Islam Religion Homepage
Islam literally means "surrender" or "submisssion," indicating wholehearted surrender to God, and a Muslim is one who submits to God (Allah.) the words Islam and Muslim are related to several words for peace, such as the Arabic salam and the Hebrew shalom. They suggest the inner peace that is gained by surrendering to the divine. the word Islam also connotes the community of all believers, suggesting inclusion in a large family. As the the Qur'an states, the "believers are a band of brothers."
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At the heart of Islam is a belief in an all-powerful, transcendent God who has created the universe and who controls it down to the smallest detail. Islam is thus a cousin to the other monotheistic religions of Judaism and Christianity, and all three religions worship the same God. Muslims refer to God as Allah. The word is a contraction of al ("the") and ilah ("God") and simply means "the God" or "God". (The Arabic word Allah is related to El, the general Hebrew word for "God.") the Muslims explain tha the word Allah is not the name of God it simply means "God."
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