The second largest religion in the world, Islam is based on the belief that there is only one true God, who has made his will manifest through a number of prophets on Earth. The most important of these prophets, Muhammad (570-632 AD), recorded God’s words in the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, after suffering a round of visions.
From this point forward, Muhammad preached that the only path to salvation was to devote oneself entirely to God through daily prayer, and strict adherence to the laws set forth by Him.
The Five Pillars of Islam, the framework through which salvation can be attained, state in their most basic form that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet; one must pray daily to God at the five established times; one must give to the needy to support them; one must fast from dawn until dusk during the month of Ramadan; and one must make a pilgrimage to Mecca – the hajj, at least once in a lifetime, during the holy month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
As was the case with the founding of most religions, Muhammad and his followers were met by staunch resistance from other faiths. Despite this, the message spread across the Middle East following his death.
During the Middle Ages, Islam became popular amongst merchants along the Silk Road (including the Southeast Asian maritime Silk Road), and spread along the lines of commerce. Since that time, Islam has splintered into a number of competing branches, the largest being the Sunni and Shia denominations, who differ based on their interpretations of whether to follow Muhammad’s appointed followers or his descendants.
