Islam
Islām (Arabic: الإسلام) is the monotheist faith believed by Muslims to be the revelation by God (named Allah in the Qur'an) that started with the first human and Prophet Adam and ended with Muhammad (c. 610-622 CE). Islām is an Arabic word meaning "submission (to God)" and is described as a "Deen" in Arabic, meaning "way of life" and/or "religion". It has an etymological relationship to other Arabic words, such as Salām (a common salutation as well), meaning "peace". The Arabic word "Muslim" is related to the word Islām and means a "vassal" of God, as well as "one who surrenders" or "submits" (to God). This term has no negative connotations.
Since Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, claims descent from the monotheist tradition of the biblical patriarch Abraham, it sees itself as an Abrahamic religion. Muslims hold that it is essentially the same belief as that of all the messengers sent by God to mankind, with the Qur'ān (the one definitive text of the Muslim faith) codifying the final revelation of God. Unlike Christianity, Islam has not undergone any period of reformation; however, that is essentially the goal of various liberal movements within Islam. Islam has three primary branches of belief, based largely on a historical disagreement over the succession of authority after Muhammad's death; these are known as Sunni, Shi'ite, and Khariji. Some consider Sufism (mystic Islam) as another branch of Islamic faith, although many Sufi orders consider themselves to be Sunni or Shia; it is found more or less across the Islamic world, though bearing distinctive regional variations, from Senegal to the Indian subcontinent.
Perhaps the most succinct and clear statement of Muslim belief is to be found in the shahādatan (Arabic for 'two statements'): Lā ilāhā illāllāh; Muhammad-ur rasul-ullāh— "There is nothing worthy of worship but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah". One needs to recite and believe these statements in order to become a Muslim. This is one of the pillars of Islam., Sri Lanka]]