What is Islam?
Short answer: Islam means submitting to Allah alone in worship, following His final Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, and keeping away from associating partners with Him.
The word Islam means surrender: to submit to Allah alone with tawheed (worshipping Him without partners), to obey Him, and to free oneself from shirk. Allah says: “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam” (Al ‘Imran 3:19).
Islam is built on five pillars: the testimony of faith, the prayer, zakat, fasting Ramadan and Hajj for whoever is able (al-Bukhari 8, Muslim 16). Faith (iman) has six pillars: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree (Muslim 8).
New to Islam? Read our guide for new Muslims.
Answered according to the Quran and authentic Sunnah as explained by the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama‘ah. For your own situation, ask a trusted scholar.