=== Qur'an ===

The Qur'an is considered by Muslims to be the literal, undistorted word of God, and is the central religious text of Islam. It has also been called, in English, the Koran and, archaically, the Alcoran. The word Qur'an means "recitation".<ref name="T1213">Teece (2003) pp. 12, 13</ref> Although the Qur'an is referred to as a "book", when Muslims refer in the abstract to "the Qur'an", they are usually referring to the scripture as recited in Arabic - the words themselves - rather than to the printed work or any translation of it.<ref>Turner, C. (2006) p. 42</ref> Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad by God through the Angel Gabriel on numerous occasions between the years 610 and his death on July 6 632. Modern Western academics generally hold that the Qur'an of today is not very different from the words Muslims believe to have been revealed to Muhammad, as the search for other variants has not yielded any differences of great significance. In fact, the source of ambiguity in the quest for historical Muhammad is more the lack of knowledge about pre-Islamic Arabia.<ref>Peters (1991): "Few have failed to be convinced that what is in our copy of the Quran is, in fact, what Muhammad taught, and is expressed in his own words... To sum this up: the Quran is convincingly the words of Muhammad, perhaps even dictated by him after their recitation."</ref>The Qur'an occupies a status of primacy in Islamic jurisprudence,<ref name="QEoI">"Qur'an", ''Encyclopedia of Islam Online''</ref> and Muslims consider it a definitive source of guidance to live in accordance to the will of God.<ref name="T1213"/> To interpret the Qu'ran, Muslims use a form of exegesis known as ''tafsir''.<ref>"Tafsir", ''Encyclopedia of Islam Online''</ref><ref name="QEoI" />

=== Muhammad ===

<<[[Image:Mohammad Rasul Allah.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Arabic calligraphy reading "Muhammad, Messenger of Allah".>>]]Muhammad (570—632), also ''Mohammed'', ''Mohamet'', and other variants was an Arab religious and political leader who propagated the religion of Islam. Muslims consider him the greatest prophet of God, and the last recipient of divine revelation. He is viewed not as the founder of a new religion, but as the last in a series of prophets, restoring the original monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham and others which had become corrupted.<ref>Esposito (1998), p.12 - Esposito (2002b), pp.4-5 - Peters (2003), p.9</ref><ref name = "EoI-Muhammad"/> Muhammad had maintained a reputation as an honest and trustworthy member of the community, "''al-Amin''". For the last 23 years of his life, beginning at age 40, Muhammad reported receiving revelations from God. The content of these revelations, known as the Qur'an, was memorized and recorded by his followers.<ref>The term Qur'an was invented and first used in the Qur'an itself. There are two different theories about this term and its formation, that are discussed in Quran#Etymology cf. "Qu'ran", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam Online''.</ref> During this time, Muhammad preached to the people of Mecca, including his relatives and tribal associates, imploring them to abandon polytheism. Although some people converted to Islam, Muhammad and his followers were subsequently persecuted by the leading Meccan authorities. Muslims believe that during his stay in Mecca, he was taken at night by Gabriel to Jerusalem, where he ascended to heaven, as elucidated in the Qur'an.<ref>See Surah Al-Isra.</ref> After 13 years of preaching in Mecca, Muhammad and the Muslims performed the ''hijra'' (emigration) to the city of Medina. There, with the Medinan converts (Ansar) and the Meccan migrants (Muhajirun), Muhammad soon established political and religious authority. By 629, he was able to march unto his home town in the bloodless 'Conquest of Mecca'. And by the time of his death in 632, Muhammad had succeeded in bringing the Arabian peninsula under the banner of Islam. Despite his exalted status in Muslim thought, Muhammad is insisted to have been no more than human.<ref>"Muhammad", ''Encyclopedia of Islam Online''</ref><ref>Quran 18:110 </ref>

====Sunnah====

===Shahadah===

<<[[Image:White shahadah on black.svg|220px|thumb|right|Flag of early Muslims used on the battlefield (named Al-Raya الراية), with the Shahadah in white script.>>]]

