islam

IPA/ˈɪzlɑːm/
KK[ˈɪzləm]IPA/ˈɪzlɑːm/

islam — noun

1. a major world religion whose followers, called Muslims, believe in one God (Alla

1.nounB1
Definition

a major world religion whose followers, called Muslims, believe in one God (Allah) and follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad; also the worldwide community of Muslims and the countries where this faith is the main religion.

Example

Nora decided to learn more about Islam after reading about its history.

verb + about + religion: learn more about Islam

In many parts of Southeast Asia, Islam is the most widely practised faith.

collocation: widely practised faith

Common collocations
  • convert to Islam
  • followers of Islam
  • teachings of Islam
  • spread of Islam
  • embrace Islam
  • practice Islam
  • rise of Islam
Synonyms
  • the Islamic faith

    slightly more formal; emphasises the spiritual and doctrinal aspects over the cultural or political dimensions

  • the Muslim religion

    common synonym that highlights the people who follow it; used interchangeably in everyday speech

  • Muhammadanism

    an older term now considered outdated and sometimes offensive; learners should avoid it

Usage Note

Always capitalised. Does not typically take an article (the) unless referring to a particular period or interpretation — for example, 'the Islam of medieval Spain'. The adjective Islamic is used for things related to the religion (Islamic law, Islamic art), while Muslim describes people or communities (Muslim family, Muslim country).

Common Mistakes

She converted to Islam religion last year.
She converted to Islam last year.
Islam alone names the religion; adding 'religion' after it is redundant.
Islam believe in one God.
Islam teaches belief in one God.' or 'Muslims believe in one God.
Islam is a religion (a thing, not a person); use Muslims as the subject when describing belief.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Islam is the name of the religion itself — the beliefs, practices, and global community ('She studied Islam in college'). Muslim is a person who follows Islam ('Fatima is a devout Muslim') or an adjective describing people and communities directly ('a Muslim neighbourhood'). Islamic is an adjective for things related to the religion — its art, law, architecture, or culture ('Islamic calligraphy', 'Islamic banking'). Islamist refers specifically to political movements that seek to apply Islamic principles to government; it is a narrower, modern term and should not be used to describe the religion or its general followers. For example: 'The mosque is a beautiful example of Islamic architecture' (religious/cultural) — not 'Muslim architecture' or 'Islamist architecture'.

Muslim ↗Islamic ↗Islamist

Common collocations

Nouns

  • belief in Islam
  • followers of Islam
  • history of Islam
  • teachings of Islam
  • spread of Islam
  • art of Islam
  • world of Islam

Phrases

  • convert to Islam
  • embrace Islam
  • practice Islam
  • spread of Islam
  • rise of Islam

Prepositions

  • in Islam
  • of Islam
  • to Islam
  • within Islam
  • across Islam

Etymology

ArabicEnglish

Islam comes from the Arabic word 'islām', which means 'submission' or 'surrender' (to the will of God). It entered English in the early 1800s through contact with the Ottoman Empire and growing European study of Middle Eastern cultures and languages.