Islam
[ is-lahm, iz-, is-luhm, iz- ]
/ ɪsˈlɑm, ɪz-, ˈɪs ləm, ˈɪz- /
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noun
the religious faith of Muslims, based on the words and religious system founded by the prophet Muhammad and taught by the Quran, the basic principle of which is absolute submission to a unique and personal god, Allah.
the whole body of Muslim believers, their civilization, and the countries in which theirs is the dominant religion.
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Origin of Islam
First recorded in 1610–20; from Ottoman Turkish islām, from Arabic islām “submission (to God),” from aslama “to surrender, resign oneself, submit oneself (to God's will),” from the Semitic root šlm “to be whole, sound”; akin to Arabic salām and Hebrew shālōm “peace,” from the Semitic noun šalām
OTHER WORDS FROM Islam
Is·lam·ic [is-lam-ik, -lah-mik, iz-], /ɪsˈlæm ɪk, -ˈlɑ mɪk, ɪz-/, Is·lam·it·ic [is-luh-mit-ik, iz-], /ˌɪs ləˈmɪt ɪk, ˌɪz-/, adjectivenon-Is·lam·ic, adjectivenon-Is·lam·it·ic, adjectiveWords nearby Islam
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use Islam in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Islam
Islam
/ (ˈɪzlɑːm) /
noun
the religion of Muslims, having the Koran as its sacred scripture and teaching that there is only one God and that Mohammed is his prophet; Mohammedanism
- Muslims collectively and their civilization
- the countries where the Muslim religion is predominant
Derived forms of Islam
Islamic, adjectiveWord Origin for Islam
C19: from Arabic: surrender (to God), from aslama to surrender
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Islam
Islam
A religion, founded by Muhammad, whose members worship the one God of Jews (see also Jews) and Christians (see also Christian)(God is called Allah in Arabic) and follow the teachings of the Koran. Islam means “submission to the will of God”; adherents of Islam are called Muslims. The fundamental belief of Islam is “There is only one God, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day, to fast in the daytime during the holy month of Ramadan, to abstain from pork and alcohol, and to make gifts to the poor. All of them are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (see also Mecca), Muhammad's birthplace, at least once in their lives.
notes for Islam
Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims make up the two main branches of Islam.
notes for Islam
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.