ISLAM 101

إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ

Indeed, the religion in the sight of God is submission to Him. (Qur'an 3:19)

What is Islam?

Islam is not a new religion. Muslims believe it is the same fundamental message of submission to the One God that He revealed through His prophets throughout human history.

Islam is both a faith and a way of life. It guides Muslims in their relationship with God, with one another, and with the world around them. At its heart are faith in God, worship, compassion, justice, mercy, forgiveness, and responsibility toward others.

Islam is practiced by people from virtually every race, nationality, culture, and region of the world. Muslims are united by their faith while reflecting the remarkable diversity of humanity.

What does Islam mean?

The Arabic word Islām (إسلام) is derived from the root s-l-m, associated with peace, wholeness, and submission. In a religious context, Islam means submission to the will of God—a willing submission grounded in faith, understanding, and trust in Him.

The term “Muhammadanism” is inappropriate and misleading. Muslims do not worship Muhammad (peace be upon him); they worship the One God whom Muhammad was sent to worship and proclaim.

Allah (الله) is simply the Arabic word for God. Arabic-speaking Muslims and Christians alike use the word Allah when referring to God.

Who are the Muslims?

Muslims are a global community of more than a billion people representing a vast range of races, nationalities, languages, and cultures.

Although a significant number of Muslims live in the Arab world, the majority of Muslims are not Arab. Large Muslim populations are found in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Muslim communities are also found throughout Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and elsewhere.

What unites Muslims is not a common ethnicity or nationality, but their shared commitment to Islam.

What do Muslims believe?

Muslims believe in One, Unique, and Incomparable God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. They believe in:

God and His absolute oneness and uniqueness
The angels created by God
God's prophets and messengers
The divine revelations conveyed through His prophets
The Day of Judgment and individual accountability for our actions
God's knowledge, wisdom, and authority
Life after death

Muslims believe in a continuous chain of prophets beginning with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elijah, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them all.

Muslims believe that the essential message of these prophets was one: worship the One God, live righteously, and fulfill our responsibilities toward one another.

Muslims believe that God's final revelation was given to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the Angel Gabriel. The Qurʾān is understood by Muslims as God's final revealed scripture, confirming and completing the essential message of the earlier revelations.

What are the five pillars of Islam?

The Five Pillars of Islam describe five foundational practices that shape the religious life of Muslims:

Shahādah — affirming faith in the One God and in Muhammad as His Messenger
Ṣalāh — performing the prescribed daily prayers
Zakāh — giving a prescribed portion of one's wealth to those entitled to receive it
Ṣawm — fasting during the month of Ramadan
Ḥajj — performing the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are physically and financially able

Together, these practices provide a foundation for a life of faith, worship, discipline, service, and devotion to God.

While these are commonly known as the Five Pillars of Islam, Muslims of different schools of thought may differ in how particular practices are defined, understood, or carried out.

What are commonalities and differences between Sunni and Shia Islam?

Sunni and Shia Muslims share the fundamental beliefs of Islam, including belief in the One God, the Qurʾān, Prophet Muhammad, prayer, fasting, charity, the Day of Judgment, and many other essential aspects of Islamic faith and practice.

They differ primarily in their understanding of leadership and authority after the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Sunni and Shia traditions developed distinct understandings of who should provide leadership for the Muslim community and, more broadly, how religious authority should be understood and transmitted. Over the centuries, these differences contributed to differences in theology, jurisprudence, religious practice, and historical interpretation.

At the same time, Sunni and Shia Muslims share a vast common foundation as members of the broader Muslim community.

For further information, see: Sunni and Shia Islam: Commonalities and Differences

What do Shia Muslims believe?

Shia Muslims share the fundamental beliefs of Islam with Muslims everywhere: belief in the One God, the Qurʾān, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the prophets and messengers, the Day of Judgment, and the responsibilities of worship and righteous living.

The term Shia comes from Shīʿat ʿAlī, meaning the “followers of ʿAlī.” Shia Muslims believe that, following the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), God had designated Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, as his successor and the first Imam.

The Imamate

The central distinctive belief of Shia Islam is the doctrine of Imamate.

Shia Muslims believe that God appointed a succession of divinely guided Imams from the family of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to preserve, explain, and guide the Muslim community in accordance with the Qurʾān and the teachings of the Prophet.

For Twelver Shia Muslims (Ithna-Asheris), there are twelve Imams:

Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib
Imam al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī
Imam al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī
Imam ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn
Imam Muhammad al-Bāqir
Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq
Imam Mūsā al-Kāẓim
Imam ʿAlī al-Riḍā
Imam Muhammad al-Jawād
Imam ʿAlī al-Hādī
Imam al-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī
Imam Muhammad al-Mahdī

Shia Muslims believe that the twelfth Imam, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdī, entered occultation and remains alive by God's will. They believe that he will reappear as the al-Mahdī, establishing justice by God's command.

The Ahl al-Bayt

Shia Muslims place particular emphasis on following the Ahl al-Bayt—the household of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Ahl al-Bayt hold a central place in Shia faith and spirituality. They include Prophet Muhammad, Lady Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ, Imam ʿAlī, Imam al-Ḥasan, Imam al-Ḥusayn, and the nine Imams who followed Imam al-Ḥusayn, peace be upon them all.

Shia Muslims look to the Qurʾān and the teachings and example of the Prophet as understood and transmitted through the Ahl al-Bayt, particularly the twelve Imams. Their teachings provide an important foundation for Shia theology, ethics, spirituality, and jurisprudence.

Among the most revered members of the Ahl al-Bayt is Imam al-Ḥusayn, the grandson of the Prophet, whose stand at Karbala is remembered as a profound example of sacrifice, courage, faith, and standing for justice in the face of oppression.

Faith, reason, and responsibility

Shia Islam emphasizes that faith is not merely inherited or accepted without reflection. ʿAql—reason and intellect—is an important means through which human beings recognize truth and fulfill their responsibilities before God.

Shia Muslims therefore seek to combine faith, reason, knowledge, worship, and righteous action. The purpose of religious practice is not simply to perform rituals, but to develop a closer relationship with God and become people of justice, compassion, integrity, and service.

The Five Principles of Faith

In Twelver Shia theology, the foundational principles of faith (Uṣūl al-Dīn) are:

Tawḥīd — the Oneness and absolute uniqueness of God
ʿAdl — Divine Justice
Nubuwwah — Prophethood
Imāmah — Divinely appointed leadership after the Prophet
Qiyāmah — Resurrection and the Hereafter

These principles provide a theological foundation for understanding the relationship between God, humanity, revelation, prophetic guidance, and the ultimate accountability of every person.

A shared Islamic faith

While Shia Muslims have distinctive beliefs and practices, they remain part of the broader Muslim community. Shia and Sunni Muslims share the Qurʾān, Prophet Muhammad, the declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, and the fundamental call to worship the One God and live a righteous life.

At IMAN, our identity as Ithna-Asheri Shia Muslims is rooted in our love and commitment to Allah, the Qurʾān, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Ahl al-Bayt—and in striving to live their teachings through faith, knowledge, justice, compassion, and service.

Learn More

We invite you to explore these resources to learn more about Islam, Shia Islam, the Qurʾān, and Islamic practice:

Islam and Shia Islam

Qurʾān and Islamic Practice