--- title: "Who Are Muslims? Many Peoples, One Faith | Islam Is Mercy" description: "Muslims live on every continent and come from every race and culture. Most are not Arab. A look at the diversity of the Muslim world and what unites it." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-are-muslims/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Start Here](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/) 3. Who Are Muslims? Many Peoples, One Faith # Who Are Muslims? Many Peoples, One Faith Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 3 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer A Muslim is anyone who believes in one God and accepts Muhammad ﷺ as His final messenger. Muslims make up nearly a quarter of the world's population and live on every continent. Most are not Arab: the largest communities are in Asia and Africa, and there are Muslims of every ethnicity, language and culture — united by one faith. ## On this page 1. What makes someone a Muslim? 2. A global family 3. Diversity as a sign of God 4. One body 5. Islam and Muslims are not the same thing 6. Meet your neighbours Picture a Muslim. Many people imagine an Arab man in the desert. The reality is far richer: a grandmother in Jakarta, a doctor in Lagos, a farmer in Bangladesh, a student in Istanbul, a convert in Chicago, a shopkeeper in Bosnia, a family in western China. All of them are Muslims. ## What makes someone a Muslim? The word *Muslim* means “one who submits” to God. A Muslim is anyone who believes that there is no god but God and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger, and who tries to live by that belief. There is no ethnic requirement, no special bloodline and no membership fee. A person becomes Muslim by sincerely declaring their faith — see [How to Become Muslim](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-become-muslim/) and [Muslim](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/muslim/) in our glossary. ## A global family Muslims make up nearly a quarter of the world’s population, and they live in almost every country on earth. A few broad facts surprise many people: - **Most Muslims are not Arab.** Arabs are only a minority of the world’s Muslims. - **Asia is home to the largest share.** The country with the most Muslims is Indonesia, and South Asia — Pakistan, India and Bangladesh — has hundreds of millions more. - **Africa has deep Muslim roots.** Islam reached East Africa in the Prophet’s own lifetime, and Muslims have lived across North, West and East Africa for well over a thousand years. - **Muslims are part of the West.** There are long-established Muslim communities in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, and growing communities across Western Europe, the Americas and Australia — including many people who chose Islam as adults. Some Muslims are born into the faith; others embraced it later in life. Some live in Muslim-majority countries; many live as minorities. Some follow different schools of law or theological traditions — see [Where Muslims Differ](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/where-muslims-differ/) — but they share the same core beliefs and pray towards the same [Kaaba](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/kaaba/) in Mecca. ## Diversity as a sign of God Islam does not ask people to give up their language, their clothing styles or their food (as long as it is lawful). A Muslim from Senegal and a Muslim from Malaysia may dress, cook and celebrate quite differently. The [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/) presents this variety not as a problem but as one of God’s signs: > وَمِنْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ خَلْقُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَٰفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَٰنِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّلْعَٰلِمِينَ ﴿٢٢﴾ > And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge. [Qur'an, Ar-Room 30:22](https://quran.com/30?startingVerse=22&translations=20)Saheeh International At the same time, none of these differences make one person better than another. The Prophet ﷺ taught where real worth lies: > Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:Verily Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your heart and to your deeds [Sahih Muslim 6543](https://sunnah.com/muslim/45#:~:text=Allah%20does%20not%20look%20to)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih Muslim) You can read more about this in [Racism and Equality in Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/racism-and-equality/). ## One body What turns so many very different people into one community? Muslims call it the *[ummah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/ummah/)* — the worldwide family of believers. Every day, Muslims across the planet turn towards the same direction to pray. Each year they fast the same month of [Ramadan](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/ramadan/), and pilgrims from every nation stand side by side at [Hajj](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hajj/), dressed alike, rich and poor together. The Prophet ﷺ described the ideal bond between them: > Narrated An-Nu\`man bin Bashir: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it [Sahih al-Bukhari 6011](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/78#:~:text=believers%20as%20regards%20their%20being)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) See [Ummah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/ummah/) for more. ## Islam and Muslims are not the same thing Muslims are human beings. Like followers of any faith, some live up to their ideals beautifully and some fall short — sometimes badly. Islam asks to be judged by its own sources, the Qur’an and the authentic [Sunnah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/sunnah/), not by the behaviour of any individual or government that claims to represent it. We explore this further in [Islam vs. Muslims](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/islam-vs-muslims/). ## Meet your neighbours Chances are there are Muslims living near you — at work, at school, in your neighbourhood. If you have questions, most will be glad to talk over a cup of tea. And if you want to understand what they believe, start with [What Is Islam?](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/what-is-islam/) or the short tour in [Islam in 5 Minutes](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/islam-in-5-minutes/). ![Who Are Muslims? Many Peoples, One Faith](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/who-are-muslims-info.Cpbyk3SE_xFFua.jpg) ## Key takeaways - A Muslim is simply someone who submits to the one God and follows the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. - Muslims are nearly a quarter of humanity, living on every continent. - Most Muslims are not Arab; the largest Muslim-majority country is Indonesia. - Islam teaches that race, colour and language are signs of God, not grounds for superiority. - Islam should be judged by its sources, not by the behaviour of individual Muslims. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=Who%20Are%20Muslims%3F%20Many%20Peoples%2C%20One%20Faith%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwho-are-muslims%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwho-are-muslims%2F&text=Who%20Are%20Muslims%3F%20Many%20Peoples%2C%20One%20Faith)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Who%20Are%20Muslims%3F%20Many%20Peoples%2C%20One%20Faith&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwho-are-muslims%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwho-are-muslims%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Ar-Room 30:22](https://quran.com/30?startingVerse=22&translations=20) - [Sahih Muslim 6543](https://sunnah.com/muslim/45#:~:text=Allah%20does%20not%20look%20to) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 6011](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/78#:~:text=believers%20as%20regards%20their%20being) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [Glossary ### Muslim — Meaning of the Word A Muslim is a person who submits to the One God and follows Islam. Muslims come from every race, nation and language. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/muslim/)[Glossary ### What Does Ummah Mean? Ummah means community or nation. Muslims use it for the worldwide community of believers, across every race, nation and language. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/ummah/)[Islam's View On… ### What Does Islam Say About Racism and Equality? Islam teaches that all people descend from Adam and Eve, that skin colour and language are signs of God, and that the only real distinction is righteousness. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/racism-and-equality/)[Start Here ### What Is Islam? A Simple Introduction A clear, friendly introduction to Islam — what Muslims believe about God, the prophets and the Qur'an, and how faith shapes everyday life. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/what-is-islam/)