A caliphate is a form of Islamic government led by a caliph, who is considered the political and religious successor to the Prophet Muhammad. The term is derived from the Arabic khalifa, meaning “successor,” “deputy,” or “steward.”
15.2 Caliphates & Islamism (Political Islam) Read More »
To understand why Islam plays a role in many political governments, we have to look at how the religion began and how it understands the world.
15.1 Why Islam is Involved in Politics Read More »
Islam Module 15 explains why Islam is often closely connected to politics and compares how that connection appears in different Muslim-majority countries. It shows that Islam historically developed with both religious and political dimensions, especially because Muhammad was not only a prophet but also a political leader.
15.0 Islam Module 15: Islam and Political Authority Read More »
If becoming a Muslim can occur through a simple, sincere declaration of faith, what happens if a person later changes their mind? Leaving one’s religious faith is known as apostasy, or riddah in Arabic.
14.2 Apostasy in Islam (Riddah) Read More »
How does someone become a Muslim? Becoming a Muslim is based on a declaration of faith known as the Shahada, which is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam.
14.1 Conversion to Islam (Shahada) Read More »
Module 14 explains how someone enters Islam and what happens if someone later leaves it. It shows that conversion to Islam is based on sincerely declaring the Shahada, the statement that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger. The module emphasizes that conversion is fundamentally about belief and intention, even though many converts also take part in practices such as ritual washing, learning Islamic practices, and joining a Muslim community.
14.0 Islam Module 14: Conversion & Apostasy Read More »
In addition to Sunni and Shia Islam, there are several smaller branches within the broader Islamic world. These groups make up a much smaller percentage of the global Muslim population, but they contribute to the overall diversity of Islamic belief and practice.
13.4 Minority Branches in Islam Read More »
While Sunni Muslims account for approximately 85–90% of the global Muslim population, Shia Muslims make up most of the remaining 10–15% (between 160 and 260 million people). In many everyday situations, one cannot easily tell whether someone is a Sunni Muslim or Shia Muslim just by looking at them.
One of the most well-known divisions within Islam today is between Sunni and Shia Muslims. This is the largest and most influential distinction within the global Muslim population. Sunni and Shia Muslims share the same core foundations of Islam: they follow the Qur’an, believe Muhammad to be the final prophet, and practice the central elements of the faith.
When people hear the word “Islam,” it often sounds like a single, unified system with one set of beliefs, one interpretation, and one way of being practiced. But in reality, Islam is not experienced as one uniform system across the world. In many cases, what people assume is “Islamic” is actually a combination of religious interpretation and local cultural tradition.
13.1 The Ummah and Islamic Diversity Read More »
