Comparative Analysis of Prayer in Islam with Prayer in Christianity - Research Paper Example

?Comparative Analysis of Prayer in Islam with Prayer in Christianity I. Introduction (0.5 pages) II. Meaning of prayer (4-5 pages Prayer in Islama. Holy prayer (salat) – one of the pillars of Islam b. Calling out of the muezzin c. Parts of the five time prayer: how to pray d. The prayer and the Quran e. The Fatiha 2. Prayer in Christianity a. Prayer in Catholicism b. Ways of praying c. Liturgy of the hours d. The prayer and the Scripture e. The Lord’s Prayer III. Conclusion (0.5 pages) I. Introduction This paper will discuss a phenomenon of a prayer in two different religions, Islam and Christianity. It will analyze role and meaning of prayer in general as well as in each of two religions in particular. The first part of the paper will examine such prayer related themes as meaning of prayer in Islam: calling out of the muezzin: parts of the five time prayer; prayer in the Koran; the Fatiha – the main prayer of the Muslims. The second part of the paper will discuss prayer from Christian perspective: particularly prayer in Catholicism and ways of praying; Liturgy of the hours; prayer and the Scripture; the Lord’s Prayer – the main prayer of the Christians. Notion of pray is present almost in all religions which eve existed and still exist today. Prayer usually expresses such feelings as love and faith, respect, regret and sorrow, happiness and gratitude. Being one of the essential parts of spiritual practice, a prayer is utilized in worshiping God. However, prayer is different in different religions. There are various forms of prayer: spoken and written words, meditations, songs, etc. usually religious people call prayer a conversation with God. However, only religious people can understand all the nuances and meanings of the spiritual power of a prayer (Beasler 196). According to Mauss prayer is very ancient and unique religious phenomenon (p. 21). Role of prayer has always been complex and constantly changing. Both in Islam and in Christianity prayer place significant role, because is the first and the major means of communication or connection of the believer and God. II. Meaning of prayer 1. Prayer in Islam Holy prayer salat is one of the major pillars of Islam. Except prayer there are four other fundamentals of Islam such as almsgiving (zakat), fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm), pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj), and personal declaration of faith to God and Mohammed (shahad) (Oh 38). Role of prayer in Islam cannot be underestimated. According to the teachings of the Muslims, the payer was mentioned by the Prophet Mohammed after his revelation about faith. Like Moses and Jesus taught about role of prayer and praying, Mohammed taught about praying Allah. One cannot be a Muslim without praying. It is obligation of every Muslim to pray God and Prophet in their remembrance, because prayer is act of confession of faith. Muslims deliver their prayer five times a day, so prayer is rather an act of worshiping: at daybreak, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Muhammad himself established the times for praying as well as ritual actions. In Muslim countries anyone can hear the call to pray of the muezzin. It serves as a calling out or a reminder to pray. Usually the muezzin delivers his calling out via a megaphone located on the top of a mosque’s minaret. So, the muezzin calls out: God is most great [Allahu Akbar], God is most great, God is most great, God is most great, I witness that there is no god but God [Allah]; I witness that there is no god but God. I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God. I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God. Come to prayer; come to prayer! Come to prosperity; come to prosperity! God is most great. God is most great. There is no god but God (Esposito 18). People, who are at work or with family, busy or doing nothing, hear the reminder and know that it’s time to go to pray. No matter how busy a person is, they should go to the mosque and concentrate their mind on the pray to their God Allah. Even if there is no mosque nearby, a person can pray in an open area in a clean and calm environment. While praying a Muslim has to face Mecca which is the holy city with the Kaba (house built by the very first Muslim Prophets). Muslims should never forget their God in everyday problems and mundane routine. Five time prayer helps Muslims to keep their faith strong and every day contemplate on such issues as birth and death, the last judgment day, and afterlife. Daily prayer consists of readings from the Quran in Arabic language and praise of God. During the prayer a believer has to do a certain sequence of movements: “standing, bowing, kneeling, touching the ground with one’s forehead, and sitting” (Esposito, 19). Muslims can either pray alone or in a group of other believers in mosque. Every worship or pray begins with the same words, “Allahu Akbar” which means “God is the most great” (The Islamic Way of Life). The end of worshiping is usually also declaration of faith (shahad) and peace greeting (Esposito, 19). Thus the five time prayers are delivered as following: (1) Dawn (Salat al-Fajr): from the first light of dawn until shortly before sunrise; (2) Noon (Salat adh-Dhuhr : from just past high noon until mid-afternoon; (3) Afternoon (Salat al- Asr): from mid-afternoon until shortly before sunset; (4) Evening (salat al-Maghrib): from just sunset until the last light fades (5) Night (salat al-Isha): from dark until shortly before dawn (The Islamic Way of Life). Prayer as well as other acts of faith or worshiping is mentioned in the Holy book