Muslims (Arabic:المسلمون,romanized: al-Muslimūn,lit. 'submitters [toGod]')[26] are people who adhere toIslam, amonotheistic religion belonging to theAbrahamic tradition. They consider theQuran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of theGod of Abraham (orAllah) as it was revealed toMuhammad, the lastIslamic prophet.[27] Alongside the Quran, Muslims also believe in previousrevelations, such as theTawrat (Torah), theZabur (Psalms), and theInjeel (Gospel). These earlier revelations are associated withJudaism andChristianity, which are regarded by Muslims as earlier versions of Islam.[28] The majority of Muslims also follow the teachings and practices attributed to Muhammad (sunnah) as recorded in traditional accounts (hadith).[29]
The wordmuslim[a] ormoslem[b] is theactive participle of the same verb of whichislām is averbal noun, based on thetriliteralS-L-M "to be whole, intact".[73][74] A female adherent is amuslima (مسلمة; alsotransliterated asmuslimah).[75] The plural form in Arabic ismuslimūn (مسلمون) ormuslimīn (مسلمين), and its feminine equivalent ismuslimāt (مسلمات).
The ordinary word in English is "Muslim". For most of the 20th century, the preferred spelling in English was "Moslem", but this has now fallen into disuse. That spelling and its pronunciation was opposed by many Muslims in English-speaking countries because it resembled the Arabic wordaẓ-ẓālim (الظَّالِم), meaning "the oppressor".[76] In the United States, theAssociated Press instructed news outlets to switch to the spelling "Muslim" in 1991, making it the most common spelling thereafter.[77][78] The last major newspaper in the United Kingdom to use the spelling "Moslem" was theDaily Mail, which switched to "Muslim" in 2004.[76]
The wordMosalman orMussulman (Persian:مسلمان,romanized: mosalmân, alternativelymusalmān) is a common equivalent forMuslim used inCentral andSouth Asia. In English it was sometimes spelledMussulman and has becomearchaic in usage; however, cognates of this word remain the standard term for "Muslim" in various other European languages. Until at least the mid-1960s, many English-language writers used the termMohammedans orMahometans.[79] Although such terms were not necessarily intended to bepejorative, Muslims argue that the terms are offensive because they allegedly imply that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than God.[80] Other obsolete terms includeMuslimite[81] andMuslimist.[82] In medieval Europe, Muslims were commonly calledSaracens.
a Muslim is a person who has dedicated his worship exclusively to God, for just as we say in Arabic that something is ‘salima’ to a person, meaning that it became solely his own, so in the same way ‘Islām’ means making one's religion and faith God's alone.[83]
In several places in theQuran, the wordmuslim conveys a universal meaning, beyond the description of the followers ofMuhammad, for example:[84]
"Abraham was not a Jew, nor a Christian, but he was a true Muslim [مُّسۡلِمࣰا], and he was not a polytheist." – Quran 3:67[85]
"Then when Jesus perceived their disbelief he said, 'Who will be my helpers of God.' The disciples said 'We will be the helpers of God; we believe in God and bear witness that we are Muslims [مُسۡلِمُونَ].'" – Quran 3:52[86]
Until the 8th century, the termmuslim was more inclusive, including anyone who was considered to be submitting to God (e.g. Christians and Jews), and the termmu'min was instead used to refer to believers in Islam as a distinct religion.[88]
To become a Muslim and to convert to Islam, it is essential to utter theShahada in front of Muslim witnesses,[89] one of theFive Pillars of Islam, adeclaration of faith and trust that professes that there isonly oneGod(Allah) and thatMuhammad is God's messenger.[90] It is a set statement normally recited in Arabic:ašhadu ʾan-lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu wa ʾašhadu ʾanna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh (أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمداً رسول الله) "I testify that there is no god [worthy of worship] except Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."[91]
InSunni Islam, the shahada has two parts:la ilaha illa'llah (there is no god butAllah), andMuhammadun rasul Allah (Muhammad is the messenger of God),[92] which are sometimes referred to as the firstshahada and the secondshahada.[93] The first statement of the shahada is also known as thetahlīl.[94]
InShia Islam, the shahada also has a third part, a phrase concerningAli, the firstShia Imam and the fourthRashid caliph ofSunni Islam:وعليٌ وليُّ الله (wa ʿalīyyun walīyyu-llāh), which translates to "Ali is thewali of God".[95]
The religious practices of Muslims are enumerated in theFive Pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith (shahadah), daily prayers (salah), almsgiving (zakat), fasting during the month ofRamadan (sawm), and the pilgrimage toMecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.[96][97]
The majority oftheological traditions of Islam accept that works do not determine if someone is a Muslim or not. God alone would know about the belief of a person. Fellow Muslims can only accept the personal declaration of faith. Only theKhawārij developed an understanding of Muslim identity based mainly on the adherence to liturgical and legal norms.[98]
When asked about one's beliefs, it is recommended to say theIstit̲h̲nāʾ, for example, "in-sha'allah I am Muslim a believer" (so God will, I am Muslim), since only God knows the future of a person.[99] AmongAsharites, it is also seen as a sign of humility and the individual's longing to improve, because the creature has no assurance of their own state (of belief) until the end of life.[100]
