Islam means 鈥渟ubmission to God鈥. Muslims believe in one God, Allah, and follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Allah鈥檚 messenger. Muhammad received the Qur鈥檃n, the Islamic holy book, from Allah.
Risalah is the Arabic word for 'message' and is a way in which Allah communicates to Muslims.
The nature of prophethood
Allah chose the prophets to give guidance on how Muslims should live their daily life. Adam was first man on Earth, and Allah created Adam in his own image. He was the first prophet.
Muslims believe that all of Allah鈥檚 prophets carried the same message, but that Allah鈥檚 words had been changed or even lost by people over the centuries. A final prophet was needed to finish the teachings of Allah. This was Muhammad. He was the Seal of the Prophets because Muslims believe that Allah revealed the Qur鈥檃n as his final message to humanity.
All of the prophets chosen by Allah were human, and 25 of them are mentioned directly in the Qur鈥檃n. Some of these prophets are also key role models in other religions, such as Christianity and Judaism.