632 to 633. Local populations of Jews and indigenous Christians were persecuted as religious minorities and heretics, also are taxed heavily. Islam rapidly expanded into the lands of the Persian and Byzantine empires.

In 637, Islam spread to the Levant. In 640, Mesopotamia. In 643, Egypt, and Persia in 651.

Caliphates & Golden Age

Islam grew and spread, and the Muslims kept on gaining land. Muslims started to make lots of scientific and cultural contributions. For hundreds of years Islam dominated, through the caliphates of the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman.

Contemporary

In 1924, the Ottoman Empire fell apart. The rule of caliphates is over. Islam could no longer compete with the more advanced Christian countries. So, Muslims began to mainly use Dawah to spread.

From the Arab Spring (2010s) and onwards, Islam and Islamists are infiltrating many western Christian-dominated countries, such as United Kingdom and Germany. This is done so mainly by immigration, since lots of Muslim countries are at war and the European Union opened up to the refugees.

In modern times, due to being a religion of "minorities" in the woke West (unlike Christianity), Islam has found himself becoming almost untouchable by satires or criticism by the Mainstream Media.

Beliefs

Islam's quick spread influenced Arabian society very much. The notable ideas of Islam are as follows:

• Angels - Holy beings of Allah.
• Day of Resurrection - Day of final judgement, where everyone is resurrected and sent to their eternal fates.
• Oneness of God - Allah is the only god.
• Predestination
• Prophets - Prime examples of humanity set out to spread Islam
• Ramadan
• Revealed Books - Muslims believe in the teachings of the Quran, which is considered the final revelation to humanity, and the example set by the Prophet Muhammad as recorded in the Hadith.
• Fasting
• Sharia

The Five Pillars of Islam form the framework of faith and practice, including the declaration of faith (Shahada), prayer (Salah), fasting (Sawm) during the month of Ramadan, charity (Zakat), and pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca 🕋 for those able.

More extreme variants of Islam includes terrorist ideologies like Jihadism, who many Muslims have denounced as "fake Islam".

Quran

According to Muslims, the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad by Allah. They believe that the Quran is eternal and never wrong, since it is directly dictated by Allah. As the final and unaltered word of God, it serves as a complete guide for life, covering all aspects of morality, law, and spirituality. Muslims view the Quran as the ultimate source of truth, superseding previous scriptures, and it is recited and memorized by believers around the world as an act of devotion.

Angels

Angels in Islam are beings mentioned in the Quran and hadith. They are created to worship God and perform specific duties, such as delivering God's revelations, recording people's actions, and taking souls at death. Angels are described as being made from light (nūr) or fire (nār). They are often depicted in human-like forms with supernatural features, such as wings and immense size, and they do not have bodily needs like eating or drinking. Some angels, like Gabriel (Jibrīl) and Michael (Mika'il), are named in the Quran.

Day of Resurrection

Central to Islamic belief is the concept of accountability and judgment in the afterlife, where individuals will be rewarded or punished based on their deeds and adherence to Islamic principles on the Day of Resurrection (Yawm al-Qiyāmah). Muslims believe on this day, a day of judgment where everyone is resurrected and judged by their deeds. Those who have donegood are rewarded with entry to Jannah (paradise), and those with evil deeds may be sent to Jahannam (hell).

Afterlife

Muslims believe in the afterlife.

• Jannah (Heaven) - Muslims believe when a Muslim die, they go to Jannah, or Heaven. In Jannah, everyone will be the same height and will be able to meet all the Islamic prophets. This place is considered a paradise, and according to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Qur'an. Jannah is described with physical pleasures such as gardens, beautiful houris, wine that has no aftereffects, and "divine pleasure". There are many levels of Jannah, each level supposedly has "higher quality" of things than their lower level.

Oneness of God

Islamic belief revolves around the concept of monotheism, emphasizing the oneness of Allah as the creator, sustainer, and sole deity worthy of worship. Tawḥīd, the belief in the oneness of God, is the central tenet of Islam. God is unique, transcendent, and beyond human comprehension. Muslims reject the Christian Trinity, and associating others with God is considered shirk (idolatry). God is personal and cannot be depicted.

Contrary to Christianity, the God of Islam, Allah, is described as distant, unknowable, and often detached, emphasizing mystery over intimacy. According to Islam, God is knowable through his creation, metaphorical stories of the prophets stored in the Quran, and signs in nature.

Prophets

In Islam, prophets are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread Allah's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (رُسُل), these are the ones who transmit divine revelation, most of them through the interaction of an angel. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, and according to certain Hadiths, there were about 124,000 of them. However, only 25 prophets are mentioned in the Quran by name. The Quran states that "for every community there is a messenger." Belief in the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith.

Prophets of Islam mentioned in the Quran

Name	Number	Arabic	Messenger?	Arch-Prophet?	Bible Equivalent
Ādam	1	آدَم	Yes	No	Adam
Nuh	3	نُوح	Yes	Yes	Noah
Ibrāhīm	6	إِبْرَاهِيْمُ	Yes	Yes	Abraham
Musa	14	مُوسَىٰ	Yes	Yes	Moses
Dāwūd	16	دَاوُۥد	Yes	No	David
Sulaymān	17	سُلَيْمَان	No	No	Solomon
Isa	24	عِيسَىٰ	Yes	Yes	Jesus
Muhammad	25	مُحَمَّد	Yes	Yes	-

Practices

Prayers

Islamic prayers, known as Salah or Salat, are a fundamental act of worship performed five times a day by Muslims. Each prayer consists of specific movements and recitations, including verses from the Quran, performed at prescribed times, facing the Kaaba in Mecca, to establish a direct connection with Allah.

