What makes Islam attractive and why is it so successful?

Good question - and politely asked (how nice!).

As a previous christian, I can tell you that islam is so attrractive because it is full of common sense and truth.

It is totally and simply monotheistic - there is One God, with no partners, sons, daughters, parents ect - He is supreme, all-knowing, all-able, and He sent messengers to the world with instruction manuals, teaching mankind how to live together in the best way.

Another wonderful thing is, is that since Muhammed, peace be upon him, was the last prophet, and Qur'an the last testament, then Allah has promised to save it from all corruption, and He has - the Qu'ran has not been changed one letter in over 1400 years.

Also, the sayings and way of prophet Muhammed, which is the practical application of the theory, (the Qur'an) have also been preserved through the science of 'sanad' - that is chain of narration, which no other religion has. Regarding any saying of the prophet, every narrator in the chain of narrator is known and his character scrutinised for honesty before the 'hadith' is accepted as authentic.

Islam is thus based on authenticity, and despite the efforts of many, the original teachings of Islam will always be preserved.

All the teachings of Islam are full of wisdom, despite what the western media, and people of other religions try to assert.

If you, like me, objectively go and study islam, and ask the scholars of islam for information and explanation instead of relying on islam's enemies, you will indeed also see the perfection and wisdom in every teaching of islam.

I have been a muslim, in constant study, for 10 years, and can tell you whole-heartedly, islam is NOT sexist religion, nor is it a religion of violence - I mean the name itself means 'peace' - It is the religion of our creator who knows what to teach us in order to achieve peace and happiness amongst mankind. But this can only come through submission to Him.

I am constantly in shock and despair at how quickly people attack islam with absoloutley WRONG information, based on no proof, or things taken completely out of context.

Also, islam cannot be learnt only through its followers, who in many cases, are uneducated and ill-informed themselves, following only the ideologies of their cultures which contradict islam in many instances. But these things should not be associated with the teachings of islam.

Islam only teachings fighting (or jihad) in defence, and encourages the good treatment of people of other religions more than any other religion, and it warns it's followers of punishment for hurting or killing ANYONE even non-muslims for no good reason.

Most of the scholars of islam have totally condemned the actions of muslim terrorists - if they were muslims.... even that we are just expected to believe based on the western media reports... i mean, gosh if you see the evidence that 9/11 WASN'T done by muslims you'll wonder how on earth anyone can EVER believe it, and how so many millions of civilians in so many coutries can just be slaughtered due to it..... oil, black gold, texas tea is at the root of much islamic 'terrorism' - don't you see the more the muslims commit acts of 'terror' the more oil america get their hands on..... God has given us minds to think for ourselves...

Do brother learn for yourself, and see it's perfection and wisdom....

www.turntoislam.com

www.islaam.ca

www.islamqa.com

www.islamalways.com

btw, after going through the answers above, again it is absoloutley astonishing to see the rubbish that people just state without knowledge - that' s why islam focus on authentication so much, even Allah says in the Qur'an that when someone comes to you with information - verify it, lest you harm others in ignorance and become regretful (49:6)

When you convert to islam - your name is not sent to saudi arabia at all! Only when you want to go for hajj then you have to apply for a visa, like when you go to any other country....

goodness me - the ignorance and lies are a sad reflection on mankind today.

Before anyone comments about the Bible or the Quran they need to read it but before the read these Holy Books they need to pray for guidance.

Do not rely on comments on the internet to make your decision

I have read the Bible , The Gnostic Gospels , and the Quran

No matter what believe you should never mock someone who believes differently than you do.

I am a Christian but I do not mock Jews or Muslims because historicaly speaking they are a part of the tree of Christianity

I suspect people are attracted by absolutes.

'Absolute truth' being particularly beguiling.

Why people are attracted to absolutes is debatable but here are common suggestions:

1. It removes personal responsibility for deciding: what is true, what is ethical, what is moral. Thus providing 'absolute' assurance that the individual accepting/following the system will always be 'right'.

2. It allows people to believe they are bettering the world by persuading others to conform. Heroic missions for good are part of all cultural mythologies and paradigms of a 'good' life.

3. It provides an 'absolute' code for all aspects of living.

I think based on the attraction of humans generally to the 'path of least resistance', or the path of a 'hero', a path which claims to remove so much of the ambiguity of every day life; and/or provides the shelter of an enormous extended 'family', would be very appealing.

