They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern
for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
1) FAITH
T here is no god
worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger. This declaration of
faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic,
the first part is la ilaha illa Llah - 'there is no god
except God'; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of
God - wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa Llah: 'except God', the source of all
Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu'Llah:
'Muhammad is the messenger of God.' A message of guidance has come through a man like
ourselves.
Shahada inscribed at Ottoman Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.
2) PRAYER ( Prayer
Performance )
S alat is the
name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct
link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam,
and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran, chosen by
the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Quran, and are said in
Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication can be offered in one's
own language.
Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall,
and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship
together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices,
factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of
prayers in daily life.
A translation of the Call to Prayer is:
God is most great. God is most
great.
God is most great. God is most great.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)!
Come to success!
God is most great. God is most great.
There is no god except God. |
 New Mexico, U.S.A.
Prayer Call from Abiquiu Mosque.
 Adhan
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O ne of the most
important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is
therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both 'purification'
and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in
need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new
growth.
Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most
purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital.
Zakat keeps the money flowing within a society, Cairo.
A pious person may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa,
and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary
charity' it has a wider meaning. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a
cheerful face is charity.'
The Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for
every Muslim. ' He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied:
'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such
earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet
said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked 'What if he
cannot do even that?' The Prophet said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions
said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing
evil. That is also charity.'
E very year in
the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from
food, drink, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey,
and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal
number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they must feed
a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayer)
from puberty, although many start earlier.
Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded
principally as a method of self purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly
comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go
hungry as well as growth in one's spiritual life.
T he
annual pilgrimage to Makkah - the Hajj - is an obligation only for those who are
physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million
people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique
opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is always
filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year
(which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes
in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions
of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
Pilgrims praying at the mosque in Makkah.
The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin,
include circling the Ka'ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of
Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together
on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often
thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous
undertaking. Today, however, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern
transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities.
Pilgrim tents during Hajj.
The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the
Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim
communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of
Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.
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