What is the difference between the words “Islam,” “Imaan,” “Muslim,” and “Arab”?



AssalamuAlaikum Brothers and Sisters
As we know Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world. It is the world's second-largest religion with over 1.8 billion followers (or 24.1% of the world's population). Muslims make up a majority of the population in 50 countries which are located in the Old Arab.

With the increase in curiosity about the religion, confusion is increasing too even about the basic terminology, so in this article let's begin with the understanding of  the terms “Islam,” “Imaan,” “Muslim,” and “Arab”

ISLAM
It derived from the Arabic root word “salam” which means peace. It means surrender or submission to the will of God.
Islam means worshipping Allah by performing rituals that He orders as the rituals that are conveyed (taught) by His messenger Prophet Mohammad SAW.

Islam is the name of a religion, like Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism etc.
In addition to this Islamic is an adjective that modifies a non-human noun, for example, “Islamic culture,” “Islamic architecture,” “Islamic beliefs,” etc.
The true religion with Allah is Islam. ( Chapter Ali Imran/The Family of Imran:19)

IMAAN
Imaan derived from word "amana" (the Arabic word for a trust or surety).  Islamic imaan creates a commitment to Allah. The commitment entails learning about Islam, practicing Islam, and teaching Islam to others.
The Prophet Mohammad SAW said, Imaan (Faith/ Aqeedah) means you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the last day (The Day of Resurrection), and believe in fate (destiny) whether it is good or bad.

MUSLIM
"Muslim" is an Arabic word meaning "submitter" (to God). A follower of Islam is called a Muslim.
To become a Muslim and to convert to Islam, it is essential to utter the Shahada, enumerated in the  Five Pillars of Islam, a declaration of faith and trust that professes that there is only one God (Allah) and that Prophet Muhammad SAW is the messenger of Allah.

ARABS
Today the term Arab generally refers to those people who speak Arabic as their native language and lives in Arabic speaking country, most of which are in the Middle East and North Africa. Arabs are the world's second-largest ethnic group.
An overwhelming majority of Arabs are Muslims.
There are also Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians throughout the Middle East. However, though Arab history is closely intertwined with Muslim history, there are significant non-Muslim communities in the Arab world.

Today “Arabian” is used as an adjective to describe a non-human noun (e.g., Arabian culture, Arabian Tea etc.); it should not be used to refer to people.



 The common belief that most Muslims are Arabs is a misconception. In fact, the majority of Muslims in the world are non-Arabs. 

JazakAllah Khair

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