In addition it may appear more dynamic and self assured than the sometimes dour and rather ineffective presentations of some western faith organisations.

However, within Islam as a whole there are the usual political and spiritual factions that any organisation wishing to preserve itself will face; as members vie for power and influence in determining its future.

Furthermore, its dynamism would falter if it became too well established as it would simply become the new 'norm' against which all free thinking and new ideas would contrast.

It's a cycle that plays out in families, tribes, businesses, political parties; in fact every level of human activity.

"There's nothing new under the sun."

Once you're in you can't get out. It's a pretty effective strategy. On TV I saw a Kalash family in Pakistan... his sister couldn't dance at all in the Kalash festivals because she'd become a Muslim and couldn't revert to the Kalash religion again even though she wanted to, while her family could join in the festival since they never converted (though are under constant pressure to convert). If someone saw her dancing, they'd report her and some tribal council would give her a very unpleasant punishment.

Nevertheless there are a lot of people converting voluntarily to it too and are happy with their choice.

It would be interesting to see what the figures are like if it were a truly level playing field where people can enter and leave voluntarily with no pressure... the quran and Islam itself can't even be properly analysed or discussed because *some* Muslims will get offended and try kill the one making the comments.

That's one reason I'm reluctant to convert to Islam... the act of forcing people to stay seems a bit more like insecurity rather than real strength. When you join, you have your name sent to Saudi Arabia so you can qualify for the hajj; if you convert to another religion after and write that on your visa application you probably won't be let in the country. There's just too much insecurity for my liking.

What has been said by others may be true. What is however of relevance is the impact Islam is making on its own people and people of other faiths. Islam may be the best religion but what do we see in the name of Islam. Reality cannot be clothed with books or revelations which annihilatvely impact human beings in general including Muslims. Sometimes I wonder why Muslims in general are tolerating what is happening to them in the name of Islam.

Considering above in the long run Islam does not have long life unless it moderates itself and becomes relevant to current reality

Attractive is a relative term.... Ask a muslim "what is more attractive having many wives or washing your *** with water"?

I don't think Islam is successful. Christianity had a 600 year headstart but that was the dark ages with barely anyone accepting to be a member of a cult of an executed criminal in Judea,especially with the,ostracising,opression and martyrdom of converts by the Roman Empire until Emperor Constantine made Christianity a state religion in 313.

Islam took the world by storm converting everyone by the sword such that within a few years of Mohammed's death between 600 AD and 750AD it had an empire stretching from Persia through North africa to the Iberian peninsula....yet now Christians outnumber Moslems two to one(maybe even 3 to one.If accurate censuses were held in India and China).

I personally beleive many more muslims(especially outside the middle east) are fleeing Islam than converts joining it...can't prove it but it would not take a huge stretch of imagination to know why.Go and ask a muslim who converetd to Christianity or better yet turned atheist

"In the last decades there has been a surge toward islamic belief"

This is an assertion, and one you will have to back with facts. All the statistics I examine says very little conversions, a lot of people turning agnostic, and most of the "growing" number made up by counting family growth - i.e. the son or daughter of a member of religion X is counted as a member of religion X.

Why Is Islam Popular

I think some of you are on to something. First a muslim cannot answer these questions as the answers would be bias..... however thats exactly the religion......and i believe, in a world of lies and liars, this becomes attractive to those who both wish and want a different perspective .... to the fool comes fools.....as with all perspectives

Maybe it's attractive to people to those who are sick of the western lifestyle that worships triviality and holds up empty, stupid, immoral personalities like paris hilton and britney spears (the list could go on for pages) as something great. That promotes idiotic behaviour in our young men and trains young women not to value who they are or what they can do but what their bum looks like ( and this is being put on guys as well now). I mean we see the burkha as being so primitive, an oppression of women but our whole media industry is geared to making women in the west oppress themselves.

So for people who are sick of all the s h i t that goes on in our culture Islam might look like a way out.

I'm not saying that it is, but maybe that's what is attractive.

I don't know of any surge in Islamic belief, as far as I know very few people bother converting to another belief, they just stick to the one they are born into.

here's genetic evidence few people bother converting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7316281....