of all Muslims Quran. The holy book describes praying as turning to Allah with one’s soul with the aim of greeting and praising God in their daily life. Also, while praying a believer can express any worries and concerns asking for advise and help from God, because prayer is the simplest way to reach Allah. The first and the main prayer of Quran is the Fatiha, which means “the Opening”, because it is placed before all the other surah. THE FATHIA (English Translation) IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSONATE. PRAISE BE TO ALLAH, THE LORD OF THE WORLDS, THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE RULER ON THE DAY OF THE, JUDGEMENT. YOU ALONE WE SERVE, FROM YOU ALONE WE SEEK OUR HELP. LEAD US ON THE STRAIGHT PATH; THE PATH OF THOSE WHOM YOU HAVE GIVEN GRACE, NOT ON THE PATH OF THOSE UPON WHOM YOUR WRATH RESETS NOR ON THE PATH OF THE LOST According to Sharia (Muslims’ law) during five-time prayer people repeat the Fatiha 17 times. Many people who do not now Arabic repeat this prayer automatically and do not know exactly what they are saying. The Fatiha is expression of praise to Allah, the only God of the Muslims (al-Masih). 2. Prayer in Christianity Prayer in Christianity as well as in Islam plays crucial role in the faith and life of the believer. Christians turn to God in their daily praying at home or in Holy Church. In Catholicism the word ‘pray’ is derived from Latin word precari meaning to beg or ask. However, today it is not only asking God something. Prayer is also an act of spiritual communication with God and the saints. The Church recommends Christians frequently and every day, because it makes believers closer to God and strengthens their faith (Beasler, 199). Unlike in Islam there are a number of various prayers which are delivered on a number of different occasions and reasons: asking for help, expressing gratitude, praising God and Christian saints, asking for heath and wisdom, wishing the good to the family and relatives, etcetera. The Muslims do not pray to saints, while Catholics pray not only to God, but to many other saints starting from Saint Mary and Jesus Christ to Saint Apostles and many other people who became saints. Prayers are usually grouped into different divisions and depending on the occasion a believer chooses a specific prayer to deliver, for example, there are Christmas prayers, prayers of confession, communion prayers, New Year prayers, career prayers, salvation and wedding prayers to name just a few among the others (Hellwig 124). Liturgy of the hours is official praying in Catholic Church. It consists of several parts such as psalms and hymns, scripture readings, prayers and doxologies, antiphons, and spiritual readings. It is called hours because certain readings are recited during certain hours of the day. Furthermore, this way of praying by hours was suggested by Jesus Christ who was praying to God almost every hour. Thus Jesus taught his disciples: “You must pray at all times and not loose heart” (Luke 18:1). Today Liturgy of the hours has to be done six times a day. However, not all the believers attend all the hours. Some people pray during the morning before work while the others pray after work. Attending and praying Liturgy of the hours is not so strictly followed in Catholicism as five-time prayer is in Islam. The Scripture which is the main book of the Catholic Christians teaches to pray God and Jesus Christ. Prayer is frequently mentioned in both Old and New Testament, because it is essential part of spiritual communication between God and a person. The main prayer of the Christians is the Lord’s Prayer. Like the Fatiha in Islam Lord’s Prayer is the essential and fundamental prayer. Any sermon in Catholic Church will not be delivered without the Lord’s Prayer. THE Lord's Prayer (English Translation) OUR FATHER, WHO IS IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD, AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE. Conclusion Islam and Christianity are two different religions. However, having compared types of prays, ways of praying and worshiping, times of praying during the day it has been found that there are a lot of similarities between these two religions. The Muslims pray five times a day and Catholics have six hours of Liturgy. The main prayers of the two religions, the Fatiha and the Lord’s Prayer, structurally are very similar as well as the content of the prayers is alike. Prayer plays a very important role in both religions. It is considered the first and the main means of daily communication with God. Difference in prayer of two religions is time and frequency of praying. Also, in Islam people pray to God, Allah, and mention the his last Prophet, Mohammed; while in Catholicism there are many prayers devoted to different saints recited on different occasions. Besides, the Muslims have to pray every day five times, while Christians pray not necessarily every day and not necessarily six time, which is the number of hours of Liturgy. Works Cited Abd al-Masih. What do Christians and Muslims Pray? A Comparison of the Lord's Prayer and the Islamic Fatiha. Light of Life. 1998. Web. http://www.light-of-life.com/eng/gospel/g3003efm.htm Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Hellwig, Monika K. Understanding Catholicism. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1981. Mauss, Marcel, Pickering, W. S. F. (ed.), Leslie, Susan (tran.). On Prayer. New York: Berghahn Books, 2003. Oh, Irene. The Rights of God: Islam, Human Rights, and Comparative Ethics. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. Place of Publication, 2007. The Islamic Way of Life. Web. http://www.elazhar.com/islamicpillars/Chapter2-5.htm Read More