Geofacts

Islam I INTRODUCTION The Qur’an The inscription on buildings of verses from the Qur’an symbolizes the living presence of the holy book in Islamic society. This tower with decorative Qur’anic inscriptions is in Delhi, India. Gillian Darley/Edifice/Corbis Islam, one of the three major world religions, along with Judaism and Christianity, that profess monotheism, or the belief in a single God. In the Arabic language, the word Islam means “surrender” or “submission”—submission to the will of God. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim, which in Arabic means “one who surrenders to God.” The Arabic name for God, Allah , refers to the God worshiped by Jews and Christians. Islam’s central teaching is that there is only one all-powerful, all-knowing God, and this God created the universe. This rigorous monotheism, as well as the Islamic teaching that all Muslims are equal before God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends clas...