The existence of a human is the product of faith; whether a person is a theist or agnostic, one’s belief in it is involved.
Islam spread on the world map through the teachings of Prophet Mohammad and all those Muslims who later gave their lives to reach more and more people by spreading the words of Mohammad.
Key Takeaways
- Islam is a monotheistic religion founded in the 7th century, based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran, with core beliefs including the Five Pillars of Islam.
- Muslim is a term used to describe a follower of Islam, an individual who adheres to the beliefs and practices of the Islamic faith.
- Islam is the religion, while Muslim is the term for an individual who follows that religion.
Islam vs Muslim
Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran and the teachings of Mohammed. It is a religion where faith lies in the worship of a single divinity, and it originates from Abrahamic beliefs. Muslim is a believer of Islam and anyone who has surrendered themselves to the religion.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Islam | Muslim |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The root of the word Islam comes from the Arabic verbal noun s-l-m, which means the act of submission to divine power. | It also originates from the same s-l-m and refers to someone who has submitted himself to God. |
| Use | The word Islam denotes a religion. | It can be used by a single person or a group who has accepted Prophet Mohammed as a creator. |
| Verb\noun | It is a verbal noun as it doesn’t denote a person but is an act of submission. | The word Muslim can only be used as a noun to denote a person. |
| Category | Islam and its teachings remain the same throughout. | A Muslim is divided into categories of Shia and Sunni. |
| Imagery | Islam doesn’t allow idolatry and there remains no depiction of Prophet Mohammed. | A Muslim follows the aniconism theory, where he can illustrate himself but not the prophet. |
What is Islam?
Islam is a monotheistic religion where faith lies in worshipping a single divinity; it originates from Abrahamic beliefs and comes after the advent of Judaism and Christianity.
The founder of Islam is the so-called Messenger of God ‘Prophet Mohammed’ who was born around 570 CE in the city of Mecca and was sent to spread the teachings of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Arabic root letters ‘S’, ‘L’ ‘M’ form the word Islam which means to “surrender” and “submission” and follow a path of commitment to “peace”, “Allah”, and his commandments.
Islam is the world’s second-largest religion and is estimated to be the fastest-growing one after Christianity due to the exponential birth rate and ongoing conversions.
Just like any religion, the spread of Islam started with the oral culture and, later on, the holy text Quran scribed it.
Islam considers Mecca and Medina holy cities, among which Kaaba is the holiest site. It’s a cubic structure and is said to be the house of God.
Legend has it that Ibrahim and Ismail built it, and later on, Muhammad reconstructed it.
What is Muslim?
A Muslim is a person or a believer of Islam who has surrendered himself to divinity and is an absolute believer that God is one. A Muslim believes that his god is incomparable, and Islam is the universal version that encapsulates the teachings of all other Prophets like Abraham and Moses Jesus.
A Muslim is someone who has belief in the five commandments of Muhammed, which are called the Five Pillars of Islam :
- The Profession of faith: Faith in Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of the Almighty remains central.
- Prayer: Muslims pray five times a day facing Mecca either individually or in groups
- Aims: Giving back and feeding the needy, donating a certain percentage of income.
- Fasting: Abstaining one’s appetite, drinking, and sexual activity is done during Ramadan. It’s the month of introspection, realising what we have and not letting our lust and worldly desires take the best of us.
- Pilgrimage: Every Muslim must visit the holy city of Mecca and visit Kaaba once in a lifetime.
Muslims have a massive population of 1.9 billion overall and are the second-largest faith believers, with 24% of Muslims worldwide.
Main Differences Between Islam and Muslim
- The main difference between Islam and Muslims is that the former is a religion of the beliefs of Abraham and follows a monotheistic approach. In contrast, the latter consists of people following the religion.
- By definition, Islam is the act of submission to the higher entity, and a Muslim is an individual who surrenders his whole to the teachings of Mohammed.
- As Islam represents faith and the act of submission, it’s considered a verbal noun. On the other hand, Muslim is a noun as it denotes the person following the commandments.
- Muslims are further divided due to disagreements regarding the next successor after Muhammad, while Islam and its teachings remain the same.
- Muslims can build their figures or illustrate themselves, but Islam disregards the iconism of Muhammad.
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