TheQur'an describes many prophets and messengers withinJudaism andChristianity, and their respective followers, as Muslim. Some of those that were mentioned are:Adam,Noah,Abraham,Ishmael,Jacob,Moses, andJesus and hisapostles are all considered to be Muslims in the Qur'an.[101] The Qur'an states that these men were Muslims because they submitted to God, preached His message and upheld His values, which included praying, charity,fasting and pilgrimage. Thus, in Surah 3:52 of the Qur'an,Jesus' disciples tell him, "We believe in God; and you be our witness that we are Muslims (wa-shahad be anna muslimūn)." In Islamic belief, before the Qur'an, God had given theTawrat (Torah) to the prophets and messengers amongst theChildren of Israel,[102] theZabur (Psalms) toDavid and theInjil (Gospel) to Jesus, who are all considered importantMuslim prophets.[103]
The most populous Muslim-majority country is Indonesia, home to 12.7% of the world's Muslims,[104] followed by Pakistan (11.0%), Bangladesh (9.2%), Nigeria (5.3%) and Egypt (4.9%).[59] About 20% of the world's Muslims live in the Middle East and North Africa. Non-majority India contains 10.9% of the world's Muslims.[104][105]Arab Muslims form thelargest ethnic group among Muslims in the world,[106] followed byBengalis,[107][108] andPunjabis.[109]
Over 75–90% of Muslims areSunni.[15][16] The second and third largest sects,Shia andAhmadiyya, make up 10–13%,[17][56][18] and 1%[19] respectively. While the majority of the population in theMiddle East identify as either Sunni or Shia, a significant number of Muslims identify asnon-denominational.[110]
As of 2010, 49 countries in the world had Muslim majorities, in which Muslims comprised more than 50% of the population.[114] In 2010, 74.1% of the world's Muslim population lived in countries where Muslims are in the majority, while 25.9% of the world's Muslim population lived in countries where Muslims are in the minority.[114] A Pew Center study in 2010 found that 3% of the world's Muslim population lives in non-Muslim-majoritydeveloped countries.[114]India's Muslim population is the world's largest Muslim-minority population in the world (11% of the world's Muslim population).[114] Followed by Ethiopia (28 million), China (22 million), Russia (16 million) and Tanzania (13 million).[113] Sizable minorities are also found inthe Americas (5.2 million or 0.6%),Australia (714,000 or 1.9%) and parts ofEurope (44 million or 6%).[114]
A Pew Center study in 2016 found that Muslims have the highest number of adherents under the age of 15 (34% of the total Muslim population) of any major religion, while only 7% are aged 60+ (the smallest percentage of any major religion). According to the same study, Muslims have the highestfertility rates (3.1) of any major religious group.[115] The study also found that Muslims (tied withHindus) have the lowest average levels ofeducation with an average of 5.6 years of schooling, though both groups have made the largest gains in educational attainment in recent decades among major religions.[115] About 36% of all Muslims have no formal schooling,[115] and Muslims have the lowest average levels ofhigher education of any major religious group, with only 8% havinggraduate andpost-graduate degrees.[115]
"Sunnite".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archived from the original on 9 August 2010. Retrieved26 August 2010.They numbered about 900 million in the late 20th century and constituted nine-tenths of all the adherents of Islām.
"Quick guide: Sunnis and Shias".BBC News. 6 December 2011.Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved18 December 2011.The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis – estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%.
"Religions".The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved8 December 2011.Sunni Islam accounts for over 75% of the world's Muslim population
"Quick guide: Sunnis and Shias".BBC News. 6 December 2011.Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved18 December 2011.The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis – estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%.
^abc"Shiʿi, Islam".Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved17 January 2022.In the early 21st century some 10–13 percent of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims were Shiʿi.
Breach of Faith. Human Rights Watch. June 2005. p. 8.Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved29 March 2014.Estimates of around 20 million would be appropriate
DeVries, Larry; Baker, Don & Overmyer, Dan (1 January 2011).Asian Religions in British Columbia. University of Columbia Press.ISBN978-0-7748-1662-5.Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved29 March 2014.The community currently numbers around 15 million spread around the world
Juan Eduardo Campo (2009).Encyclopedia of Islam. Infobase. p. 24.ISBN978-0-8160-5454-1.Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved29 March 2014.The total size of the Ahmadiyya community in 2001 was estimated to be more than 10 million
"Ahmadiyya Muslims". pbs.org. 20 January 2012.Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved6 October 2013.
A figure of 10–20 million represents approximately 1% of the Muslim population. See alsoAhmadiyya by country.
^Khan, Muhammad Mojlum (2013).The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal.England: Kube Publishing. p. 2.Bengali-speaking Muslims... one of the largest linguistic groups... second only to the Arabs
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^"Region: Asia-Pacific".Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 27 January 2011.Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved13 March 2017.
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^Gibb, Sir Hamilton (1969).Mohammedanism: an historical survey. Oxford University Press. p. 1.Modern Muslims dislike the terms Mohammedan and Mohammedanism, which seem to them to carry the implication of worship of Mohammed, as Christian and Christianity imply the worship of Christ.
^Galonnier, Juliette. "Moving In or Moving Toward? Reconceptualizing Conversion to Islam as a Liminal Process1." Moving in and out of Islam. University of Texas Press, 2018. 44-66.
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^Johansen, Baber. Contingency in a sacred law: legal and ethical norms in the Muslim fiqh. Vol. 7. Brill, 1999.
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