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Islam

Muhammad founded Islam in the 7th century. Muslims believe that Allah revealed the Quran, principles of behaviour, to his prophet. Its 114 chapters (‘surahs’) and traditions about Muhammad’s actions and sayings (‘hadith’) are guidelines for Islamic behaviour and law.

The question of whether only relatives could be successors to Muhammad divided the community (‘Ummah’). Shiites regard his grandson Husayn ibn Ali, who was killed by the Sunni majority near Karbala in 640, as the last legitimate caliph. Today there are 1.7 billion Muslims, about 85% of them Sunnis.

Muslims pray every day and go to the mosque on Fridays. During Ramadan, believers fast until sunset in order to reflect on God and themselves. The time of fasting ends with a communal meal on Eid al-Fitr.
Pilgrimages play a prominent role in Islam. Every year, two million believers fulfil the duty of making a pilgrimage to Mecca. The final festival is Eid al-Adha, which commemorates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son. For Shiites, the tomb of Husain ibn `Ali in Kerbala, Iraq, is a holy place – last year it was the destination of about 20 million pilgrims.