Who is a Muslim?

When most people picture a Muslim, they don't picture somebody who looks like me. I mean, let's be honest. If I asked you what does a Muslim look like, there's a good chance that your first thoughts would be: tan skin, long beard, frowning face, funny hat. While that might be the popular image of a Muslim, it's far from accurate. In reality, Muslims come in all colors shapes and sizes. A Muslim is just someone who believes in and practices Islam, someone who does their best every day to live the way God wants them to live. That's it. Anyone can be a Muslim. You don't have to be Arab or Pakistani or have a name like Ahmed or Hamza. Muslims are from all over. We come from places like Malaysia and Ecuador and Ireland and America. We have names like Priya and Lisa and Minkailu and Peter. Some of us are raised in Muslim families, and some of us embrace Islam later in life. Yet even with such diversity, all Muslims around the world are part of one Ummah, or community, and we see each other as brothers and sisters in Islam. There are over a billion Muslims on earth, but if any two meet each other, they will exchange the same greeting: assalaamu 'alaikum (peace be upon you). Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, with new people becoming Muslim daily, and I can attest to this, as I get messages every week from people telling me that they're falling in love with Islam and that they want to become Muslim. So why are so many people looking to embrace Islam as a way of life? Well, you'll just have to continue following this series to find out. Thanks for reading, and until next time, peace be upon you. Assalaamu 'alaikum.