Monotheistic, demanding complete surrender, Abrahamic religion, Islam, commands a huge group of followers in India. In fact theist culture, religions and postulates are an integral part of Indian diaspora. In fact in world over Islam is considered as the second largest religion in the world. The word `Islam` implies total surrender of oneself to the almighty. Hence, the follower of Islam, a Muslim, is the one who yields or surrenders himself or herself to God in peace. Whenever, a Muslim accepts Islam with a free-heart, mind and soul, it means that he is committing himself to belief without reservation, accepting the tenets of faith and following both the letter and the spirit of the Quran`s prescriptions.

Muslims have faith in only Allah who is described as One, Omniscient and Omnipotent. He is neither begotten nor does He beget. Muslims believe that only God truly exists. Man and the entire cosmos exist only because God wills them to exist. God alone is the sole creator of everything that exists and manifests His glory, power and attributes. Man has been generated as a creature possessing free will, so that by his surrender of free will to the divine he might become worthy of God`s fellowship. This faith in God is realised by responding to the message of Allah through His prophet Muhammad. The word Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Islam assimilates umpteen religious practices. Believers are generally expected to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which imply five duties that bond Muslims into a community.

Allah is the name Muslims employ for the supreme and unique God, who created and thus rules everything. Muslims worship in the mosque and outside every mosque, or just within the entrance is a place where worshippers can remove and leave their shoes. There is also a place where Muslims can carry out the ritual washing required prior to a prayer offering. The principal hall of a mosque is a plain enormous room, largely free from furniture. The significant facet about Islam is that, there exist no pictures or statues to which Muslims offer their venerations. Muslims are of the belief that such idol worship is blasphemous, since there can be no image of Allah, who is entirely spirit. The prime message of Islam is Unity of God, that the Creator of the world is one and He alone is worthy of worship and that Muhammad (peace and blessings on him) is His Messenger and Servant. However, the concept of God or Allah is sectioned into significant phases, with the Quran also occupying a special place.

Origin of Islam is particularly attributed to Prophet Muhammad, who had received the hallowed message from God 1400 years ago. However, Muhammad is not regarded as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets. Muslims consider the Quran to be the literal word of God; it is the central religious text of Islam. The Quran was reportedly penned down by Muhammad`s companions (sahabah) while he was alive, although the key process of transmission was through word of mouth. The Holy Quran states that God has given man an alternative between good and evil and to seek God`s pleasure through faith, prayer and charity.

However, with time, Islamic religious beliefs were inclined to become separated and thus several Islamic sects and communities developed. Several denominations came into existence. At present, almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations, the Shunni sect and Shia sect. The schism had germinated in the late 7th century, following discrepancies over the religious and political leadership of the Muslim community. Not strictly considered as a denomination, Sufism is a `mystical-ascetic` form of Islam. By concentrating solely upon the more devout aspects of religion, Sufis endeavour to attain direct experience of God by making use of `intuitive and emotional faculties`. And this unusual direct experience is only obtained after one has trained to make use of the faculty. Sufism and Islamic law are generally considered to be complementary.

Known to have been quite religion fervent since historic times, Muslims gather together in a mosque or dargah (when referring to Sufis) to offer their daily prayers. Islamic prayers are referred to as Namaz. In Islamic tradition, Namaz should be read five times each day. Muslims are of the faith that prayer helps stop the mind from wandering into the materialistic world and it also to remember the divine rules of conduct. Islamic fasts are also integrally linked to religious rites and rituals. According to Islam, observing fasts during Ramazan helps in purifying the mind and removing one`s sins. A Muslim who observes fast for the whole month of Ramazan not only gains his physical fitness, but also much more spiritually.