Muslim is an Arabic word meaning "one who submits (to God)"

Islam is Arabic for "submission"

HISTORY:

Islam is the name of the religion preached by the Prophet Mohammed in the 7th Century.

He began preaching in Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia, about AD 610. In 622, under the threat of murder, he fled to Medina, an event known as the Hegira. Muslims date their lunar calendar from this point.

The prophet and his followers later returned to convert Mecca to Islam and established their mosque there. They launched a vast expansion that eventually reached throughout the Middle East, North Africa and into Western Europe.

After Mohammed's death, Abu Bakr was selected caliph, or successor, and continued to expand the Muslim empire. The spread into Western Europe was stopped only with the Muslims' defeat by Charles Martel at the Battle of Poitiers, also called the Battle of Tours, in 732.

Companions of Mohammed preserved his teachings and later compiled them into the Islamic holy book, the Koran, from the Arabic word meaning "recitations." Muslims consider the Koran to be God's revelations to Mohammed.

TEACHINGS

* Five Pillars of Islam.

These are key duties required of observant Muslims.

Shahadah . Affirming there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.

Salah . Praying five times each day.

Zakah . Giving alms.

Sawm . Fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Hajj . Making a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at least once in a lifetime.

* God and humanity

The Koran teaches the absolute unity and power of God, the creator of the universe.

God is just and merciful and wishes people to repent and purify themselves so that they can attain paradise after death. God sent prophets with sacred books to teach the people their duties.

Muslims believe that Mohammed was the last of the prophets. Jesus and the Old Testament prophets were his predecessors.

* Ethics and morals

The Koran forbids lying, stealing, adultery and murder. Punishment is based on the Old Testament law of retaliation, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

The Koran denounces usury, games of chance, and the consumption of pork and alcohol.

* Life and death

Life on Earth is a period of testing and preparation for the life to come. The angels in Heaven record the deeds of a person's life. On judgment day, people will depend on the mercy of God to reward them for living properly--or be condemned to Hell.