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| | Islam. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05 |
 | | At the core of Islam is the Quran, believed to be the final revelation by a transcendent Allah [Arab.,=the God] to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam; since the Divine Word was revealed in Arabic, this language is used in Islamic religious practice worldwide. |
 | | Islam views the Message of Muhammad as the continuation and the fulfillment of a lineage of Prophecy that includes figures from the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, notably Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. |
 | | In Islam, religion and social membership are inseparable: the ruler of the community (caliph; see caliphate) has both a religious and a political status. |
| www.bartleby.com /65/is/Islam.html (1102 words) |
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