I speak of the traditional knowledge in Islam.
Islam is only known from its rich and complex scholarship.
It is not known from the works and the bools found in an Islamic library, not from the Qur'an or the Hadiths (the Hadiths are the sayings of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family). If the Qur'an and the Hadiths make about 20 or 30 books, they are just a foundation and a basis. An Islamic library is filled with countless books; Islam is only known from these countless books.
The Qur'an says: "it is only those that have knowledge that fear God".
This does not mean only the regular knowledge acquired in the books. It means more, as the Qur'an says: "Said one who has knowledge of the Book, I will bring it (the throne of Bilqis) to you (Solomon) within a twinkling of an eye". Muhammad also says: "the knowledgeable men (scholars) are the inheritors of the prophets". This means what is meant by "knowledge" is more than just what you find in the books, it is also what you can not find in any books; the special knowledge thanks to which one becomes like the prophets, flying in the air, walking on water, visiting the heavens and coming back as one wishes, saying "be" to anything and it will be, etc....
Those who possess such knowledge are the saints of Islam. They come at each century until the end of time, because there are no prophets after Muhammad. Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets, the last of all prophets and the best of them (including Jesus, Moses and Abraham). Whoso does not have such knowledge, though he has vast Islamic knowledge of other kind, is incomplete. Islam is defined by its scholarship, and especially by the scholarship of the saints of Islam, who fly in the air, walk on water, visit the heavens as they wish, say "be" to anything and it will be.
Isis, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the other groups of the like do not represent Islam in any way whatsoever. Muhammad and his Companions, like the saints of Islam, flew in the air, walked on water, visited the heavens as they wished, said "be" to anything and it was, etc...
Christianity or Judaism arfe not known for their scholarship. Sometimes I hear the pope saying things like "the list of the evils in the Catholic Church" or so on, and, out of curiosity I may feel inclined to reading and learning about these topics; but Christianity is not known for its scholarship.
Islam is very renowned for its scholarship and its literature. Islamic literature is vast and, you would say endless. You may have the natural desire to read and learn about authentic Islam.
To start with, find a book from the great scholars of authentic Islam online and read, be it only one chapter. Whatever you read from these great scholars of authentic Islam, that is true Islam and you can rely on it.
Great shcolars of authentic Islam are, for instance:
Imam Ghazali, and he is a saint of Islam. Imam Abu Hanifa, and he is a saint of Islam, Imam Shafi and he is a saint of Islam. Qadi Iyad, and he is a saint of Islam. Rumi, and he is a saint of Islam. Ibn Arabi, and he is a saint of Islam. Ganshakar, and he is a saint of Islam. Abd Al Qadir Jilani, and he is a saint of Islam, etc...
Rumi and Ibn Arabi are very popular in the West.
en.
wikipedia.org/
wiki/
Al-
Ghazali
en.
wikipedia.org/
wiki/
Al-
Shafi‘i
en.
wikipedia.org/
wiki/
Qadi_Ayyad
en.
wikipedia.org/
wiki/
Rumi
en.
wikipedia.org/
wiki/
Ibn_
Arabi