The basic creed or tenet of Islam is found in the ''shahādatān'' ("twin testimonies"): '''ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh''; "I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."<ref> Husain Kassim, ''Islam'', Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals </ref> As the most important pillar, this testament can be considered a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Ideally, it is the first words a new-born will hear, and children are taught to recite and understand the shahadah as soon as they are able to understand them. Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims must use the creed to formally convert to Islam.<ref>Farah (1994), p.135</ref>

===Salah===

The second pillar of Islam is ''salah'', the requirement to pray five times a day at fixed times.<ref name=coim>Kobeisy (2004), pp.22-34</ref> Each salah is performed facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Salah is intended to focus the mind on God; it is a personal communication with God, expressing gratitude and worship. According to the Qur'an, the benefit of prayer "restrains [one] from shameful and evil deeds".<ref name=coim/><ref>See Qur'an 29:40</ref> Salah is compulsory but there are flexibilities under certain circumstances.<ref name=heday>Hedáyetullah (2006), pp.53-55</ref> For example in the case of sickness or lack of space, a worshipper can offer salah while sitting, or even lying, and the prayer can be shortened when travelling.<ref name=heday/>

<<[[Image:Mosque.Qibla.01.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Muslims performing salah (prayer).>>]]

The salah must be performed in the Arabic language to the best of each worshipper's ability (although any ''du'a'', or extra prayers said afterwards need not be in Arabic), and the lines are to be recited by heart, although beginners may use written aids. The worshipper's body and clothing, as well as the place of prayer, must be ''wudu'' cleansed.<ref name=heday/> All prayers should be conducted within the prescribed time period and with the appropriate number of units (''raka'ah''). While the prayers may be made at any point within the ''waqt'', it is considered best to begin them as soon as possible after the ''Adhan'' call to prayer is heard.<ref>Heniz Halm (Ed. Erwin Fahlbusch), Encyclopedia of Christianity, ''Islam'', vol2, p.752 </ref>

Three types of fasting (Sawm) are recognized by the Qur'an: Ritual fasting (e.g. see Quran 2:183-7), fasting as compensation or repentance(e.g. see Quran 2:196), and ascetic fasting(e.g. see Quran 33:35).<ref> Fasting, ''Encyclopedia of the Qur'an'' </ref> Ritual fasting, is an obligatory act during the month of Ramadan, as enjoined in the Qur'an:<ref name=Caesar_1>Farah (1994), pp.144-145</ref>

<blockquote>''O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint'' — Qur'an 2:183</blockquote>

Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk during this month, and are to be especially mindful of other sins.<ref name=Caesar_1/> The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness to God, remind them of the needy, express Gratitude to God, atone for their past sins, and realize their frailty and dependence to God.<ref> Esposito, Islam the striaght path (extended edition), p.91 </ref> During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, harsh language, gossip, and to try to get along with each other better than normal. All obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided. The fast is an exacting act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities and its purpose being to cleanse your inner soul, and free it of harm.<ref> Allameh Tabatabaei, Islamic teachings, p.211, p.213 </ref> Fasting during Ramadan is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would be excessively problematic such as pre-pubescent children; those with a medical condition such as diabetes; elderly people; and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Observing fasts is not allowed for menstruating women. Other individuals for whom it is considered acceptable not to fast are those in combat, and travelers who intended to spend fewer than five days away from home. Missing fasts usually necessitates that they be made up soon afterwards, although the exact requirements vary according to the circumstance of their abstention.<ref>Khan (2006), p.54</ref><ref>[http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/pillars/fasting/tajuddin/fast_21.html#HEADING20 For whom fasting is mandatory], USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts </ref><ref>Qur'an 2:184</ref><ref>"Islam." Encyclopædia Britannica, Fasting section. </ref>

===Hajj===

<<[[Image:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpg|right|220 px|thumb|The ''hajj'' to the Kaaba in Mecca is an important practice for Muslims to perform>>]]

