Islamic Practices

The religion of Islam is a faith that adheres to the principals of the Qur'an. It is a monotheistic religion, and the follower of the Islam faith is called a Muslim. The Qur'an is the guiding text for the religion, and its text consists of the words of the prophet Muhammad as dictated to him by the archangel Gabriel whom spoke the direct words of God or Allah. These direct words of God were spoken to Muhammad over a twenty-three year period until Muhammad's death in the year 632. The word Islam comes from the word salaam which has more than one meaning. The greatest meanings of the word are peace and complete submission to God. Muslims regard their religion as a complete universal expression of monotheism, one that has been expressed and shown to other prophets in the past including Moses, Abraham and Jesus. It is the Islam understanding and belief that the words of Allah have been changed or distorted over time, but the Qur'an is the accurate message sent to humans directly from God through their prophet Muhammad.

The Qur'an tells its followers that they must believe in the one Creator of all life, his revelations, all of his angels, all of his messengers, and the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an also dictates the ways of righteous living through the five pillars of Islam, which are essentially five duties that unite the Muslim community. Islamic law touches on every aspect of the Muslim's life, from diet to welfare and banking to warfare. Being united by the same guidelines set forth in the Qur'an creates great unification within the Muslim community, all adhering to the same principals and seeking Allah. There are, however, two denominations of Islam- one being the majority and the other the minority. The majority of Muslims are of the Sunni denomination which make up ninety percent of all Muslims. The other ten percent is comprised of the Shi'a. With 1.57 billion Muslims, Islam is the second largest religion in the world and arguably the fastest growing. Christianity has the largest following in the world and the major difference between Christianity and Islam is the nature of Jesus. The Islam faith, like many other religions, believes that Jesus was a great prophet, but only a man, not the son of God. The Islam faith has a direct link to God. In Islamic theology God is so immense that the Muslim is not forced to visualize a face of God, but rather praise and love God. It is the Islamic belief that Christianity is not monotheistic, as it claims, but rather polytheistic with the trinity-the father, son and the Holy Ghost.

Muhammad, the founding prophet of Islam, was a religious, political and military leader of the Muslim faith. Muslims do not consider him the creator of a new religion but a perfectionist of the monotheistic faith that always existed from the beginning of time. Muhammad himself is not worshipped, but his cleansing of the monotheistic faith is revered as well as the man himself. Just like all of the other prophets, including Jesus, he is considered a near perfect man. What set him apart from the rest were his modern revelations that discarded the distortions of monotheism that occurred after the other great prophets, all of whom are revered as near perfect in the Islamic faith, as they all promoted pure monotheism. In his last twenty three years of life Muhammad received his revelations from God through the archangel Gabriel. The content of these revelations were memorized and recorded in the Qur'an by his companions. During this time of revelation Muhammad preached to people of Mecca imploring them to abandon polytheism and follow the way of pure monotheism. This however did not come without great resistance. He and his followers, including Meccan converts fled to another city known as Medina. It was here that Muhammad established religious authority and two battles were to follow against the Meccan people. The first was an Islamic victory, the second inconclusive, and then in the year 629 the Muslim nation finally conquered Mecca in a nearly bloodless feat. By the year 632 Muhammad ruled the Arabian Peninsula.

The five pillars or duties of the Islamic faith are imperative to the lives of Muslims. The first pillar is shahadah. This pillar is the basic creed or tenet to Islamic faith. The English translation of this creed is "I testify that there is none worthy of worship except for God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This creed is the foundation for all of Islamic practice and belief. The shahadah must be repeated in prayer and any non-Muslim wishing to join the Islamic nation must say these very words in order to be accepted.

The second pillar is salah, a ritual prayer. Each salah is to be done facing Kaaba in Mecca and it is to be performed ritualistically five times a day. The prayer is solely a personal focus on God, an intimate communication focused on gratitude and worship. In most Muslim countries Adhan, a call to prayer, is announced from the mosques. The prayer is done in Arabic and verses of the Qur'an are recited.

The third pillar is Zakat. Zakat is alms-giving. This is an obligatory act for those that can afford to do so. Those who have a bounty are required to help the less fortunate by giving money to the needy. Part of this pillar is also for those who have an accumulated wealth to aid in the spread in the nation of Islam. The Qur'an suggests that this should not be solely a mandatory act, but also a voluntary act from one human being to another.

The fourth pillar is Sawm. Sawm is fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must not eat or drink in this month. This is done everyday from morning until night for the entire month. Some exceptions apply, however, if the person is physically unable to do so. In this time of fasting, the Muslim concentrates on their sins, the needy, and it is a process that they believe brings them closer to God by showing him gratitude and their great need for him in their lives. Some Muslim groups opt to fast several times a year, for shorter periods.

The fifth pillar of Islam is Hajj. Hajj is a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Every able bodied Muslim, who can afford to do so is encouraged to make the journey to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. As the pilgrimage nears Mecca, about ten kilometers away from the city, special clothing called Ihram must be worn for the last leg of the trip. Ihram consists of two white seamless sheets. The rituals of Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, which is the most sacred building in the Islamic faith due to where it is located, the first building in Mecca built by Abraham. Another ritual is to touch the Black Stone which is believed to be an ancient stone that dates back to Adam and Eve and the stone is positioned in the eastern corner of Kaaba. Other rituals include running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah and symbolically stoning the devil in Mina. Hajj is not to be performed as a social display, even though it is seen as a very honorable act, but rather it should be done out of devotion and love for God.

It is worth mentioning, what is considered by some Muslims to be the sixth pillar, Jihad. Jihad has many different interpretations and the act of Jihad itself has multiple meanings. The Shi'a and Sufis, another mentionable denomination of Islam, believe that Jihad should be categorized as "greater Jihad" and "lesser Jihad". The word itself means "to strive or struggle" in the way of God. Greater Jihad is considered to be self-perfection, and lesser Jihad is warfare. The majority of Muslims consider Jihad, in the warfare sense, an act of defense. While others take it to mean offensive application in order to spread Islam. These alternate interpretations can be seen in all religions, as the text can be read and interpreted in various ways due to different perspectives or literal translations drawn from text that wasn't necessarily meant to be read or interpreted in that manner.

In context Islam is a peaceful religion. Modern times have seen radical groups acting in such a manner that a majority of Muslims do not support nor agree with. Islam is a walk of faith, a connection to God that should not be looked upon with malice or misunderstanding, but rather with a curiosity that comes with ones own spiritual journey and education.