Islam is the world's second most followed religion. "Islam" is an Arabic word which means surrendering oneself to the will of God, and achieving peace and security by doing so.

Islam is more than a system of belief. The faith provides a social and legal system and governs things like family life, law and order, ethics, dress, and cleanliness, as well as religious ritual and observance.

The main point of this religion is, that Islam is not named after a person or tribe as in the case of other major religions of the world, who are based on the name of a person or tribe. 

The Shari`at (law) offers an integrated source of guidance for the daily life of Muslims. Together with the Qur'an, it has three other sources:

• The Sunna as model example of the Prophet's life.
• The Hadith, which are collections of recognised traditions recording Mohammad's words and actions, together with those of his companions. 
• Ijma, which is the process of attaining consensus in relation to the interpretation and application of Shari`at where it might otherwise be unclear. 
• Ijtihad, which refers to the use of reason. One form of this is Qiyas, or analogy. However, in the tenth century A.D, "the gates of ijtihad" became closed.

1. Fajr: The Prayer before sunrise
2. Zuhr: The Prayer at Noon
3. Asr: The prayer between mid-afternoon and sunset
4. Maghrib: The Praye between sunset and the last light of the day
5. Isha: The Prayer at night

Mohammad was the final messenger through whom Allah revealed the faith to the world. There had been many messengers before Mohammad, some fo them were: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Mohammad is so esteemed by Muslims that it is usual to utter the blessing "peace be upon him" after his name. This is often abbreviated to "pbuh" .

(Click to read complete biography of Prophet Mohammad)

The Qur'an is the actual word of God, and contains the fundamental beliefs of Islam.
According to tradition, the Qur'an was dictated to Mohammad (pbuh). Because of its divine origin, the Qur'an has not been altered in any way since it was first compiled. Copies of the Qur'an are always treated with the greatest respect.The only authoritative text of the Qur'an is the original Arabic. Muslims regard "translations" of the Qur'an into other languages as paraphrases or versions of the original.

The Qur'an is seen as a "miracle" and "sign" of God, containing the actual words of God. As the language in which it was revealed, Arabic is seen as very important for understanding its real meaning. 

The Qur'an consists of 114 chapters (called "surahs"), which have names as well as numbers.

Islam honors all the prophets who were sent to mankind. Muslims respect all prophets in general, but Jesus in particular, because he was one of the prophets who foretold the coming of Muhammad. Muslims, too, await the second coming of Jesus. They consider him one of the greatest of Allah's prophets to mankind. A Muslim does not refer to him simply as "Jesus," but normally adds the phrase "peace be upon him" as a sign of respect.

90% of the Muslims of world are Sunnis. The name Sunni relates to the "sunna" of Islamic law, and "Sunnis" therefore see themselves as ones who "adhere to the sunna". Among Sunni Muslims four recognised schools of law for applying the common usul al-fiqh or principles of Islamic jurisprudence can be found. These recognise each another as authentically Islamic. They are: 

• The Hanafi predominates in South Asia and the majority of the former Ottoman Empire, and can also be found in Egypt.
• The Maliki predominates in West Africa and the Arab West, and can also be found in Egypt. 
• The Shafi`i predominates in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and is also important in Egypt.
• The Hanbali is found in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 

The Shi`a Muslims are in minority than Sunnis. The word "Shi`a" comes from "shi'at `Ali", meaning "the follower of `Ali". The descendants of `Ali are seen as having special leadership roles. They are seen as Imams or Hujjah (Proofs of God), and are believed to be chosen by God to interpret the Qur`an and guide the community. 

Shi'a Muslims also have different schools of thoughts. But the Twelvers (or `Ithna Asherites) are the majority grouping, who believe in a succession of twelve Imams. The last of these is believed to be still alive, although last seen in 873 A.D. He is thought to be waiting to appear as the Mahdi (Guided One). 

Tasawwuf or Sufism is the mystical strand of Islam with which both some Sunni and Shi`ia Muslims identify. It is thought to derive from the Arabic word "suf", meaning wool. 

Sufism emphasises the inner aspects of Islam as well as the external aspects based upon Shari`ah. It find organisational expression in a range of Sufi Orders, each of which are led by shaikhs or pirs and are linked by lines of spiritual initiation known as Silsilahs. There are more than 250 Silsilahs or Sufi Orders till now.