The Hajj is a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime.<ref name=Caesar_2>Farah (1994), pp.145-147</ref> When the pilgrim is around ten kilometers from Mecca he wears ''ihram'' consisting of two white sheets.<ref name=Britannica_india>Hoiberg (2000), pp.237-238</ref> Some of the ritual of Hajj are walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, visiting holy places and sacrificing an animal in commemoration of Ibrahim's sacrifice. Furthermore, it includes throwing seven stones at each of the three pillars symbolizing devil at Mina and cutting (some or all) head’s hairs.<ref name=Britannica_india/>

==Islamic law==

<<[[Image:Masjid_Nabawi._Medina,_Saudi_Arabia.jpg|thumb|220 px|right|Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina also is the site of Muhammad's tomb.>>]]

The ''sharia'' (literally meaning: "the path leading to the watering place") is Islamic law, determined by traditional Islamic scholarship.<ref name="BritannicaShariah"> "Shari'ah." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 7 February 2007 [http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9105857]</ref> In Islam, Shariah is viewed as the expression of the divine will, the total and unqualified submission to which is considered the fundamental tenet of Islam. It "constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his religious belief."<ref name="BritannicaShariah"/>

===Mosques===

<<[[Image:Mecca skyline.jpg|The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today|thumb|right|216px>>]]

A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, ''masjid''. The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller, privately owned mosque and the larger, "collective" mosque (''masjid jami''), which has more community and social amenities. The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer. Nevertheless, mosques are also for their importance to the ''ummah'' Muslim community as meeting place and a place of study.<ref name="Masdjid1">"Masdjid", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam Online''</ref> They have developed significantly from the open-air spaces that were the Quba Mosque and Masjid al-Nabawi in the seventh century. Today, most mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, demonstrating Islamic architecture.

===Islamic calendar===

<<[[Image:Eid_Prayers_at_the_Badshahi_Mosque.jpeg|thumb|right|220px|Eid prayers on the holiday of Eid al-Fitr at the Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan. The days of Eid are important occasions on the Islamic calendar.>>]]

The formal beginning of the Muslim era was chosen to be the Hijra, or migration from Mecca to Medina of Muhammad and his followers because it was regarded as a turning point in the fortunes of Muhammad's movement.<ref name="Peters2"> F.E.Peters(2003), p.67 </ref> It is reported it was caliph Umar who chose this incident to mark the year 1, AH (Anno Hegira) of the Islami calendar<ref>Adil (2002), p.288</ref> corresponding to 622 CE.<ref name="Peters2"/> It is a lunar calendar,<ref name="Peters2"/> but differs from other such calendars (e.g. the Celtic calendar) in that it omits intercalary months, being synchronized only with lunations, but not with the solar year, resulting in years of either 354 or 355 days. Therefore, Islamic dates cannot be converted to the usual CE/AD dates simply by adding 622 years. Islamic holy days fall on fixed dates of the lunar calendar, which means that they occur in different seasons in different years in the Gregorian calendar. The most important festivals in the Islamic calendar are ''Eid Al-Fitr'' (Arabic: عيد الفطر) on the 1<sup>st</sup> of ''Shawwal'', marking the end of the fasting month Ramadan, and ''Eid Al-Adha'' (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) on the 10<sup>th</sup> of ''Dhu al-Hijjah'', coinciding with the pilgrimage to Mecca.<ref>Sunan Abu Da'ud 1134</ref><ref name="cul"/>

