Practices of Islam: Allah instructed Muslims to practice five pillars in Islam namely: 1. Creed (Shahadah) Shahadah means the verbal commitment and pledge that there is no god other than Allah and that Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah. 2. Prayers (Salah) The performance of 5 daily prayers is required by Muslims. These prayers have to be performed on specific times during the day and the night. These five obligatory prayers are: Fajr (Dawn), Zuhr (Noon), Asr (Afternoon), Maghrib (Sunset), and Isha (Late Night). Each prayer is called Salah. The Friday congregational prayer (Jumuah) is also a must for Muslim men and women. It is recommended to be performed in the Mosque although it can also be performed in any convenient place where there is no Mosque in the area. There are many optional prayers as well that Muslims perform along with these obligatory prayers. A Muslim may pray anywhere in the world whether he/she is in a Mosque, a house, an office, or outside. The whole world is a place of worship. However, the reward is much greater when the prayers are performed in groups. Congregational prayers (Jumuah) in the Mosques are strongly recommended for Muslim men, while praying in the Mosques is optional for women. Some special prayers also exist like praying before burying a dead Muslim, praying before traveling, praying on the Eid days, and praying to get guidance when one cannot decide between two choices. 3. Fasting (Sawm) Fasting is a total abstinence from food and liquids from dawn to sunset during the entire lunar month of Ramadhan. Married Muslims also have to refrain from intimate intercourse from dawn to sunset during that period. Muslims can still enjoy all these things during the night time of Ramadhan from sunset till dawn. They usually eat a meal right after sunset called Iftar and another light meal right before dawn called Sehri. Recommended during this month is also a nightly prayer called At-Tarawih or Al-Qiyam. Most Muslims do this prayer in a group in the Mosque. The poor and the needy are also invited quite often during the month of Ramadhan to have dinners. 4. Alms (Zakat) This is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslims property which is distributed among the poor or other rightful beneficiaries exclusively named in the Quran. The property has to exceed a certain minimum to be subject to Zakat, and has to have been owned for a lunar year. For example, it is 2.5% of the assets that exceed a certain minimum and have been owned for at least a lunar year. 5. Pilgrimage (Hajj) The performance of pilgrimage to Makkah is required once in a lifetime, if means are available. Sacrifice of camels, cows, sheep, or goats, during Hajj is in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar, and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael. This sacrifice has nothing to do with the idea of sacrifice in some other religions where people believe that their sins are transferred to the sacrificed animal. Such an idea is rejected in Islam.
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 08:18:39 +0000
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