Introduction to Islam

Who is Allah?

Allah is the one true God — the same God spoken of by Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad ﷺ — peace be upon them all. He is one. He has no partner, no son, no equal. He is the Creator of every atom in every universe, and yet closer to you than your own heartbeat.

The shortest description of Him is in the Quran itself, in Surah Al-Ikhlas (the four-verse chapter known as "Sincerity"):

• "Say: He is Allah, the One."
• "Allah, the Eternal Refuge."
• "He neither begets nor is born."
• "And there is none equal to Him."

Who is the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?

Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in Makkah, in the Arabian Peninsula, around the year 570 CE. He was orphaned young, raised by his uncle, and known throughout his community as Al-Amīn — "The Trustworthy" — long before he received any revelation.

At the age of forty, while in retreat in the cave of Hira above Makkah, the angel Jibril (Gabriel) appeared to him with the very first command of the Quran: Iqra — "Read."

For the next 23 years, the Quran was revealed to him in pieces. He never claimed divinity. He claimed only to be a man, sent as a final messenger, in a long line of prophets before him.

What is the Quran?

The Quran is the literal word of Allah, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Arabic language, preserved unchanged for over 1,400 years. Not Muhammad's own thoughts. Not a Bible-like compilation. The exact speech of Allah, dictated word for word.

It contains 114 chapters (called surahs) and 6,236 verses (called ayahs). The shortest chapter is 3 verses; the longest is 286.

It has been memorised in its entirety, letter for letter, by millions of Muslims across every century — the only book in human history to be preserved this way.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Islam stands on five pillars. They are the practices that, taken together, make a Muslim's life a Muslim life:

• Shahada — the testimony of faith: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger."
• Salah — the five daily prayers, anchoring your day around remembrance of Allah.
• Zakah — annual giving (about 2.5% of savings) to those in need.
• Sawm — fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
• Hajj — the pilgrimage to Makkah, once in a lifetime if able.

How to perform your first prayer

The five daily prayers (Salah) anchor a Muslim's life around Allah. They are: Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and Isha (night).

Your first prayer can feel daunting, but it isn't. The Prophet ﷺ taught the steps slowly to a Bedouin who was learning, and was patient with him. We've built an interactive guide that walks you through every position, every du'a (in Arabic, transliteration, and English meaning), with audio.

The Prophets — peace be upon them all

The Quran tells the stories of the prophets sent across human history — Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Isa (Jesus), and many more. They were all human. They all had the same essential message: worship the One God.

Knowing their stories is one of the most beautiful ways to understand Islam — they are not abstract figures, but real lives the Quran preserves with deep emotion.

• Nuh (AS) preached for 950 years to a people who would not listen
• Ibrahim (AS) was thrown into a great fire — and Allah commanded the fire to be cool
• Yusuf (AS) was sold into slavery by his own brothers — and rose to govern Egypt
• Musa (AS) confronted Pharaoh and parted the Red Sea

What happens after death?

Islam teaches that this life is short — a brief test before an eternal life that follows. When we die, the soul passes through stages: the questioning in the grave, the barzakh (intermediate realm), the resurrection, the Day of Judgement, and the eternal life that follows in either Paradise or hellfire.

The reason behind this teaching is mercy. Allah is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child (Bukhari 5999). The afterlife is not a threat — it is the answer to every injustice that ever went unpunished, and the reward for every kindness that went unseen.

Daily du'as & remembrance

Beyond the five prayers, Islam encourages a quiet, constant remembrance of Allah throughout the day. The Prophet ﷺ taught short, beautiful du'as for waking up, leaving the house, eating, sleeping — every moment.

Two collections matter most:

• Morning & evening azkar — short du'as recited after Fajr and before Maghrib
• Sleep azkar — du'as before bed for protection through the night

We've built these into the app with tap-to-count counters so you can build the habit gently.

Find your community

Islam is a religion of community (ummah). The Prophet ﷺ said the believers in their love and mercy for one another are like one body — when one part suffers, the whole body responds with sleeplessness and fever (Bukhari 6011).

Find a local mosque. Visit on a Friday — the weekly congregational prayer (Jumu'ah) at noon is the easiest entry. Don't worry about doing things wrong. Most mosques are warm to visitors and patient with new Muslims.

• Use the app to find mosques near you with directions and contact details
• Find halal food + Islamic shops nearby
• Look up prayer times for your exact location