The literal meaning of Islam is peace; surrender of one's will i.e. losing oneself for the sake of God (called "Allah") and surrendering one's own pleasure for the pleasure of God. The message of Islam was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad 1, 400 years ago. It was revealed through angel Gabriel (incidentally the same angel who announced "Emmanuel" to Mary) and was thus preserved in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran carries a Divine guarantee of safeguard from interpolation and it claims that it combines the best features of the earlier scriptures.
The prime message of Islam is the Unity of God, that the Creator of the world is One and He alone is worthy of worship and that Muhammad is His Messenger and Servant. The follower of this belief is thus a Muslim - other beliefs are: God's angels, previously revealed Books of God, all the prophets, from Adam to Jesus, the Day of Judgement and indeed the Decree of God. A Muslim has five main duties to perform (Allah says in the Holy Quran: "And to every people We appointed rites of sacrifice, that they might mention* the name of Allah" (22:34)):
1. To bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
2. To observe Prayer (Salat).
"if one of you had a stream running by his door and he takes a bath in it five times a day, would any dirt be left on him?." They replied! "No dirt would be left on him". The Holy Prophet said: "This is the case with Salat (the five daily prayers) Allah makes the Salat wipe out his sins."
3. To pay Zakat (Alms giving)
4. To perform the Pilgrimage (Hajj) to the Ka'aba in Makkah, Arabia. This is considered the House of Allah.
5. To observe fasting during the month of Ramadhan.
*The verb here is 'dhikr,' which is a complex and beautiful term meaning mention, remember, remind, recall, repeat, and invoke. For the Sufis especially, to remember and repeat the divine names of Allah is the crux of the religion. There are 99 names--or attributes--of Allah, ranging from "The Eternal" to "The Near." The two chief names/attributes of God, however, are: "The Merciful" and "The Compassionate."
The Quran (as well as every prayer, meal, lesson, and recitation) begins with: "Bismi'Allah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim" or: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
