Islam

About Islam
Islam means to achieve peace - peace with God, peace within oneself, and peace with the creations of God - through wholly submitting oneself to God and accepting His guidance.
 
The term Islam derives from the three-letter Arabic root, S (Řł)- L (Ů„)- M (Ů…), which generates words with interrelated meanings, including "surrender", "submission", "commitment" and "peace". Commonly, Islam refers to the monotheistic religion revealed to Muhammad ibn (son of) Abdullah between 610 and 632 of the Common Era.
 
The name Islam was instituted by the Quran, the sacred scripture revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). For believers, Islam is not a new religion. Rather, it represents the last reiteration of the primordial message of God's Oneness, a theme found in earlier monotheistic religious traditions.
 
Learn more: What is Islam?
 

The Essence of Islam

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned in a narrative the best summary of the core of Islam as follows:
 
"Submission means that you should bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God's messenger, that you should perform the ritual prayer, pay the alms tax, fast during Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to go there."
 
"Faith means that you have faith in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you have faith in the measuring out, both its good and its evil."
 
"Doing what is beautiful means that you should worship God as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you."

Learn more: The Hadith of Gabriel
 

 
Islam's True Legacy: Opening Minds, Not Building Empires

Islam's True Legacy: Opening Minds, Not Building Empires

It is common today in both Islamic and non-Islamic scholarship to associate the terms 'conquest' and 'empire' with Islam, Muslims and Islamic civilization. However, this is highly inappropriate.

Spahic Omer on Caliphates Vs Empires ·