The short answer
Islam is the religion of worshipping one God, Allah, taught by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, through the Quran and his Sunnah (his teaching and example). The word islam means yielding, or submission (Ibn Faris, Maqayis al-Lughah). Its followers are Muslims. Asked "What is Islam?", the Prophet named the five pillars (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih, or authentic).
ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمُ
What does the word Islam mean?
Islam is an Arabic word. In his dictionary of word roots, Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah, Ibn Faris (d. 395 AH) says most words from the root s-l-m are about soundness and well-being. From the same root, he says, is al-islam, which is al-inqiyad (yielding), "because it is safe from refusal and resisting". He lists al-salam under the same root 9.
Is Islam a religion?
Yes. The Quran calls Islam a religion (din). Al Imran 3:19 opens with it, and in the English "the Surrender" translates al-Islam:
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمُ
Al-Maidah 5:3 names it outright: "(I) have chosen for you as religion al-Islam".
Is Islam the same as Muslim?
No. Islam is the religion, and Muslims are the people who follow it, so Muslim is not itself a religion: "the Muslim faith" and "the Islamic religion" both mean Islam. The two words share the same three root letters, s-l-m, and the Quran uses the word Muslims itself:
هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِى هَـٰذَا
What does Muslim mean? Ibn Manzur's dictionary, Lisan al-Arab, reports two explanations of the word muslim: one who submits to the command of Allah, and one who makes his worship sincerely for Allah alone 10.
Say a colleague asks whether to write "the Muslim religion" or "the Islam religion". Both point to Islam; its followers are Muslims.
What do Muslims believe about God?
The first thing the Prophet named when asked about Islam is the testimony of faith (the shahada): that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih). Surah Al-Ikhlas, four short verses, describes Allah:
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
Who was the Prophet Muhammad?
Muslims believe Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the last messenger of Allah; the Quran calls him "the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets":
مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًا
Revelation came to him when he was forty, said Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him (Sahih al-Bukhari 3851, graded sahih). 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, described how it began: true dreams, then worship alone in the cave of Hira. There the angel came to him, told him to read, and recited Al-Alaq 96:1 to 3 (Sahih al-Bukhari 3, graded sahih).
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 3851
2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 3
His life and family: The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him: who he was.
What are the Quran and the Sunnah?
The Quran is the holy book of Islam, which Muslims recite as the word of Allah. It describes its own revelation:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ
Sunnah means the teaching and example of the Prophet, known through the hadith: reports of what he said and did. The Quran tells believers: "Truly in the messenger of Allah you have a good example" (Al-Ahzab 33:21).
How scholars draw rulings from both: Sharia law explained.
What is the hadith of Jibril?
It is the hadith in which the Prophet answers the questions what is Islam, what is iman (faith) and what is ihsan. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that one day a man none of them knew came and sat with the Prophet and asked him about Islam, iman and ihsan. At the end, the Prophet said the man was Jibril (the angel Gabriel, peace be upon him), who had come to teach them their religion.
3AuthenticSahih Muslim 8
How do Muslims worship? The five pillars
Asked about Islam, the Prophet named five (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih). They are the testimony of faith, the prayer, zakat (charity from wealth), fasting Ramadan, and Hajj to the House (the Kaaba in Makkah) for whoever is able to find a way to it.
Each has its own verse, its order in the narrations and the practical lesson that teaches it in The five pillars of Islam explained.
What do Muslims believe in?
Asked about iman, the Prophet named six things to believe in, often called the six articles of faith (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih):
- 1Allah
- 2His angels
- 3His books
- 4His messengers
- 5The Last Day
- 6The decree (al-qadar), its good and its bad
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
3AuthenticSahih Muslim 8
Four of them come together in Al-Baqarah 2:285:
كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, also narrated Jibril's visit, with the answers about iman and Islam worded differently (Sahih al-Bukhari 50, graded sahih). The six above are 'Umar's wording. They are covered in The six articles of faith explained.
Ihsan: the third answer
Asked about ihsan, the Prophet answered in the words below. Abu Hurayrah's narration and 'Umar's give the same words.
Sahih al-Bukhari 50
أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ
an taʿbuda llāha ka-annaka tarāh, fa-in lam takun tarāhu fa-innahu yarāk
That you worship Allah as though you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you.
4AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 50
What does Islam look like in daily life?
Short words and habits run through the day, each from a hadith:
- Greeting people. Asked which part of Islam is best, the Prophet said to feed people and to greet those you know and those you do not know (Sahih al-Bukhari 6236, graded sahih). Assalamu alaikum.
- Before eating. He told a boy in his care, 'Umar ibn Abi Salamah, may Allah be pleased with him, to mention Allah's name, eat with his right hand and eat from what is next to him (Sahih al-Bukhari 5376, graded sahih). Bismillah: the phrase.
- After a sneeze. The Prophet said the one who sneezes should say al-hamdu lillah, and his brother or companion replies yarhamuk Allah; the sneezer answers yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum (Sahih al-Bukhari 6224, graded sahih). Alhamdulillah.
Is Islam a religion of peace?
The sources here link Islam and peace in two ways: a hadith describes the Muslim by other Muslims being safe from him, and the words share a root. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said the Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe. In the Arabic, muslim and "are safe" (salima) share their root letters (Sahih al-Bukhari 10, graded sahih).
الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ
8AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 10
Ibn Faris lists islam under the same root as al-salam, a name of Allah, which, he reports, the scholars explain as Allah being free of the defect, deficiency and passing away that touch created things. From the root's first meaning, he says, comes al-salm, which is al-sulh, making peace 9. Muslims greet each other with assalamu alaikum. Questions of war and treaties are outside this page.
