Islam

Summary: Approximately one-fifth on the world's population is Muslim, concentrated in an area on either side of the equator and stretching from Morocco in the west to the Philippines in the east. Islam means "submission to the will of God'; Muslims are "submitters" to God's will as it was communicated to the prophet Muhammad in a series of divine revelations. The Muslim scripture (the Qur'an) contains these revelations, and it is considered to be the eternal speech of God. Muhammad's call to prophecy occurred in about 610 CE. By the time of his death in 632 he had established the structure of a new religious outlook, and he had brought the whole of the Arabian Peninsula under his sway. Controversy over headship of the Muslim community led to a major division among the faithful. Those known as the Shi'ah Muslims advocated a hereditary succession, while Sunni Muslims (today the large majority) held to a principle of election.