Despite the military successes of the Muslims at this time, the political atmosphere was not without controversy. With Umar assassinated in 644, the election of Uthman as successor was met with gradually increasing opposition.<ref name="CHI67">''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), p.67</ref> He was subsequently accused of nepotism, favoritism and of introducing reprehensible ''Bidah'' religious innovations, though in reality the motivations for such charges were economic.<ref name="CHI67"/> Like Umar, Uthman too was then assassinated, in 656. Ali then assumed the position of caliph, although tensions soon escalated into what became the ''First Fitna'' first civil war (the "First Fitna") when numerous companions of Muhammad, including Uthman's relative Muawiyah (who was assigned by Uthman as governor of Syria) and Muhammad's wife Aisha, sought to avenge the slaying of Uthman. Ali's forces defeated the latter at the Battle of the Camel, but the ''Battle of Siffin'' encounter with Muawiyah proved indecisive, with both sides agreeing to arbitration. Ali retained his position as caliph but had been unable to bring Mu'awiyah's territory under his command.<ref>''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), pp. 68-72</ref> When Ali was fatally stabbed by a Kharijite dissenter in 661CE, Mu'awiyah was ordained as the caliph, marking the start of the hereditary Ummayad caliphate.<ref>''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), p.72</ref> Under his rule, Mu'awiyah was able to conquer much of North Africa, mainly through the efforts of Muslim general Uqba ibn Nafi.<ref>''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), p.79</ref>

<<[[Image:Age_of_Caliphs.png|thumb|right|300px|The territory of the Caliphate in the year 750>>]]

There was much contention surrounding Mu'awiyah's assignment of his son Yazid as successor upon the eve of his death in 680,<ref>''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), p.80</ref> drawing protest from Husayn bin Ali, grandson of Muhammad, and Ibn az-Zubayr, a companion of Muhammad. Both led separate and ultimately unsuccessful revolts, and Ummayad attempts to pacify them became known as the "Second Fitna". Thereafter, the Ummayad dynasty continued rulership for a further seventy years (with caliph Umar II's tenure especially notable<ref>''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), p.92</ref>), and were able to conquer the Maghrib' (699—705CE), as well as Spain and the Narbonnese Gaul at a similar date.<ref name="EoI-Islam"/>

===Fragmentation===

<<[[Image:Mosque of Cordoba Spain.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Interior of the Mezquita (in Cordoba, Spain), a Roman Catholic cathedral which was formerly a mosque, the construction of which began in 784 under Abd ar-Rahman I, who fled Damascus during the Abbasid revolution.>>]]

Baghdad was made the new capital of the caliphate (moved from the previous capital, Damascus) due to the importance placed by the Abbasids upon eastern affairs in Persia and Transoxania.<ref name="B.a-d" /> It was at this time, however, that the caliphate showed signs of fracture and the uprising of regional dynasties. Although the Ummayad family had been killed by the revolting Abbasids, one family member, Abd ar-Rahman I, was able to flee to Spain and establish an independent caliphate there, in 756. In the Maghreb region, Harun al-Rashid appointed the Arab Aghlabids as virtually autonomous rulers, although they continued to recognise the authority of the central caliphate. Aghlabid rule was short lived, as they were deposed by the Shiite Fatimid dynasty in 909. By around 960, the Fatimids had conquered Abbasid Egypt, building a new capital there in 973 called "''al-Qahirah''" (meaning "the planet of victory", known today as Cairo). Similar was the case in Persia, where the Turkic Ghaznavids managed to snatch power from the Abbasids.<ref name="B-I">"Islam", ''The New Encyclopedia Britannica'' (2005)</ref><ref name="AHGC"> Applied History Research Group, University of Calagary, [http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/index2.html "The Islamic World to 1600"], Last accessed January 1, 2007 </ref> Whatever temporal power of the Abbasids remained had eventually been consumed by the Seljuq Turks (a Muslim Turkish clan which had migrated into mainland Persia), in 1055.<ref name="B.a-d" />

=== The Crusades and the Mongol invasions ===

<<[[Image:Hattin.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Artistic depiction of the Battle of Hattin in 1187, where Jerusalem was recaptured by Saladin's Ayyubid forces.>>]]

Islamic conquest into Christian Europe spread as far as southern France. After the disastrous defeat of the Byzantines by the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Christian Europe, at the behest of the Pope, launched a series of Crusades and captured Jerusalem. The Muslim general Saladin, however, regained Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, also having defeated the Shiite Fatimids earlier in 1171 upon which the Ayyubid dynasty had been conceived.<ref name="AHGC" /><ref>Esposito (2000), p.57</ref>

===Rise of the Ottomans===

<<[[Image:Ulucamii-turkey-2001.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Interior of the ''Ulu Camii'', a mosque constructed under the Ottoman sultan Beyazid I in Bursa (1396), showing the multiple domes and pillars decorated with Islamic calligraphy.>>]]

The Seljuk Turks fell apart rapidly in the second half of the 13th century, especially after the Mongol invasions in Anatolia.<ref>''Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1A'' (1977), p. 263</ref> This resulted in the establishment of multiple Turkish principalities, known as beyliks. Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, assumed leadership of one of these principalities (Söğüt) in 1281, succeeding his father Ertuğrul. Declaring an independent Ottoman emirate in 1299, Osman I led it to a series of consecutive victories over the Byzantine Empire. By 1331, the Ottomans had captured Nicea, the former Byzantine capital, under the leadership of Osman's son and successor, Orhan I.<ref>Koprulu, Leiser (1992) p. 109</ref> Victory at the Battle of Kosovo against the Serbs in 1389 then facilitated their expansion into Europe. The Ottomans were firmly established in the Balkans and Anatolia by the time Bayezid I ascended to power in the same year, now at the helm of a swiftly growing empire.<ref>Koprulu, Leiser (1992) p. 111</ref>

Islam reached the islands of Southeast Asia through Indian Muslim traders near the end of the 13th century. Samudera Pasai and Peureulak (located at Aceh, Indonesia) is the first Southeast Asian port kingdom that convert to Islam circa 13th century. By the mid-15th century, Islam had spread from Sumatra to the nearby Malay peninsula Malacca and other islands from Java, Brunei to Ternate. In 15th century Demak Sultanate set the first Islamic rule on Java on the expense of weakening Hindu Majapahit empire. The conversion of the Malaccan ruler to Islam marked the start of the Malacca Sultanate. Although the sultanate managed to expand its territory somewhat, its rule remained brief. Portuguese forces captured Malacca in 1511 under the naval general Afonso de Albuquerque. With Malacca subdued, Aceh Sultanate and Brunei established themself as the centre of Islam in Southeast Asia. Brunei sultanate remains intact even to this day.<ref name="AHGC" /> Throughout areas under its territorial dominance, Islam cemented itself within the cultures under the Muslim empire, resulting in the gradual conversion of the non-Muslim populations to Islam.<ref name="EoI-Islam"/> Such was not entirely the case in Spain, where a ''Reconquista'' series of confrontations with the Christian kingdoms ended in the fall of Granada in 1492.<ref name="EoI-Islam"/>

<<[[Image:Map_Safavid_persia.png|thumb|275px|right|Map of the dynamics in territorial possession on the Safavid frontiers during the 16th century.>>]]

In the early 16th century, the Shi'ite Safavid dynasty assumed control in Persia under the leadership of Shah Ismail I, upon the defeat of the ruling Turcoman federation Aq Qoyunlu (also called the "White Sheep Turkomans") in 1501. The Ottoman sultan Selim I quickly sought to repel Safavid expansion, challenging and defeating them at the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514. Selim I also deposed the ruling Mamluks in Egypt, absorbing their territories into the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Suleiman I (also known as ''Suleiman the Magnificent''), Selim I's successor, took advantage of the diversion of Safavid focus against the Uzbeks on the eastern frontier and recaptured Baghdad, which had previously fallen under Safavid control. Despite this, Safavid power remained substantial, with their empire rivalling the Ottomans'. Suleiman I also advanced deep into Hungary following the Battle of Mohács in 1526 — reaching as far as the gates of Vienna thereafter, and signed a Franco-Ottoman alliance with Francis I of France against Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire 10 years later. Suleiman I's rule (1520—1566) signified the height of the Ottoman Empire, after which it fell into gradual decline.<ref name="AHGC" />

=== Art and architecture ===

<<[[Image:Arabic Plaque, Great Mosque, Xian.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Islamic calligraphy on a plaque in the Great Mosque of Xi'an, China.>>]]

