Islam: The second largest world religion...and growing.

About Islam:

Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.2 billion worldwide and 1.1 to 7 million in the U.S. ₃ About 21% of all people on Earth follow Islam. The religion is currently in a period of rapid growth.

Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world. It is followed by about 33% of all people -- a percentage that has remained stable for decades. If current trends continue, Islam will become the most popular world religion sometime in the mid-21^st century.

"The Truth about Islam"

Allah’s unity:

Central to Islamic teaching is the doctrine of self-subsistent unity, that is, that ontologically Allah is one person, essence, and being. He is not, as Christians believe, three persons, but rather one tightly connected person. Usual explicit descriptions of Allah’s oneness connect with the denial of any plurality in His being:

	"Those who say God is one third of a trinity have certainly blasphemed, for there is no deity but one God"
	"Do you actually bear witness that there are other deities along with God? Say, "I do not bear witness". Say, ‘There is only the one God, and I am innocent of your idolatry.’"

Similarly the first clause if the Islamic creed, the shahada, states "There is no God but God". This pronouncement of a strictly monotheistic faith and monopersonal God stem from Mohammad’s polytheistic surroundings and form the very crux of Islamic theology proper.

"The orthodox Muslim conception of God may be summed up as follows: God is one; He has no partners; Singular, without any like Him; Uniform, having no contrary; Separate, having no equal; Ancient, having no first."

Allah’s omnipotence:

Closely related to sovereignty is Allah’s omnipotence, that is, His all-powerfulness. The Qur'an speaks frequently of Allah’s power being displayed in nature and His ability to do as he pleases, which implies the power to do so. Numerous Qur'anic titles are given to Allah which speak of His power:

He is called,

	The Mighty (Al Aziz)
	The Subduer (Al Quhhar)
	The Great One (Al Azim)
	The Most Great (Al Kabir)
	The Most Strong (Al Qawi)
	The Powerful (Al Muqtadir)

Including these names several verses speak of Allah’s omnipotence:

	"Did you not know that God has ultimate power over all things?"
	"And God is capable of all things"
	"God is most forgiving, most powerful"
	"God is not to be thwarted by anything in the heaven or on earth, for God is omniscient, all-powerful"

To clarify, Muslim theologians adhere to Allah’s ability to do only what is logically possible. Islamic theology does not believe that Allah could do what is by nature impossible, like create a rock that He could not lift, or create a god greater than Himself. Allah is bound to His own nature but is free to do whatever is possible for Him to do. This attribute is one of exaltation and veneration within Muslim theology and practice, as Dr. Gorder notes: "The all powerful majesty of God is the guiding principle that helps Muslims understand God's actions."