Questions people ask about Islam

Honest answers to the questions non-Muslims ask most, including the misconceptions.

38 answers · each one sourced and reviewed.

Can non muslims enter a mosque?Yes; non-Muslims may enter mosques, which since the Prophet's time have received and even housed visitors of other faiths.
Can non muslims read the quran?Yes; the Quran is addressed to all humanity, and Muslims actively encourage non-Muslims to read it.
Do muslims believe in angels?Yes; belief in angels is one of Islam's six pillars of faith: beings of light who worship God and never disobey Him.
Do muslims believe in evolution?Muslims believe God created all life; scholars examine whether evolutionary theory can be reconciled with that, and reject human evolution from apes.
Do muslims believe in heaven?Yes; Muslims believe in Paradise, a real place of perfect delight without pain, prepared by God for those He is pleased with.
Do muslims believe in jesus?Yes, Muslims believe in Jesus as one of God's mightiest prophets, born of a virgin, but not as God or the son of God.
Do muslims believe in the bible?Muslims believe God revealed the Torah and the Gospel, but hold that today's Bible was altered and the Quran is the preserved final revelation.
Do muslims believe in the big bang?Muslims believe God created the universe; a Big Bang may describe how it began, but Islam asks who made the matter that exploded.
Do muslims celebrate christmas?No; Muslims do not celebrate Christmas, because it is a religious festival of another faith, though they honour Jesus as a prophet.
Do muslims worship muhammad?No; Muslims worship God alone and regard Muhammad as His final messenger, in the same line as Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Do muslims worship the kaaba?No; the Kaaba is only the direction Muslims face in prayer, a focal point of unity, and Muslims worship God alone.
Does islam oppress women?No; Islam gave women rights fourteen centuries ago, and surveys of Muslim women show they do not see their faith or the hijab as oppression.
Does islam promote violence?No; the entire Islamic moral code is built to promote peace, truth and justice, and it forbids whatever breeds hatred and harm.
How many wives did muhammad have?The Prophet Muhammad had several wives, most married after his first wife's death, each marriage serving a purpose that Muslim scholars explain.
How to support a friend who converted?Support a new Muslim friend by learning what Islam means to them, not assuming the myths, and staying close as they change.
Is allah a different god?No; Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, the one Creator worshipped by Abraham, Moses and Jesus, with no partner and nothing like Him.
Is islam compatible with science?Yes; Muslims hold that the Quran and hadith stated natural facts 1,400 years ago that modern science later confirmed.
Is the quran the same everywhere?Yes; the Quran is identical everywhere, preserved word for word since its revelation through memorisation and written record.
What do muslims believe happens after death?Muslims believe that after death every person is resurrected and judged by God, and that belief in this afterlife is essential to faith.
What do muslims think of other religions?Islam's stance is summed up in the Quran's words 'to you your religion, to me mine': other faiths are to be tolerated and their followers protected.
What is eid?Eid is the name of Islam's two festivals: Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha during the Hajj honouring Abraham's obedience.
What is hajj?Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, one of Islam's five pillars, retracing the rites God gave to Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael.
What is jihad really?Jihad means striving for God; Islam forbids compulsion in religion and terrorism, and historians reject the myth of conversion by sword.
What is ramadan?Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and the Quran was first revealed.
What is sharia law really?Sharia is Islam's whole body of divine guidance for life; its judicial side aims at justice and protecting the weak from oppression.
What is the kaaba?The Kaaba is the cube-shaped House of God in Mecca, built by Abraham and Ishmael, toward which all Muslims pray.
What is the quran?The Quran is, for Muslims, the literal word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over 23 years as His final message to humanity.
Who was muhammad?Muhammad was the final messenger of God, to whom the Quran was revealed; a man, not divine, loved by Muslims for his love of humanity.
Who wrote the quran?Muslims hold that no human wrote the Quran: it is God's own word, revealed to Muhammad, and its freedom from contradiction is offered as proof.
Why are there different sects?Sunnis follow the Quran and the Prophet's Sunnah as his companions did; sects such as the Shia broke away in early Islamic history.
Why can't muslims drink alcohol?Muslims do not drink alcohol because Islam forbids it, and the harm it causes societies is offered as confirmation of the ban.
Why can't muslims eat pork?Muslims do not eat pork because God forbade it in the Quran; the health reasons science later found are secondary.
Why do muslim women wear hijab?Muslim women wear hijab as an act of faith and modesty commanded in the Quran, and most who wear it describe it as their own choice.
Why do muslims face mecca?Muslims face Mecca because God fixed the Kaaba as the single direction of prayer, uniting all worshippers in one orientation.
Why do muslims fast?Muslims fast in Ramadan because God prescribed it to develop God-consciousness, as He prescribed fasting for earlier nations too.
Why do muslims pray 5 times?Muslims pray five times a day because God fixed prayer at set hours, and regular prayer keeps a person mindful of God and washes away sin.
Why do muslims wash before prayer?Muslims wash before prayer because God requires ritual purity, wudu, before standing before Him, as the Prophet taught step by step.
Why is the quran in arabic?The Quran is in Arabic because God revealed it in the Prophet's language, and Islam treats Arabic as the symbol and key of the faith.