Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers. There are around 2 million Muslims in Britain, around 2.7% of the population.

The word 'Islam' in Arabic means submission to the will of God.

Followers of Islam are called Muslims.

Muslims believe that Islam was revealed over 1400 years ago in Mecca, Arabia through a man (prophet) called Muhammad. Muhammad is so revered that it is usual for Muslims to say ‘peace be upon him’ whenever they mention his name.

Place of Origin: Saudi Arabia

Founder: Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam.

Sacred Text: The Qur'an

Sacred Building: Mosque

Holy Places: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem

Major Festivals: Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha

Muslims believe there is one true God, Allah (the Arabic word for God).

Muhammad is believed by Muslims to be the last prophet sent by God (Allah). According to Muslims, God sent prophets to mankind to teach them how to live according to His law. Jesus (Isa), Moses (Musa) and Abraham (Ibrahim) are other respected prophets.

Watch the video below. Eleven-year-old Sara gives us a brief guide to her religion by describing the Five Pillars of Islam, the main rules Muslims try to live by, in this clip from a series exploring young people and faith.

Mohammed, sometimes called Muhammad Abdullah, was the founder of the religion of Islam, and is considered by Muslims to be a messenger and prophet of God. Muslims believe he was the last of the Islamic prophets, which included Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Born in 570 in the Arabian city of Mecca, he was orphaned at an early age and brought up by his uncle. He later worked mostly as a merchant, as well as a shepherd, and was married by age 25. He also worked to help the people in his community, was a public speaker and military leader.

He was not happy with his life in Mecca, but could not understand why. ‘My business is going well. My family are fine. People like me. So why am I so sad?' Muhammad thought again about Mecca, the city where he lived. It was a very busy city, full of people who were greedy and dishonest. No one cared about the poor and the needy. People believed in evil spirits and magic and worshipped many different gods.

Muhammad wondered if there was anything that would show these people how to live better lives and to give up their bad ways. He decided to leave Mecca and spend time in a cave outside the city, thinking about these things. It was a quiet, cool place where he could think and pray all by himself. According to Islamic beliefs it was here, at age 40, in the month of Ramadan, that he received his first message from God.

One day, Muhammad had a strange feeling that he was no longer alone. "Do not be afraid," said a voice. Muhammad rubbed his eyes and stared - it was an angel. It was the Angel Gabriel. Gabriel showed Muhammad some words. 'Read!' the angel commanded. But Muhammad had never gone to school. He had never learned to read or write. The angel repeated his command, before squeezing Muhammad so hard that he thought that he would faint.

The angel released Muhammad and began to read out the beautiful words. Muhammad immediately knew that these words came from God. He listened carefully and was able to remember everything the angel said.

Muhammad knew that the people needed to hear this message, so he started preaching what God had told him, that Allah is the one true God, and giving yourself to him is the only way to worship him. He said that he himself was only a prophet and messenger of God.

Muhammad did not win many followers to begin with, and some tribes around Mecca did not like his message, so he and his followers were treated harshly.

To escape from this danger, Muhammad and his followers in Mecca went to Medina in the year 622. This event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

In Medina, Muhammad united the local tribes who had been fighting each other, and after eight years of fighting with the tribes from the area around Mecca, his followers, who by then had grown to 10,000, conquered Mecca. He did not punish the people who had driven him out of the city. Instead, he made new rules and laws which meant that poor people and children were looked after properly.

In 632, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single group who all followed the religion of Islam, and most people who lived on the Arabian Peninsula were Muslims.

Muhammad continued to receive messages from God for the rest of his life, and these messages became the Qur’an, which is the Holy Book of Islam. To Muslims, Muhammad and the other prophets are so holy, that the phrase ‘Peace Be Upon Him’ is always said when their names are mentioned.

The Muslim holy book is called the Qur'an. Muslims believe this to be the word of Allah as dictated to Muhammad. They also have the Sunnah, which Muslims believe to be the practical example of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims follow the five basic Pillars of Islam.They are an essential part of Muslim life.

The Five Pillars of Islam are some basic acts in Islam, considered mandatory by believers, and are the foundation of Muslim life:

• Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith.

• Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day.

• Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy.

• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan.

• Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca.

