Page 2

 

II. Practices

Islam has seven main practices in the life of a Muslim. Five of those practices are grouped together and are known As the Arkan al Islami, or Pillars of Islam. The following Hadith lists them as follows:

"Buniyal Islamu 'ala khamsin:

"Shahadati an la ilaha ill Allah wa anna Muhammadar Rasul Allah. Wa ooqimus Salati WA i-ta azakati WA hajjil bayti wa saumi Ramadan."

In English it means: "Islam is built on five things: Declaring that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah. Establishing Prayer, paying the Charity, making a pilgrimage to the House and fasting in Ramadan."

A. Shahadah. Declaration of Faith. Saying, "Ash hadu an la ilaha ill Allah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadar Rasul Allah." "I declare there is no god but Allah and I declare that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah."

B. Salah. Prayer. This is the ritual prayer that Muslims perform at five set times each day. To neglect any one of them counts as a sin. The names and times of each prayer are as follows:

          1. Fajr. Before sunrise.

          2. Zuhr. About a half an hour after noon.

          3. 'Asr. About one to two hours before sunset.

          4. Maghrib. Immediately after sunset.

          5. 'Isha. After the last light of the departing sun is gone from the sky.

C. Zakah. Purifying Charity. It is the annual payment of 2.5% of our yearly economic accumulations, after expenses, for the benefit of the poor, orphans, the needy, etc.

D. Saum. Fasting. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from all food, drink, anger, and sex, smoking and bad deeds from just before fist light until sunset. This is a training time for us to learn to control our gluttony, anger and bodily needs. We learn our mind is stronger than our urges, weaknesses and desires.

E. Hajj. Pilgrimage. A once in a lifetime trip to Mecca to purify your soul and reconnect with our ultimate purpose in life. The month of Hajj is when millions of Muslims all over the world arrive to serve Allah wearing only simple, white clothes and no status or titles. We remember the real poverty of this world and the severity of the Day of Judgment. The other two practices are known as Da'wah and Jihad. Da'wah means calling others to Islam and Jihad means to struggle in Allah's cause. That struggling can be physical, spiritual or mental. The word Jihad does not mean "Holy War."

III. Holidays

There are few official holidays in Islam. One comes at the end of Ramadan and is called the 'Eid ul Fitr. (Festival of the Fast Breaking). The other comes at the end of the Hajj and is called the 'Eid ul Adha. (Festival of the Sacrifice.) Muslims celebrate the birthday of the Prophet, (Mawlud un Nabi) as well.

IV. Halal and Haram

Allah allows halal items. Most foods in the world are Halal. Haram means forbidden by Allah. Haram foods are alcohol and other intoxicants, pork, carrion, most carnivorous animals, meat dedicated to idols. For the meat of an animal, other than seafood, (For further information about seafood contact IAA) to be Halal for a Muslim, it must be slaughtered in a specific manner. The process is called Dhabiha. 

Some Muslims believe that "supermarket" meat and fast food meat is also halal, but Allah said in the Qur'an that the meat prepared by the Jews and Christians is allowed, Whereas almost no one in world practices Christianity anymore, as it was practiced in ancient times. Modern slaughtering techniques, with their attendant cruelty and unsanitary nature, do not pass the halal test for us.  It is a bit of a hardship but we believe in the prevention of cruelty to animals and modern slaughterhouses are places of tremendous cruelty.  There are detailed books on the subject. (IAA Library has many books on this topic). There are also Halal and Haram ways to make money. Any business or activity that involves Interest-money is Haram as is any business involving gambling, alcohol, Haram foods or deceit.

 

[ Previous Page ] [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

[ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ Next Page ]