Muslims are people who follow Islam. In English, Muslim names a person or describes something associated with Muslims, and Islam names the religion. The spelling Moslem appears in older English texts. Merriam-Webster marks it as an old-fashioned variant that some readers may find offensive. Muslim is the standard spelling used here. Merriam-Webster’s usage entry
What the word conveys in the Qur’an
The Arabic word conveys submission to God. Qur’an 3:67 gives an example that helps explain its range of meaning. The passage uses muslim for Abraham, in a discussion that places him before the Torah and Gospel. The Clear Quran translates the expression as submission in uprightness, while Sahih International retains the word Muslim and adds an explanation about submission. The passage presents Abraham’s devotion to one God. In modern English, the word ordinarily identifies a follower of Islam. Qur’an 3:67 in context · Quranic Arabic Corpus and Sahih International translation
What Muslims share in worship
The testimony of faith joins worship of God alone to recognition of Muhammad as God’s messenger. In one account of the Hadith of Gabriel, Muhammad describes that testimony alongside formal prayer, zakat, fasting in Ramadan and pilgrimage if able. These practices give communities common points of reference. Ramadan, for example, can be a period of daytime fasting and also an occasion for people to organise night prayers, meals and support for neighbours. The forms those gatherings take depend on local communities. Sahih Muslim 8a · Singapore’s Ramadan prayer arrangements
Where Muslims live
Pew Research Center’s estimates for 2020 place about one-third of the world’s Muslims in Indonesia, Pakistan and India combined. Indonesia had an estimated 239 million Muslims. India had about 213 million, representing about 15% of the country’s population. The Indian figures show how a large Muslim population can be a minority in its own country. Pew estimates that about one in five Muslims worldwide lived in the Middle East and North Africa in 2020. These figures describe religious affiliation and the places people live. To understand how people practise, it helps to look at local accounts. Pew Research Center’s population estimates for 2020 · Pew’s geographic breakdown
How a community organises Ramadan
For Ramadan in 2026, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore announced that mosque-affiliated venues would provide extra space for tarawih, the Ramadan night prayers. The council explained that the supplementary sites make prayer more accessible close to home, particularly for older residents and people with mobility needs. The programme also included information about distribution of bubur, or porridge, and childminding. The announcement shows what it takes to organise a widely shared religious practice in a particular city. People need places to gather, and the organisers have to consider how people can get there and who may need help to attend. Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, February 2026
Conclusion
Muslim is both a name for people who follow Islam and, in its Qur’anic setting, a word about submission to God. Muslims share religious reference points and live in communities with different languages, institutions and circumstances. The name tells us the religious affiliation. Examples such as the organisation of Ramadan prayers tell us how a particular community puts it into practice.
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