Where is muslim located

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Why Muslims are the world's fastest-growing religious group. Many religions heavily concentrated in one or two countries. The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations. Topics Islam Muslims Around the World. Saudi Arabia is a leader in the pursuit of worldwide Islamic solidarity.

It hosts the Muslim World League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, institutions dedicated to preserving Islamic interests. In many respects, the Kingdom has been responsive to the needs of the Islamic world.

Saudi Arabia contributes generously to the Islamic Development Fund, which provides assistance for community infrastructure projects; to the Islamic Development Bank, headquartered in Jeddah, and to the Islamic Organization for Science, Technology and Development.

Saudi Arabian leaders also work tirelessly to promote peace and stability in Muslim and Arab countries and throughout the world. Around the year AD, Muhammad was born into a family of the ruling tribe of Makkah. Makkah, a caravan city in the western region of Arabia, grew around the Ka'abah the House of God , a shrine of ancient origins built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.

Pre-Islamic Arabia was polytheistic and idols used to be housed in and around the Ka'abah. In the 6th century, Makkah was one of Arabia's thriving commercial centers. Orphaned as a child, Muhammad spent several years among the Bedouins of the desert, developing a love for the rich Arabic language.

As a young man, Muhammad traveled widely with the trade caravans before dedicating his life to Islam. In this way, Muhammad became the chosen bearer of the divine message and began proclaiming the oneness of God.

The name of this new religion, Islam, means "submission to God" The followers of Islam are called Muslims, meaning "those who submit. As more revelations enjoined him to proclaim the oneness of God universally, the Prophet Muhammad's following grew. God's message as conveyed through Muhammad was not, however, unanimously accepted in Makkah.

Pagan worshippers threatened by the new monotheistic religion and merchants anxious to preserve the profitable pilgrimage trade intensified their opposition to the followers of Islam. To foil an assassination plot against him, Muhammad and a small group of his dedicated followers in emigrated to the town of Yathrib, which was later named Madinat Al-Nabi, meaning 'City of the Prophet', and now known simply as Madinah. This, the Hijrah or emigration, dates the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the history of the Islamic community.

Within the next few years, several battles took place between Muhammad's followers and the pagans of Makkah. The Prophet Muhammad unified the tribes so successfully that in he and his followers reentered Makkah without bloodshed, destroying the idols in the Ka'abah, and the inhabitants of Makkah embraced Islam. Islam made no distinction based on race, class, or background, and the Muslim world was considered a single worldwide community, the ummah.

Islamic rule thrived well into the 17th century, and while Europe was passing through the Middle Ages, the Islamic civilization made tremendous scientific, medical, literary and artistic advances that have had a lasting impact on the world. Islam is at once a religion and a total way of life. It prescribes order for individuals, societies and governments and codifies law, family relationships, matters of business, etiquette, dress, food, hygiene and much more.

The ummah , or community of believers, is unified across national boundaries by its conscious acceptance of the oneness of God and its dedication to the teachings of Islam. There is no human hierarchy that intervenes between the individual and God; in the eyes of Islam, all people are equal.

It is the final revelation and Muhammad is the final Prophet. For 14 centuries the Holy Qur'an has illuminated the lives of Muslims with its eloquent message, shaping their everyday lives, anchoring them to a unique system of law and inspiring them by its guiding principles. The Sunnah teachings and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad complements the Holy Qu'ran as it embodies his meticulously documented teachings that were preserved by his companions in a body of writings called the Hadith.

The Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah provide the framework for Shari'ah , the sacred law of Islam, which governs all aspects of the public and private, social and economic, religious and political life of every Muslim. Profession of faith, is the first pillar of Islam. Prayer, is the second pillar. The Islamic faith is based on the belief that individuals have a direct relationship with God.

The world's Muslims turn individually and collectively to Makkah, Islam's holiest city, to offer five daily prayers at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening. In addition, Friday congregational service is also required. Although salah can he performed alone, it is meritorious to perform it with another or with a group.

It is permissible to pray at home, at work, or even outdoors; however it is recommended that Muslims perform salah in a mosque. Almsgiving, is the third pillar. Social responsibility is considered part of one's service to God; the obligatory act of zakat enshrines this duty. Zakat prescribes payment of fixed proportions of a Muslim's possessions for the welfare of the entire community and in particular for its neediest members. It is equal to 2. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, is the fourth pillar of Islam.

Ordained in the Holy Qur'an, the fast is an act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God. Fasting is also an exercise in self-control whereby one's sensitivity is heightened to the sufferings of the poor. Ramadan, the month during which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, begins with the sighting of the new moon, after which abstention from eating, drinking and other sensual pleasures is obligatory from dawn to sunset. Ramadanis also a joyful month.

