Who is Allah?

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Three faiths, in their own words

The essentials

Judaism, Christianity and Islam, each explained as its own people hold it.

Jews, Christians and Muslims each trace their faith to Abraham and worship one God. Here each tradition is set out in its own words: what it believes, and how it is lived, written as its own people would explain it.

Judaism in its own wordsThe essentials of Judaism Judaism is the faith and way of life of the Jewish people. Jews believe there is one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who made a covenant (brit) with Abraham and his descendants and, at Mount Sinai, gave the Torah, God's teaching, to Moses and the…Read →Christianity in its own wordsThe essentials of Christianity Christians are followers of Jesus Christ, a Jewish teacher from Galilee who lived about two thousand years ago. The name Christ comes from the Greek Christos, "anointed one", the same meaning as the Hebrew Mashiach, Messiah. Christians believe there is one…Read →Islam in its own wordsThe essentials of Islam Islam is an Arabic word meaning surrender or submission: giving yourself, willingly and wholeheartedly, to God. It shares a root with salam, peace. A Muslim is "one who surrenders" to God. Muslims believe there is one God, Allah, the Creator of everything,…Read →

Watch more: The essentials

8 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.

  • What is Islam? | Religious Studies - My Life, My Religion: Islam

    BBC Bitesize for Teachers · 4 min

    BBC Teach: what is Islam? Told by a Muslim family.

  • What is Judaism? | Religious Studies - My Life, My Religion: Judaism

    BBC Bitesize for Teachers · 4 min

    BBC Teach: what is Judaism? Told by a Jewish family.

  • What is Christianity? | Religious Studies - My Life, My Religion: Christianity

    BBC Bitesize for Teachers · 3 min

    BBC Teach: what is Christianity? In a Christian's own words.

  • Discovering Sacred Texts: Islam

    British Library · 8 min

  • Discovering Sacred Texts: Judaism

    British Library · 10 min

  • Discovering Sacred Texts: Christianity

    British Library · 13 min

  • What Is Judaism? Jewish Beliefs and Practices Explained

    Chabad.org · 8 min

  • The Five Pillars of Islam | Religions of the World

    BBC Bitesize for Teachers · 4 min

  • More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free