(islām).
I. Definition
Islam, ‘complete, unreserved submission, devotion to God’, agent noun muslim; both terms are Koranic. The most recent of the three monotheistic world religions, with today more than a billion adherents.
II. History
A. Origin
In the predominantly nomadic society of 7th cent. Arabia, a number of gods and goddesses, most of them tribal and local deities, were worshipped. A tendency towards monotheism…