Islam began in what is now Iran around 610 AD when the prophet Muhammed began to preach, urging people to give up the idols they worshipped and to submit to the one and indivisible God. By the time of his death in 632, Muhammad had launched a new faith, which spread rapidly. Muhammad called the faith Islam, meaning, "surrender" to God. Islam literally exploded onto the world and by the mid-eighth century, Muslim influence stretched from the Pyrenees in Northern Spain to the Indus Valley.

The two fundamental sources of Islamic doctrine and practice are the Koran and the exemplary conduct of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad is considered the last of God's prophets, completing the work begun by the great Hebrew prophets, Abraham, Moses and Christ, in showing the way to a true monotheism. Over time the followers of Muhammad recorded his visions and his observations in the Quran (Koran) which in Arabic means "reading" or "recitation." Muslims regard the Koran as the speech of God to Muhammad, mediated by Gabriel, the angel of revelation; they believe that God himself, not Muhammad, is the author and therefore that the Koran is infallible.

Mohammed's central teachings were the goodness, omnipotence, and unity of God and the need for generosity and justice in human relations. Important elements from Judaism and Christianity were incorporated into the emergent religion, but it was rooted in the pre-Islamic Arabic tradition.

Monotheism, a belief in only one god, is central to Islam. The ultimate purpose of humankind is to be in the "service of God," that is, to worship him alone and to construct a a moral society. Five duties, known as the "pillars of Islam," are regarded as central to the life of the Islamic community: the public profession of faith, daily prayer, contributions of a portion of one's wealth, fasting during the month of Ramadan and a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Islam was introduced into India in the 12th century where it achieved a stronghold. In the 16th century, Muslim culture was further promoted by the Mughal who injected their rich tradition of art and architecture as well as their religion into Indian culture.