date founded

622 CE

place founded

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

founder

Muhammad (born c.570), a trade merchant from Arabia

size rank

second largest in the world

main location

Middle East and North Africa

major sects and denominations

Sunni and Shiite
     Twelvers - Majority Shi'ite denomination that reveres the Twelve Imams
     Seveners - Shi'ite denomination holding that the legitimate line of imams ended with the seventh
Sufi is a mystical branch

sacred text

Qur'an (Koran)

original language

Arabic

religious professionals

sheikh; imam (Shi'ite)

house of worship

mosque

ultimate reality

God (Allah in Arabic); the same God revealed (imperfectly) in the Jewish and Christian Bibles

type of theism

strict monotheism

human nature

Born in a state of purity, imperfect yet capable of seeking God and doing good 

purpose of life

Submit to the will of Allah and attain paradise after death 

how to live

Follow the Qur'an, Hadith and Five Pillars of Islam

afterlife

Resurrection of body and soul followed by eternal paradise or hell 

symbol

crescent moon and star 

major holidays

Ramadan - month long, begins Oct. 16, 2004
Eid al-Fitr - Festival of Breaking the Fast
Hijra - week long; begins 1 Muharram
Eid al-Adha - Festival of Sacrifice

Five Pillars

1. Confession of faith (shahada)
2. Daily prayer (salat)
3. Alms tax (zakat)
4. Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
5. Fasting during Ramadan (sawm)