Islam and God
Islam
A Religion Profile from International Students, Inc.
Islam: An Overview hand-picked its own deity and came to Mecca each year to pay homage to its god.
Number of Adherents
The adherents of Islam number more than 1.2 billion, or between 19 and 22 percent of the world’s population. Islam is the second largest religion in the world and is growing at about 2.9 percent per year, faster than the total world population growth.
It was the custom of those who were spiritually minded to retreat to a place of solitude once a year. Muhammad observed this practice for several years in a cave in Mount
Hira. It the year 610, at age 40, Muhammad reportedly received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel, the beginning of a series of revelations that were eventually compiled into Islam’s sacred scripture, the Qur’an, which means “recitations.”
Islam Among the Nations
Muslims (followers of Islam) are spread primarily over the areas of North Africa, the Middle East, south-central Asia, and Indonesia.
Muhammad is said to have doubted the origin of these new revelations at first. He thought perhaps he had been possessed by jinn, or demons. His wife, Khadijah, however, reassured him and encouraged him to teach that which had been revealed to him.
No more than 20 percent of Muslims live in the Arabic-speaking world. The four nations with the largest number of
Muslims are all outside the Middle East:
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Muhammad’s religion started slowly, but as he began to preach more publicly, the leaders of his own tribe pressured him to keep quiet about his message of strict monotheism.
They viewed it as a threat to their polytheistic religion—and their livelihood, since they benefited economically from pilgrimages to the Ka’bah. Muhammad, however, refused to stop. As a result, persecution increased against the followers of this new religion until around 100 Muslim families were forced to flee to a city named Yathrib (now called
A Religion Profile from International Students, Inc.
Islam: An Overview hand-picked its own deity and came to Mecca each year to pay homage to its god.
Number of Adherents
The adherents of Islam number more than 1.2 billion, or between 19 and 22 percent of the world’s population. Islam is the second largest religion in the world and is growing at about 2.9 percent per year, faster than the total world population growth.
It was the custom of those who were spiritually minded to retreat to a place of solitude once a year. Muhammad observed this practice for several years in a cave in Mount
Hira. It the year 610, at age 40, Muhammad reportedly received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel, the beginning of a series of revelations that were eventually compiled into Islam’s sacred scripture, the Qur’an, which means “recitations.”
Islam Among the Nations
Muslims (followers of Islam) are spread primarily over the areas of North Africa, the Middle East, south-central Asia, and Indonesia.
Muhammad is said to have doubted the origin of these new revelations at first. He thought perhaps he had been possessed by jinn, or demons. His wife, Khadijah, however, reassured him and encouraged him to teach that which had been revealed to him.
No more than 20 percent of Muslims live in the Arabic-speaking world. The four nations with the largest number of
Muslims are all outside the Middle East:
•
•
•
•
Muhammad’s religion started slowly, but as he began to preach more publicly, the leaders of his own tribe pressured him to keep quiet about his message of strict monotheism.
They viewed it as a threat to their polytheistic religion—and their livelihood, since they benefited economically from pilgrimages to the Ka’bah. Muhammad, however, refused to stop. As a result, persecution increased against the followers of this new religion until around 100 Muslim families were forced to flee to a city named Yathrib (now called
Bibliography: Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House. 1988. Abdul-Haqq, Abdijah Adbar. Sharing Your Faith with a Muslim. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers. 1980. Miller, William M. A Christian’s Response to Islam. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian Reformed Publishing Co. 1976. Open Doors, 2002/03. New York: Institute of International Education, 2003. Ali, Maulana Muhammad. The Holy Qur’an. Chicago: Specialty Promotions Co., Inc. 1985. Bruce, F.F. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. 1978. Rawalpindi, Pakistan: Christian Study Centre. 1989. Marshall Pickering. 1984. Research and Communications Center. 1989. Hahn, Ernest. How to Share Your Christian Faith with Muslims. Toronto: Fellowship of Faith for Muslims. 1988. Written by Dean Halverson, Director of Apologetics for International Students, Inc. Copyright © 1992, 2004 International Students, Inc.