Meaning of Islam

Islam means to submit freely to The Commandments and Will of The One and
Only God (Allah). This submission should come from within, from sound belief
in and conviction to Allah, with no doubt. It should also come from love, trust,
and affection.
Allah is not a special god for Muslims, but Allah is The Creator of all creatures,
including mankind.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace on him) is the Messenger of Allah. The
Prophet Muhammad (Peace on him) received The Word of Allah (revelation),
through the archangel Gabriel (The Holy Spirit). This revelation comprises the
Religion of Islam.
The Qur'an is the authentic collection of this revelation recorded in book form.
It is the exact, unchanged Word of Allah to all mankind.
A Muslim is any male or female person who believes in Allah and the Prophet
Muhammad (Peace on him) as His Messenger who then testifies to that belief to
witnesses announcing his/her acceptance of Islam as his/her religion. "Muslim'
should not be confused with "Arab"; A Muslim is a person who follows the
religion of Islam and s/he can be of any race while Arab refers to a race of
people. An Arab can choose to be of any religion or belief system be it
Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, atheism, or any faith. Arabs make up
less than 18% of the Muslim population of the world today, which is estimated
to be over one-fifth of the world's population, or more than a billion people.
Islam is a simple and practical religion. It has established, clear, and easily
understandable beliefs and laws that any follower or student of the religion can
easily understand. Islam affirms belief in a decent, civilized society. Islam also
does not demand impossible goodness of its followers, but it recognizes that all
human beings make mistakes and sin. No one is exempt. Islam preaches peace,
mercy, justice, tolerance, equality, love, truth, forgiveness, patience, morality,
sincerity and righteousness.
Islam is the religion that preaches the Oneness of God, the Oneness of
mankind and the Oneness of the Message.