What is the Difference Between Muslim and Islam?

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The main difference between Islam and Muslim lies in the fact that Islam is a religion, while a Muslim is an adherent of that religion. Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion that originated in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century CE. The word "Islam" literally means "submission" in Arabic, referring to submission to God. A Muslim, on the other hand, is a person who practices Islam and submits to God.

There are over 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, making Islam the second-largest religion globally. Muslims believe in one God, Allah, and consider prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as significant figures in their faith. The religion of Islam was founded by Prophet Muhammad, who Muslims believe was the last prophet of God.

In summary:

  • Islam is a monotheistic religion with over 1.8 billion adherents worldwide.
  • Muslims are the followers of Islam, submitting themselves to the teachings and practices of the religion.

Comparative Table: Muslim vs Islam

The main difference between Islam and Muslim lies in the fact that Islam is the religion, whereas a Muslim is a person who follows the teachings of Islam. Here is a table summarizing the differences:

Islam Muslim
The religion or community of believers as a whole A person who participates in the practice of Islam
Act of submitting to the will of God Adherent of the Islamic faith
To be correctly used, Islam or Islamic should describe the religion and its subsequent cultural concepts Muslim is generally used in conversation to qualify or distinguish a person

In summary, Islam is the religion that Muslims practice, and a Muslim is a follower of Islam.