Muslim


A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form of Muslim is Muslimah (Arabic: مسلمة). Literally, the word means "one who submits to God)".

Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah. Muslims believe that Islam existed long before Muhammad and that the religion has evolved with time. The Qur'an describes as Muslims many Biblical prophets and messengers: Adam, Noah (Arabic: Nuh), Moses (Arabic: Musa) and Jesus (Arabic: Isa) and his apostles. The Qur'an states that these men were Muslims because they submitted to God, preached his message and upheld his values. Thus, in Surah 3:52 of the Qur'an, Jesus’ disciples tell Jesus: "do thou bear witness that we are Muslims". Muslims pray five times a day. These five prayers are known as Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. There is also a special Friday prayer called Jumma.

Most Muslims accept as a Muslim anyone who has publicly pronounced the Shahada, which states, "There is none worthy of worship except God, and Muhammad is His Messenger." This is often translated as, "There is no God except Allah", however "Allah" is the Arabic word for "the God". Currently, there are an estimated 1.4 billion Muslims, making it the second largest religion in the world.