Islam teaches that Allah (God) has full control over all that happens. Nothing can happen unless permitted by Allah.

However, Allah has also given humans free will; people are able to choose between right and wrong, and are responsible for their actions. This life is a preparation for the eternal life to come (Akhirah). Humans have one life and it is up to them how they choose to live it.

The final day

Muslims (followers of Islam) believe that on a day decided by Allah, and known only to Allah, life on earth will come to an end and Allah will destroy everything. On this day all the people who have ever lived will be raised from the dead and will face judgement by Allah. Muslims believe that they will remain in their graves until this day. This day is called by several names:

• the Day of Resurrection (yawm al-Qiyamah)

• the Day of Judgement (yawm ad-din)

• the Last Hour (as-sa’a)

Allah will balance the good deeds a person has done in their life against the bad deeds.

If the good deeds outweigh the bad, the person will go to paradise (Jannah), a place of joy and bliss.

“Of the good that they do nothing will be rejected of them; for Allah knoweth well those that do right.” Surah 3:115

If the bad things outweigh the good, then the person will be punished in hell (Jahannam). When Allah is making a judgement, even a person’s intentions (niyyah) are taken into account.

The Muslim place of worship is called a Mosque. Mosque buildings typically contain an ornamental niche (mihrab) set into the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca. Prayer is a key part of Muslim worship.

Prayer - Salat

Salat is the term used for the obligatory Muslim prayers, performed five times each day. It is the second Pillar of Islam. God ordered Muslims to pray at five set times of day. All Muslims try to do this. Muslim children as young as seven are encouraged to pray.

1. Fajr – the dawn prayer. After first light and before sunrise

2. Zhuhr – the early afternoon prayer. Between the sun reaching its height and mid-afternoon

3. Asr – the late afternoon prayer. Between mid-afternoon and sunset

4. Maghrib – the sunset prayer. After the sun has finished setting

5. Isha'a – the night prayer. In the dark of the night.

Prayer sets the rhythm of the day

This prayer timetable gives Muslims the pattern of their day. In Islamic countries, the public call to prayer from the mosques sets the rhythm of the day for the entire population, including non-Muslims.

A universal Muslim ritual

The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world, and to all those who have uttered the same words and made the same movements at different times in Islamic history.

Prayers of body, mind and soul

A Muslim will perform a whole series of set movements that go with the words of the prayer.Muslims make sure that they are in the right frame of mind before they pray; they put aside all everyday cares and thoughts so that they can concentrate exclusively on God. If a Muslim prays without the right attitude of mind, it as if they hadn't bothered to pray at all.

Muslims pray direct to God

A Muslim prays as if standing in the presence of Allah. In the ritual prayers each individual Muslim is in direct contact with Allah. There is no need of a priest as an intermediary. (While there is a prayer leader in the mosque - the imam - they are not a priest, simply a person who knows a great deal about Islam.)

Praying in the mosque

Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realise that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah.

Ritual washing

Muslims must be clean before they pray. They make sure of this by performing ritual washing, called wudhu. Mosques have washing facilities.

Muslim holidays celebrate the events in the life of Muhammad, Islam's Prophet. Below are two key events:

Ramadan (Ramadhan)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and a time when Muslims across the world will fast (not eat) during the hours of daylight.

The Muslim year is a lunar (moon) year, so Ramadan moves forward by ten or eleven days each year. The day Ramadan begins is decided by the sighting of the new moon.

Muslims believe that the gates of Heaven (Jannah) are open and the gates of Hell (Jahanam) are locked for the duration of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the time when the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Ramadan is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen family and community ties.

Every Muslim is expected to fast from sunrise to sunset. Muslims must not eat or drink during daylight hours. During Ramadan Muslims get up early before dawn (Fajr) and have a light meal. This time is known as Suhoor.

At the end of each day (Maghrib), Muslims traditionally break their fast with a meal called the iftar. Following the custom of Prophet Muhammad, the fast is often broken with dates, then followed by a prayer and dinner.

Ramadan concludes with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

Eid-ul-Fitr (Id-ul-Fitr)

Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fitr means "to break the fast" (and can also mean "nature", from the word "fitrah") and so symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. Eid is celebrated over a three day period in Islamic countries.