Islam is a faith with over one billion followers, yet many non-Muslims have very little understanding of its beliefs and practices. To increase our awareness, we offer the briefest overview below, with further detail in the sections that follow.

In 570 c.e., a remarkable man named Muhammad was born in Mecca (Makkah)1 in present day Saudi Arabia. At the age of 40, Muhammad claimed that he received divine revelation from Allah2 through the Angel Gibril (Gabriel) and that he was the greatest and final prophet sent by Allah to guide humanity. His followers recorded this revelation into what is known as the Qur'an (Koran, meaning "recitation"), Islam's most sacred text. The root of the word "Islam" is Salam, meaning "peace," which is also a traditional greeting in the Muslim world. Islam means the "submission to Allah's will; being at peace with God." Muslims are the believers of Islam and in the Prophet Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic faith system and claims descent from Abraham, which is why this faith is regarded as one of the Children of Abraham.3

Islamic beliefs share many of the precepts of Judeo-Christian theology such as honoring one's parents, honesty, fairness, justice, chastity for men and women, keeping one's word and behaving with integrity towards one's family, friends and the broader community. The required acts of worship, commonly known as the "Five Pillars of Islam", include: bearing witness to the Oneness of God and the Prophet Muhammad4; daily prayers; almsgiving; fasting; and the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once for those who are able.

The Qur'an recognizes many of the prophets of Judeo-Christian biblical texts such as Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma'il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Ya'qub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), and Lut (Lot). Muslims regard Jesus (Issa) as a Prophet who was followed by the Prophet Muhammad, the last and greatest of them all - "the seal of the prophets." In addition to shared prophets, the Qur'an reveals its own divine message for Muslims. This message provides guidance for all areas of personal life and religious observance, and the well-being of the Muslim community.
The Split Between Sunnis and Shiis

Within Islam, there are two main branches of worship, Sunni and Shii5, which emerged during a split within Islam following Muhammad's death in 632 c.e. (A detailed account of the split appears under the "Shiism" section.) The history following the Prophet's death reveals that though there were periods of rivalry between tribal and ethnic communities of the different branches, the majority of Muslims make accommodations for differences in each other's religious beliefs and practices, enabling them to intermarry and form close relationships. Discord between the branches is more often a symptom of a political power struggle, as in Iraq, where one group denies the other fair representation in governance. Except for movements such as the Wahhabbi sect, which fails to tolerate any group resisting its rigid interpretation of Islam, both branches accept one another as "Muslims".

The fundamental distinction between the two branches rests on the recognition of the first "rightful" successor to the Prophet. Those of the majority Sunni faction believe that the Prophet's closest friend, advisor and father-in-law, named "Abu Bakr", was the rightful successor to lead the Ummah, or Muslim community. Shii worshipers, however, believe that Muhammad's first cousin, named "Ali", husband of his beloved daughter Fatima, was the first and rightful Imam or Caliph,6 based on the principle of direct familial descent from the Prophet. The Sunni were successful in establishing Abu Bakr as caliph, yet those supporting Ali would not recognize him. Two successive Sunni leaders followed Bakr, after which Ali became caliph. So, while the Sunni regard Ali as the fourth "rightful caliph," to Shii Islam, Ali is the first.

The name "Sunni" refers to the "people of the path" as revealed by the Sunnah.7 They constitute 85 percent of Muslims worldwide, yet one must remember that only a quarter of the world's Muslims live in the Middle East8. The term "Shii" means the "followers or party of Ali" who account for about 15 percent of Muslims, yet represent the dominant Islamic community in Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan. Most importantly, one must recognize that the Muslim world is not a monolithic entity. Rather, there is a range of beliefs, interpretations and rituals influenced by issues close to home as well as ethnic ties, political events and international relations of the Muslim world with foreign entities. All these factors combine to reveal groups of secular Muslims, moderate Muslim, political Islamists and radical Islamists, with many variations between them.

Religious law is a very important component to Islamic life. In the eighth century, as the Muslim world expanded, several scholarly groups formed in different regions that gained the authority to interpret scripture and the Hadiths9. These schools eventually developed several collections of ideas concerning Islamic practice that became the five schools of Islamic law we see today. One can find these different schools prevalent in certain regions, such as the Maliki school of law in North and West Africa, the Hanafi school across India and the lands formerly ruled by the Ottoman Empire, the Shafii school in Southeast Asia, the Hanbali school in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and the Jafari school in Shii regions like Iran. All schools stress the same five pillars of faith and are considered mutually acceptable.

For further information on Sunni Islam, Shiism and Sufism, please go on to those sections.

For online sources describing Islam, the Sunni-Shii split and both branches, we recommend:

* www.islamonline.net
* www.theislamproject.org/
* www.religioustolerance.org/islam.htm
* http://www.islamfortoday.com/shia.htm

For text references, we suggest Tamara Sonn's, "A Brief History of Islam." Blackwell Publishing: UK. 2004; and Sayyed Hossein Nasr's, "Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization." Harper Collins Publishers: San Francisco. 2003.

1 'Makkah' is the preferred transliteration of the Arabic city known in the West as Mecca.

2 'Allah' is the Arabic word for God, meaning the one God of Muslims, Jews and Christians.

3 Those of the Baha'i faith also recognize Abraham as a founding patriarch.

4 In Islam, showing respect each and every time one mentions "the Prophet" or "the Prophet Muhammad" is demonstrated by immediately stating "Peace Be Upon Him" (PBUH).

5 For ease of clarity, we use the "Shii" form when referring to the "Shi'at Ali" or followers of Ali.

6" The religious and political leader (Kaliph or Caliph) of the Muslim lands (Kaliphate or Caliphate) can be thought of in a similar way as the monarch of a monarchy. Another name for rightful leadership is Imam.

7 To the Sunni, the Sunnah represents the example or "path" of the Prophet's life, as contained in the six "authentic" Books of Tradition that record what he did, what he enjoined and what was done or said in his presence but not forbidden by him.

8 For a link to population statistics of Muslims worldwide, use http://islamic-world.net/islamic-state/muslimpop.htm

9 The Hadith are the "Prophetic Traditions" compiled by the companions of Muhammad, believed to be of indisputable integrity, recording his sayings, deeds, and explanations that form the basis for the Sunnah.