The Islam Compass

What is Islam?

A word that means peace through surrender to God.

Islam

Islām comes from the Arabic root s-l-m, which carries the senses of surrender and of peace. A Muslim is one who surrenders — willingly, and to God alone.

The commitment is small to state and large to live: worship the Creator without partners, and follow the guidance He sent.

Yes, whoever submits his face in Islam to Allah while being a doer of good will have his reward with his Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
Qur'an — Surah Al-Baqarah 2:112Translation: Saheeh International

Not a new God, and not a new message

Islam does not present Muhammad ﷺ as the founder of a religion. It presents him as the last in a line of messengers sent with the same central instruction.

That is why the Qur'an speaks about Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus — peace be upon them — as fellow prophets rather than as figures from someone else's book.

He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus — to establish the religion and not be divided therein.…
Qur'an — Surah Ash-Shura 42:13Translation: Saheeh International

The prophets named in that line

The Qur'an names twenty-five prophets. These are among the most frequently mentioned.

  • 01

    Adam — آدم

    The first human being and the first prophet. (Qur'an 2:30–37; 3:33)

  • 02

    Noah — Nuh, نوح

    Called his people to worship God alone for a long lifetime. (Qur'an 71:1–4)

  • 03

    Abraham — Ibrahim, إبراهيم

    Rejected idols and is described as a ḥanīf, upright in submission, "neither a Jew nor a Christian." (Qur'an 3:67)

  • 04

    Moses — Musa, موسى

    The most frequently named prophet in the Qur'an; given the Torah and sent to Pharaoh. (Qur'an 20:9–48)

  • 05

    Jesus — 'Isa, عيسى

    The Messiah, born of Mary without a father, given the Gospel and clear miracles by God's permission. (Qur'an 3:45–49)

  • 06

    Muhammad ﷺ — محمد

    The final messenger, "the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets." (Qur'an 33:40)

What Islam asks of a person

Belief, and then a life shaped by it: prayer, honesty, restraint, generosity, care for parents and neighbours, and accountability before God.

The five pillars organise the practice; the six articles of faith organise the belief. Both are set out on their own pages.

Sources & References

9 cited

Religious content here follows the Qur'an, the authentic Sunnah, and the established scholarship of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. Qur'an citations link to the verse; hadith carry collection and number; Tafsir and historical claims name the work. Where something could not be verified, it is not published.

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