Caliphates

A caliphate or khilāfah ( Arabic: خِلَافَةْ [xi'laːfah]) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph, a person considered a political-religious successor to Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim world (ummah). The caliphate is meant to uphold and implement Islamic law (Sharia) and govern the affairs of the Muslim community. Historically, various caliphates have existed, such as the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman caliphates, each of which played a crucial role in the spread of Islam and the administration of vast territories.

Branches

Schools and Branches of Islam

Name	Year Founded
Non-Denominational Islam	610
Sunni Islam	632
Shia Islam	632
Kharijism	c. 656
Muhakkima	657
Ibadi Islam	c. 692
Wahhabism	Early 1700s
Ahmadiyya	Late 1800s
Nation of Islam	1930

Islamic schools and branches have different understandings of Islam. There are many different sects or denominations, schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and schools of Islamic theology, or ʿaqīdah (creed).

The two main branches of the Islamic faith are Sunni Islam and Shia Islam, each with their own variants and sects. Sunni is mostly practiced in Saudi Arabia, and Shia in Iran. Sunni is the largest branch, accounting for 87-90% of all Muslims.

Differences between the groups may not be well known to Muslims outside of scholarly circles, or may have induced enough passion to have resulted in political and religious violence. Some Islamic sects and groups date back to the early history of Islam between the 7th and 9th centuries AD, whereas others have arisen much more recently, or even in the 20th century.

Muslims who do not belong to, do not self-identify with, or cannot be readily classified under one of the identifiable Islamic schools/branches are known as non-denominational Muslims.

Trivia

• By Islamic law, any person who converts to another religion from Islam is considered to be apostasy, a crime punishable by death.
• According to Sahih Muslim Book 37, Number 6665-6666, Muslims gets a free pass for their sins, and either a Jew or Christian suffers for it. And, when a Muslim dies, a Jew or Christian replaces him in hell.
• Less than 15% of the Muslim population are Arab. The top five countries with most Muslims are all not Arab.
• There are 25 prophets mentioned in the Quran.
• The Quran has explicitly mentioned the number 19, and some scholars believe that it contains a "19-based mathematical structure".

Relationships

Halal

• Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله
• Isa - "When Jesus sensed disbelief in them, he said, 'Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah?' The disciples said, 'We are the helpers of Allah. We believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims.'" ^3:52 But false religion wouldn't have happened if you didn't mess up so badly.
• Monotheism - Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ "He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺. ^112:1
• Asceticism - Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler. ^{Book 76, Hadith 42}

Shubha

• Buddhism - Not Islam, but not exactly haram either.
• Sikhism - Fellow halal Muslim or haram Mushrik? I don't understand but he's still my son. Oh well, many of your people are nice and helped us out a few times before.
• Christianity - We are pretty similar as in our important figures, but Isa is not God. Also, your theology states that 1+1+1=1, it doesn't make sense.
• Jihadism - Kill infidels, make Allah happy. Claims to be the true Islam. Many of us denounce you, plus you give us a very bad reputation and a reason to hate. We should only kill infidels and non-believers if they are hostile to us, you take it way too far…
• Mormonism - We have some striking similarities… people even say you are the "white" version of me.
• Pedophilia - 9 year old Aisha was emotionally and physically mature, but Islamophobes still use our great prophet's marriage and sex with her to attack me. It was also normal for the time. But the Quran is a timeless message, so there's theories floating around that Aisha wasn't 9 but something like 17.

Haram

• Paganism - Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from them, and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers. ^3:85
• Polytheism - Then, when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every lookout. But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then let them go their way.
• Satanism - Satan only makes them ˹false˺ promises and deludes them with ˹empty˺ hopes. Truly Satan promises them nothing but delusion. ^4:120
• Judaism - We forbade the Jews certain foods that had been lawful to them for their wrongdoing, and for hindering many from the Way of Allah, ^4:160
• Islamophobia - Kill them wherever you come upon them and drive them out of the places from which they have driven you out. For persecution is far worse than killing. And do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they attack you there. If they do so, then fight them—that is the reward of the disbelievers. But if they cease, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Fight against them ˹if they persecute you˺ until there is no more persecution, and ˹your˺ devotion will be to Allah ˹alone˺. If they stop ˹persecuting you˺, let there be no hostility except against the aggressors.^2:191–193
• Crusadism - THE HOLY LAND IS MINE!
• Zoroastrianism - Span I came to Persia to convert you all dirty infidels! Some people say that my As-Sirāt is taken from your Chinvat Bridge but that is untrue!
• Coptic Orthodoxy - Get out of Egypt you infidel!
• American Model - You know what this place needs? Sharia law.
• Queer Theory - Many of your Westerners support me because I am a minority in the west, and feel betrayed when I outlaw the pride flag. News flash, I was never on your side. "And those two of you who commit it (the shameful act), torture them both. But if they repent and correct themselves, leave them alone. Indeed, Allah is Ever Accepting of Repentance and Merciful." ^4:16
• Trinitarianism - This is literally Polytheism. 1+1+1 equals 3, not 1! "The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and the fulfilment of His Word through Mary and a spirit ˹created by a command˺ from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say, "Trinity." Stop! For your own good." ^4:171
• Feminism - Men are caretakers of women… As for women of whom you fear rebellion, convince them, leave them apart in beds, and beat them (lightly). Then, if they obey you, do not seek a way against them. ^4:34

How to draw

Symbol of Allah, god of Islam

1. Draw a ball.
2. Fill it with green.
3. On the middle of the ball, draw the Allah symbol in yellow.
4. Add the eyes and you are done!

Color Name		HEX
	Green	#247E1D
	Yellow	#ECEC00

Gallery

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  Concepts for Religion-Theocracy design differences

See Also

• Islamic Theocracy
• Muhammadism