Muslims break their fast at sunset with a special meal, iftar, perform additional nocturnal worship, tarawih, after evening prayer; and throng the streets in moods that are festive and communal.

The end of Ramadan is observed by three days of celebration called Eid Al-Fitr, the feast of the breaking of the fast. Customarily, it is a time for family reunion and the favored holiday for children who receive new clothing and gifts. The pilgrimage to Makkah, is the fifth pillar and the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity in the world. For those Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey to Makkah, the Hajj is a once in a lifetime duty that is the peak of their religious life.

The Hajj is a remarkable spiritual gathering of over two million Muslims from all over the world to the holy city. In performing the Hajj, a pilgrim follows the order of ritual that the Prophet Muhammad performed during his last pilgrimage.

The five pillars of Islam define the basic identity of Muslims - their faith, beliefs and practices - and bind together a worldwide community of believers into a fellowship of shared values and concerns.

Summoned by its call, the faithful spread Islam across the Arabian Peninsula. At its apogee, Islam held sway as far as Spain in the west and India and China in the east. Islam introduced a comprehensive faith and a political-legal system that established order and justice. Islam fostered the flowering of brilliant civilizations and the development of great centers of learning. It was a period of dynamism, a melding of ancient and new thought, with the Muslim world acting as the repository of knowledge and a bridge between the east and the west.

Great contributions were made by Muslim scholars and artists. Islamic civilization - rich, sophisticated and varied - has taken its place among the great cultural achievements of human history. The genius of Muslim civilization set the stage for the European Renaissance. In the 20th century, Islam reemerged on the world stage as a major political and economic presence.

Despite great changes in traditional societies as well as the demands of the contemporary age, Islam has demonstrated its unique adaptability and grown as a dynamic and universal religion with a continued impact on world affairs.

Through its emphasis on peace, equality, tolerance and justice, Islam remains a strong spiritual and moral force in many countries and societies. 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.

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 through Gabriel. Simply by saying 'there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred.

They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still so important. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons - Muhammad from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac. Abraham established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka'abah towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.

The Ka'abah is the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four thousand years ago. The building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original site of a sanctuary established by Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place, and when pilgrims go there today they say 'At Thy service, O Lord', in response to Abraham's summons.

Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year , at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes.

The historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near the summit of Jaba al-Nur, the 'Mountain of Light' near Makkah.

At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an.

As soon as be began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution which grew so fierce that in the year God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijra, 'migration', in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively.

Before the Prophet died at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China. Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine-Islam calls for faith in only one God worthy of worship.

It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation. Within a few years, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet, 'seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman'. The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old, brought about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history.

Many crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and also the concept of the zero vital to the advancement of mathematics , were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery were developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational maps.

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 chapters, Suras, 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.

The Qur'an, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures.

At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system. Yes, the Sunna, the practice and example of the Prophet, is the second authority for Muslims. The figures for Shias are generally given as a range because of the limitations in the secondary-source data see Methodology for Sunni-Shia Estimates. Sunni and Shia identities first formed around a dispute over leadership succession soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in A.

Over time, however, the political divide between the two groups broadened to include theological distinctions and differences in religious practices as well. For readers seeking more detail on the categories used in this report, Sunnis include followers of the Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools of Islamic jurisprudence as well as the Wahhabi or Salafi movement. There also are a few Muslim groups that are difficult to classify as either Sunni or Shia. These include Kharijites in Oman and the Nation of Islam movement in the United States, as well as the Druze, who are located primarily in and around Lebanon.

Given the relatively small numbers of people associated with such groups, this report does not provide separate figures for them, but they are included in the overall Muslim population statistics. Readers should also note that there is no separate estimate for Sufis, whose spiritual and mystical practices have a following among both Sunnis and Shias. There are no reliable figures on the proportion of Muslims worldwide who follow Sufi practices. Iraq, India and Pakistan each are home to at least 16 million Shias.

Shias constitute a relatively small percentage of the Muslim population elsewhere in the world. About , Shias are estimated to be living in North America, including both the U. Roll over a country bubble to see the percentage of its Muslim population that is Shia and the percentage of the world Shia population it represents. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.

It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Newsletters Donate My Account. Research Topics. Map: Distribution of Muslim Population by Country and Territory Only countries with more than 1 million Muslims are shown Muslim population, the percentage of its population that is Muslim and the percentage of the world Muslim population it represents.