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Region: Asia-Pacific". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017 . Retrieved 13 March 2017. Teaching children about Islam in KS2 is very important - whether they are religious themself or not. In today's society, children are introduced to more cultures and faiths than ever before. When he was roughly forty, Muhammad began having visions and hearing voices. Searching for clarity, he would sometimes meditate at Mount Hira, near Mecca. On one of these occasions, the Archangel Gabriel ( Jibra'il in Arabic) appeared to him and instructed him to recite "in the name of [your] lord." This was the first of many revelations that became the basis of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. These early revelations pointed to the existence of a single God, contradicting the polytheistic beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula. Europe:: Albania — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". cia.gov . Retrieved 14 December 2018.

a Muslim is a person who has dedicated his worship exclusively to God, for just as we say in Arabic that something is ‘ salima’ to a person, meaning that it became solely his own, so in the same way ‘ Islām’ means making one's religion and faith God's alone. [77]Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018 . Retrieved 24 August 2010. Of the total Muslim population, 10–13% are Shia Muslims and 87–90% are Sunni Muslims.

Even so, for many years prior, Islam was not a completely unified faith as far as how it was observed. After the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE, his followers were confused as to who should succeed him. It was decided, shortly after Muhammad's death, that Abu Bakr should become his successor – his caliph. Another group, however, pressed that Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son in law, should be the one to succeed him. Ali's turn would indeed come as the fourth caliph but his followers – Shia't Ali (adherents of Ali) claimed that Ali was the lawful successor to Muhammad and, later, would claim that his three predecessor caliphs were usurpers; these followers of Ali are the Shia Muslims. Fact: The first Muslim to ever recite the call to prayer was Bilal Ibn Rabah, son of an enslaved Abyssinian woman, in the city of Medina in the seventh century. At the time, early Muslims were debating the best way to audibly announce the time for prayer so people would know when to gather at the mosque. – From an article written by Rose Aslan, Assistant Professor of Religion, California Lutheran University. Retaining its emphasis on an uncompromising monotheism and a strict adherence to certain essential religious practices, the religion taught by Muhammad to a small group of followers spread rapidly through the Middle East to Africa, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Malay Peninsula, and China. By the early 21st century there were more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. Although many sectarian movements have arisen within Islam, all Muslims are bound by a common faith and a sense of belonging to a single community.a b "Region: Middle East-North Africa". The Future of the Global Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011 . Retrieved 22 December 2011.

Yusuf, Imtiyaz. "The Middle East and Muslim Southeast Asia: Implications of the Arab Spring". Oxford Islamic Studies. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017.

Statistical Service of Armenia" (PDF). Armstat. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2017 . Retrieved 20 February 2014.