The term "Islamic art and architecture" denotes the works of art and architecture produced from the 7th century onwards by people (not necessarily Muslim) who lived within the territory that was inhabited by culturally Islamic populations.<ref>Ettinghausen (2003), p.3</ref><ref>"Islamic Art and Architecture", ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'' (2000)</ref> Islamic art frequently adopts the use of geometrical floral or vegetal designs in a repetition known as arabesque. Such designs are highly nonrepresentational, as Islam forbids representational depictions as found in ''Jahiliyyah'' pre-Islamic pagan religions. Despite this, there is a presence of depictional art in some Muslim societies, although this is not widespread. Another reason why Islamic art is usually abstract is to symbolize the transcendence, indivisible and infinite nature of God, an objective achieved by arabesque.<ref name="JAACMadden">Madden (1975), pp.423-430</ref> Arabic calligraphy is an omnipresent decoration in Islamic art, and is usually expressed in the form of Qur'anic verses. Two of the main scripts involved are the symbolic ''kufic'' and ''naskh'' scripts, which can be found adorning the walls and domes of mosques, the sides of minbars, and so on.<ref name="JAACMadden"/>From between the eighth and eighteenth centuries, the use of glazed ceramics was prevalent in Islamic art, usually assuming the form of elaborate pottery.<ref>Mason (1995) p.1</ref>

===Science and technology===

Muslim scientists made significant advances in mathematics and astronomy. The mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, from whose name the word algorithm derives, contributed significantly to algebra (which is named after his book, ''kitab al-jabr'').<ref> Ron Eglash(1999), p.61</ref> In technology, the Muslim world adopted papermaking from China many centuries before it was known in the West.<ref>Toby E. Huff(2003), p.74 </ref><ref name="Kingfisher">The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia(2004), p.143</ref> Iron was a vital industry in Muslim lands and was given importance in the Qur'an.<ref>Qur'an 57:25</ref><ref>John M. Hobson(2004), p.130 </ref> The knowledge of gunpowder was also transmitted from China to Islamic countries, through which it was later passed to Europe.<ref> William D. Phillips (1992), p.76</ref> Knowledge of chemical processes (alchemy) and distilling (alcohol) also spread to Europe from the Muslim world. Numerous contributions were made in laboratory practices such as "refined techniques of distillation, the preparation of medicines, and the production of salts."<ref> Trevor Harvey Levere(2001) , p.6 </ref> Advances were made in irrigation and farming, using technology such as the windmill. Crops such as almonds and citrus fruit were brought to Europe through al-Andalus, and sugar cultivation was gradually adopted by the Europeans.<ref>Sidney W. Mintz, ''Sweetness and power: the place of sugar in modern history'', Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986, pp.23-29.</ref>

== Contemporary Islam ==

<<[[Image:Islam-by-country-smooth.png|right|220px|thumb|Distribution of Islam per country. Green represents a Sunni majority and blue represents a Shia majority.>>]]

Commonly cited estimates of the Muslim population today range between 900 million and 1.5 billion people.<ref>[http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents ]</ref> Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world; 20% are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, about 30% in the South Asian region of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and the world's largest single Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. There are also significant Muslim populations in China, Europe, Central Asia, and Russia.

===Others===

<<[[Image:Dome_of_the_rock_distance.jpg|thumb|220px|right|A view of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site in Islam>>]]

Another sect which dates back to the early days of Islam is that of the Kharijites. The only surviving branch of the Kharijites, which itself divided into numerous sects, is the Ibadi sect. Ibadism is distinguished from Shiism by its belief that the leader should be chosen solely on the basis of his faith, not on the basis of descent, and from Sunnism in its rejection of Uthman and Ali and strong emphasis on the need to depose unjust rulers. Ibadi Islam is noted for its strictness, but, unlike the Kharijites proper, Ibadis do not regard major sins as automatically making a Muslim an unbeliever. Most Ibadi Muslims live in Oman.<ref name="JAW"> John Alden Williams(1994), p.173</ref><ref> Encyclopedia of Islam, al-Ibāḍiyya</ref>

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