Where do I start learning about Islam?
Start at Alif lays the first lessons out in order: the pillars and beliefs, then the first phrases, then prayer.
- 1The five pillars of Islam explainedWhat Muslims do
- 2Shahada: meaning, Arabic and contextThe testimony of faith
- 3The six articles of faith explainedWhat Muslims believe
- 4Bismillah: meaning and daily useFirst phrase
- 5Alhamdulillah: meaning and everyday useFirst phrase
- 6Assalamu alaikum: the greeting and its replyFirst phrase
- 7How to perform wudu: illustrated stepsBefore prayer
- 8How to pray Salah: learn the sequenceThe prayer
- 9Al-Fatihah: what you recite in every prayerIn the prayer
Read alongside them: the Prophet's life and what Sharia means. The whole route is on Start at Alif.
At work a colleague once asked me over a brew what Islam actually is, in a sentence. I started to answer and realised nobody had ever asked me to put it in plain words. It is a harder question than it sounds.
Try it: five questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1In Ibn Faris's dictionary of word roots, what does the word islam mean?
Answer: Yielding, or submission. Ibn Faris glosses al-islam as al-inqiyad, under the root s-l-m. Source 9
2Is Islam the same as Muslim?
Answer: No: Islam is the religion, and a Muslim is a person who follows it. One word names the faith, the other its follower; both come from the root s-l-m.
3In the hadith of Jibril, the six articles of faith are the answer about which word?
Answer: Iman (faith). Asked about iman, the Prophet named the six (Sahih Muslim 8). Source 3
4Which of these is one of the six articles of faith?
Answer: His angels. Fasting and Hajj belong to the five pillars, the answer about Islam. Source 3
5Ihsan is to worship Allah as though you...
Answer: see Him. The answer goes on: if you do not see Him, He sees you (Sahih al-Bukhari 50). Source 4
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
Ibn Abbas said revelation came to the Prophet when he was forty; he stayed thirteen years, was then commanded to emigrate, emigrated to Madinah, stayed there ten years and then died.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3851 Book 63, Hadith 76
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 2
'Aisha described how revelation began: true dreams, then worship alone in the cave of Hira, where the angel came, told him to read three times, and gave him the opening verses of Surah Al-Alaq; he returned to Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, who took him to Waraqa ibn Nawfal.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3 Book 1, Hadith 3
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 3
In the hadith of Jibril, a man asked the Prophet about Islam, and he answered: to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, give zakat, fast Ramadan and make Hajj to the House if you are able to find a way to it; asked about iman (faith), he answered: to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree, its good and its bad.
Sahih Muslim 8 Book 1, Hadith 1
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 4
In Abu Hurayrah's narration of the hadith of Jibril, the Prophet answered the question 'What is ihsan?' with: that you worship Allah as though you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you; at the end he said this was Jibril, who came to teach the people their religion.
Sahih al-Bukhari 50 Book 2, Hadith 43
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 5
Asked which part of Islam is best, the Prophet said to feed people and to greet those you know and those you do not know.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6236 Book 79, Hadith 10
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 6
Umar ibn Abi Salamah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that as a boy in the Prophet's care his hand wandered around the dish, and the Prophet told him: boy, mention Allah's name, eat with your right hand and eat from what is next to you.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5376 Book 70, Hadith 4
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 7
The Prophet told a person who sneezes to say al-hamdu lillah; the one who hears says yarhamuk Allah, and the sneezer replies yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 Book 78, Hadith 248
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 8
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Prophet said: the Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe, and the muhajir (emigrant) is the one who leaves what Allah has forbidden.
Sahih al-Bukhari 10 Book 2, Hadith 3
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 9
The root s-l-m: soundness and well-being; al-islam as al-inqiyad (yielding), from the same root as al-salam, a name of Allah explained as His freedom from defect; al-salm as al-sulh (making peace).
Ahmad ibn Faris ibn Zakariyya (d. 395 AH), Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah, ed. 'Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, 2nd edition, Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, Cairo, 1389 to 1392 AH / 1969 to 1972 (shamela.ws numbering follows the print), vol. 3, pp. 90 to 91, entry 'slm' Read on 22 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnfaris-islam-word.
- 10
Two explanations of the word muslim: one who submits to the command of Allah, and one who makes his worship sincerely for Allah alone (from al-Tahdhib, quoting Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Bashshar).
Muhammad ibn Mukarram ibn Manzur (d. 711 AH), Lisan al-Arab, with notes by al-Yaziji and other linguists, 3rd edition, Dar Sadir, Beirut, 1414 AH (shamela.ws numbering follows the print), vol. 12, p. 293, root 'slm' Read on 22 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnmanzur-muslim-word.
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Al-Ikhlas 112:1 to 4 and Al-Ahzab 33:40, and opening words or clauses of Al Imran 3:19, Al-Hajj 22:78, Al-Baqarah 2:185 and 2:285 and Al-Ahzab 33:21; the word al-islam from 3:19; an English clause from Al-Maidah 5:3. Al-Alaq 96:1 to 3 is referred to in our words.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- The five pillars of Islam explainedExplainer
- Shahada: meaning, Arabic and contextThe testimony of faith
- The six articles of faith explainedGuide
- The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him: who he wasLife and sources
- Sharia law explainedExplainer
- Who wrote the Quran?
- Start at AlifThe hub
- How many Muslims in UK? Figures by nation and the worldExplainer
For your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
Join the email list
New guides by email, now and then. No spam, and you can leave at any time.
Ilmwell is free and kept going by readers. See how to support it.