One of the best and easiest ways to co exist on Earth is by imbibing the concept of live and let live. Despite the massive beating that Islam as a faith has taken, it is important to note a lot of the things that the religion actually stands for. When we better understand the choices and faith of other people, only then can we comment on their issues and edicts.
To that end, here are some interesting facts about Islam!
1. Muslims only worship Allah. They do not pray to Prophet Muhammad.
Allah is believed to be the omniscient creator.
2. ‘Islam’ means ‘submission’, implying surrendering to God’s will
3. Islam is the 2nd largest religion in the world.
The first is Christianity.
4. ‘Muslim’ actually means ‘anyone or anything that surrenders itself to the will of God.’
This includes not just humans but even plants and animals.
5. Algebra, from the Arabic word al-jabr, originated in the Islamic world.
6. ‘Allah’ is the Arabic word for God
7. Indonesia has the largest number of Muslims in the world
There are 120 million Muslims there, followed by Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
8. Daughters are actually considered a blessing in the Islamic faith
However, the religion does claim that a woman must only marry another person who follows Islam, though a man can marry Jews and Christians.
9. The Quran actually makes mention of Jesus in several verses
10. Most Muslims are not Arabs
In fact, only 15 percent of the Muslim population the world over are Arabs.
11. Mecca actually means ‘the place of the drinking cup’
According to Muslims, it is the place where a spring appeared to sustain Hagar and her son Ishmael.
12. Muslims were the first to mass-produce paper on an intercontinental scale
We read books rather than scrolls today thanks totally to the Islamic advances in the use of paper.
13. Allah has 99 names and each name has a meaning
Some of these are Al-Rahman “the Merciful”, Al-Aziz, “the powerful”, and Al-Hafi “the Protector.
*The image in point number 12 has been removed on request. We deeply regret if any religious sentiments were hurt.