Islam

In the sixth century of the common era, the Prophet Muhammad appeared in the Arabian Peninsula, proclaiming the message that there was only one god, called Allah, and that all people should obey Allah's requirements for their lives. Today, Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, with more than 1.6 billion Muslims adhering to this faith. However, although all Muslims do revere Islam's sacred scripture, the Qur'an, there are many differences in the way that the faith is practiced throughout the world. This book will discuss the origins of Islam, the major sects that follow the faith, important religious centers such as Mecca and Medina, and the elemental religious practices that unite all members of the umma, or Islamic community. The Major World Religions series provides information about six of the most important religious faiths practiced around the world. More than 75 percent of the world's population-over 5.2 billion people-observes the tenets of one of these six religions. Each book in the series describes the important beliefs of a particular religion, along with information about its history, practices, and rituals.