At the heart of Islam is the belief that: 'There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah'. Muslims believe that the words of God were given to Mohammed, who lived between 571 AD and 632 AD. They also believe these words and are written down in the Qu'ran, the holy scriptures of Islam. Muslims honour some of the same holy men as Jews and Christians. Today there are over 1,300,000,000 Muslims in the world. There are two main groups, Sunni and Shi'ite. Muslims pray five times a day facing Mecca, Mohammed's birthplace. Their festivals include fasting, feast days, and pilgrimages. | | A Muslim family celebrates the end of Ramadan, which is marked by the Islamic festival of Eid al-Fitr. |
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