Islam is the religion founded on the Arabian Peninsula by the prophet Muhammad ca.570-632) in the early seventh century C.E. Muhammad was a successful merchant from a prominent Bedouin tribe who began to receive revelations from the angel Gabriel while praying in a cave near Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. He continued to receive these revelations—or, more properly,"recitations"—on and off for over 20 years. Muhammad recited the revelations to close associates who recorded them and later collected them into the primary sacred text of Islam, the Qur'an. Qur'an means recitation.
Islam is staunchly monotheistic, tracing itself back to the religion and God of Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism. The term islam is Arabic for surrender or obedience to God. A Muslim is one who has surrendered to Allah, which is Arabic for God. The underlying impetus in Islam is to surrender to God in every aspect of life. People are drawn to the universality of Islam's message, the simplicity and elegance of its doctrine, and the striking imagery of an all-powerful, all-merciful God. From its phenomenal initial spread within a century of the death of its founder, Islam has become the fastest growing religion in the world, with over one billion adherents.
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