Islam in Qatar

Qatar is a Muslim-majority country with Islam as the state religion. Hanbali version of Islam is the state sponsored brand of Sunni Islam in the country, making Qatar one of the Hanbali states in the Muslim world, along with Saudi Arabia. The Salafi movement and the Muslim Brotherhood are the most influential Islamic movements in the country.

The local population is mainly Muslim although there are many foreigners live in the country. In 2010, 67.8% of the population was Muslim, 13.8% Christian, 13.8% Hindu and 3.1% Buddhist. At the end of 2013, there were a total of 1,848 mosques operating in the country. By 2024, the number was over 2,000.

Islam spread over the Arabian region in the 7th century in a string of widespread conflicts resulting in the Islamization of the native Arabian pagans. Muhammad sent his first military envoy, Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami, to Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi, the ruler of the region of Bahrain, which extended from the coast of Kuwait to the south of Qatar, in the year 628 AD to engage in da'wah and spread the teachings of Islam. Munzir subsequently converted to Islam as did many of his subjects.

Not all converted to Islam at this time. Isaac of Nineveh, a 7th-century Syriac Christian bishop regarded as a saint, was born in Qatar. Other notable Christian scholars dating to this period include Dadisho Qatraya, Gabriel of Qatar and Ahob of Qatar. By the end of the 7th century, however, most of the Christians in Qatar had converted to Islam or migrated elsewhere. In the early years, Qatar's inhabitants subscribed to the radical Khawarij ideology. During the Second Fitna, a Khariji commander named Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a, described as the most popular and powerful Khariji leader, led the Azariqa, a sub-sect of the Khawarij, in to numerous battles. He held the title of Amir al-Mu'minin and ruled over the radical Azariqa movement for more than 12 years. Born in Al Khuwayr in Qatar, he also minted the first known Kharjite coins, the earliest of which dated to 688 or 689. The historic flag flown by Qatar was plain red, in correspondence with the red banner traditionally used by the Kharjite Muslims.

Islamic Studies is taught at Qatar University, and at Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) Faculty of Islamic Studies where a master's degree is offered.

Education City is also home to the Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics [CILE], a think tank founded in 2012 and headed by Swiss political philosopher Professor Tariq Ramadan, of Oxford University.

Islam's role in scientific discovery has led to the establishment of the Society for Muslim Scientists and a joint venture of the Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation to publish a book on the subject, Science in Islam.

The Fanar, Qatar Islamic Cultural Center is an outreach center for Islam that engages in social, religious and educational activities. In addition to housing some of the largest mosques in Qatar, the center publishes religious studies and offers courses in Arabic and Islam. Among Fanar's facilities is a library with Islamic literature and manuscripts.