THE MUSLIMS (Müslümanlar) are united by their common Islamic faith. Their population is over one billion and Muslims are from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe. Only about 18% of them live in the Arab world. The world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in Russia, China, North and South America, and Europe.

MUSLIMS believe in One Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgement and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam (Adem) and including Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Ishmael (Ismail), Isaac (Ishak), Jacob (Yakup), Joseph (Yusuf), Job (Eyüp), Moses (Musa), Aaron (Harun), David (Davud), Solomon (Süleyman), Elias (Ilyas), Jonah (Yunus), and Jesus (Isa), peace be upon them. But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Muhammed) through Gabriel (Cebrail).

SOMEONE BECOMES A MUSLIM Simply by saying 'there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the scriptures they brought.

ISLAM MEANS 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace in Arabic'. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Muslims and Christians alike.

THE QUR'AN (KUR'AN) is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras (Sure) , has been changed over the centuries, so that the Qur'an is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago.

WHAT IS THE QUR'AN ABOUT? The Qur'an, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. Its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures.