Islam vs Muslim: What Is the Difference?

The short answer

Islam is the name of the religion. A Muslim is a person who follows that religion. In the same way that Christianity is a religion and a Christian is its follower, Islam is the faith and a Muslim is the believer who practises it.

The two words come from the same Arabic root, s-l-m, which is linked to peace, safety and submission. Islam (الإسلام) means submission to Allah, and Muslim (مسلم) means one who submits to Allah. The word for the person is built directly from the word for the faith.

What Islam means

Islam is a religion based on belief in one God, Allah, and on the guidance He sent through His prophets, ending with Muhammad, peace be upon him. Muslims believe the Qur'an is the word of Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, and they follow his example as it is recorded in the hadith.

Muslims also believe that Islam is the same basic message that earlier prophets such as Ibrahim, Musa and Isa, peace be upon them, brought to their people. This is why they see the Prophet Muhammad as the final messenger and not as the founder of a new religion.

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that the angel Jibril came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the form of a man and asked him about Islam. The Prophet answered that Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give zakat, to fast Ramadan and to perform Hajj if able. This report is recorded in Sahih Muslim.

Who is a Muslim

A Muslim is a person who believes in one God and accepts Muhammad as His final messenger, which is expressed in the declaration of faith known as the shahada. Many Muslims are born into Muslim families, and others embrace Islam later in life. Our guide for new Muslims is written for people who are just starting out.

Muslims live in every part of the world and speak many languages. Most Muslims are not Arab, and Arab people include Christians and people of other faiths, so the words Muslim and Arab do not mean the same thing. Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are among the countries with the largest Muslim populations.

Muslims practise their faith through daily prayer, fasting in Ramadan, charity and, for those who are able, the pilgrimage to Makkah. Practice varies from person to person and Muslims follow different schools of thought, but they share the same core beliefs. Our Ramadan guide explains the month of fasting.

Islam, Muslim and Islamic: which word to use

Use Islam for the religion, as in the teachings of Islam, and Muslim for a person, as in a Muslim family. Use Islamic for things connected to the religion, such as Islamic law, Islamic art or Islamic holidays.

Muslim can also work as an adjective, as in a Muslim community or a Muslim-majority country, and people use it for societies where Islam is the main religion. Islamic is the usual choice for things that come directly from the religion, such as the Islamic calendar.

Calling the religion the Muslim religion is common, and people will understand it, but Islam is the usual name. Calling a person Islamic is also common, but Muslim is the usual word. To hear how Muslims greet one another, see our guide to Arabic phrases.

Common mix-ups

The word Islamist is a separate term used by writers and researchers for political movements that draw on Islam, and it does not mean the same thing as Muslim. An older word, Mohammedan, is considered incorrect by many Muslims because it suggests they worship Muhammad, when Muslims worship Allah alone.

Islam and related words

Common questions