Islam as a Way of Life - Coursework Example

Islam as a Way of Life Islam is described as a way of life and it is quite clear and understandable if the Islamic rituals that are also called the pillars of Islam are considered. Islam is a religion that facilitates its followers to lead life according to the principles and commandments of Allah that are given in the Quran. Quran is Scriptural book that was revealed on Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) nearly fourteen hundred years ago from today. The religion Islam along with its rituals helps people in terms of understanding about how to lead a balanced and healthy life in this world (Schmidt 2003). Islam brought a new concept and ideal of religion. Muslims, the follower of Islam believe in Allah who is the possessor of all dimensions of highest excellence and of absolute perfection (Shipp 1999, 45). He is the fountainhead of all values and ideals. He is the omnipotent, the omniscient, the infinite, the one and indivisible God, who has no partner, son or compeer. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Giver and the Evolver of everything that constitutes the cosmos (Jurji 2003, 75). Allah Himself provided Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) all the knowledge to preach Muslims. According to Islamic faith, Allah is one and Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) is His Prophet. According to Quran, “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the last day and the angels and the scripture and the Prophets; and giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kins folk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor due (Zakat). And those who keep their treaty (or promise) when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress.” (2:17) There are five pillars of Islam, which can also be called as practices that the Muslims are asked to perform as compulsions. They are 1. Shahadah: It is the declaration that no one should be worshipped except Allah and Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) is his messenger. 2. Salah: The Muslims should pray to Allah five times a day. 3. Zakat: Zakat means charity. Every Muslim has to pay Zakat at the ratio of 2.5 % over the possessions he/she has. 4. Sawm: Sawm means fasting. Muslims are asked to fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan. 5. Hajj: Hajj means Pilgrimage. Muslims are asked to perform Hajj if they are capable to, once in their lifetime. During the month of Zil-Hajj, Muslims reach Mecca for Hajj. The scripture of Islam, the Quran, is not a collection of dogmas, but a code of life. It is not voluminous treatise on theism, but a social, penal, commercial, civil, military, judicial, international and yet a religious code, which regulates everything that a human being has to do for its welfare from the cradle to the grave (Shipp 1999, 65). Though it provides for every contingency of human affairs, it is wonderfully laconic. It is the masterpiece of Arabic language and is extolled through out the world for the simple grandeur of its diction, the chaste elegance of its style and the variety and magnificence of its imageries (Ling 2000, 119). The three basic unities on which the entire structure of the Quranic message may be said to have been founded are 1. Tauhid-i-Ummah: Oneness of the nationality and mankind. 2. Tauhid-i-Rabubiat: Oneness of the Rab, the Creator, Sustainer, Evolver and Guardian of all. 3. Tauhid-i-Ibadat: Oneness of worship and the singleness of Almighty to Whom all should submit and surrender their entire selves. Although the differences of country, colour, race and language have divided humankind into thousands of groups, they all constitute only one family of the house of Adam and Eve and one nationality of the human species (Ling 2000, 102). The one Absolute and Eternal reality of God cannot be changed by giving Him different names in different languages and by worshipping Him by different methods in different temples. Islam promotes the ideas of tolerance, acceptance, submission, rationality, peace, patience, fortitude, kindness, forgiveness, charity, respect, cleanness, discipline, dutifulness, self-control and many other features that are necessary for building a better personality and that are compulsory to lead a successful life (Ling 2000, 128). As far as spirituality is concerned, the aspects of Islam and its teachings, keep the ability of improving a person as a human as well as a soul. If you are tolerant, kind and forgiving, you are going to make a place in people’s hearts and when you are loved by humankind, God loves you for your loving His creation (Schmidt 2003, 64). All the principles of life taught by Islam and Quran make sure that a person leads a life in which, he/she remains happy by keeping other people happy (Jurji 2003, 79). Islam teaches that a person should obey and respect his/her parents, people should spread love between the little ones, everyone should take care of every other person, a neighbour should not let his/her neighbour remain hungry, people should be kind towards old and children, people should be kind towards the animals, the poor should not be dealt adversely, there is no difference between rich and poor and black or white (Sharif 1998, 12). All the principles taught by Islam are capable of leading a person towards success in this world as well in the other world. Imbalance in the sphere of human activities results, among other things, from the commission of excesses. That is why the Quran explicitly advises the human beings not to custom excess (Sharif 1998, 22). The Quran also advises us to be moderate. Moderation means avoidance of excesses. According to Quran, the earth will be full of mischief if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another (Schmidt 2003, 72). It means that Allah not only restores the balance when it is disturbed but has also devised ways for checking the commission of excesses. Islam and its principalities convert our imbalanced life into a balanced one as all the features of Islam direct us towards a healthy living (Sharif 1998, 28). Muslims pray five times a day but this prayer never disturbs their daily routines of work but makes them capable to work swifter (Schmidt 2003, 68). Keeping fasts in the month of Ramadan again enables the Muslims an opportunity to maintain their bodies. Keeping fasts in the month of Ramadan makes people fit health wise and they are also fulfilling their religious duty (Siddiqui 1995, 31). Going to mosques five times enables the Muslims to meet their other Muslim brothers, which increases communication. All the Muslims whether they are rich or poor, at higher posts or labourers pray together. There is no discrimination. Everyone is considered equal and equivalent. Only those persons are preferred over others by Allah, who are more pious and righteous (Siddiqui 1995, 34). Zakat that is a ritual of Islam plays an important part, all the Muslims brothers and sisters that are unable to fulfil their necessities are facilitated with financial help from other Muslims on the basis of which, an environment of love and harmony spreads in the society. Due to Zakat, the poor Muslims can get help in terms of leading their lives (Brohi 1991). Zakat also helps to reduce the crime rate as people do not have to do a number of crimes for obtainment of money for their daily needs. When a person takes some amount away from his earned money in the form of Zakat, a feeling of sacrifice and support comes to him due to which, he may prove himself a better citizen and part of a society (Schmidt 2003). Sawm or fast is very helpful in making people good human beings. While keeping fasts, people remain hungry and thirsty for a specific time period (Brohi 1991). This hunger and thirst make them to consider the hunger and thirst of their brothers and sisters that are poor and cannot afford to have meals at all times. Fasting is not only to remain hungry and thirsty but to stay away from all bad deeds such as telling a lie, cheating someone, saying bad words for someone, remain filthy, stealing and many other deeds that are considered bad should be abstained (Brohi 1991). While a person remains away from the commencement of those deeds, he/she becomes habitual and gets knowledge about the bad deeds as quite criminal by their religion. Due to this knowledge, people related to Islam or followers of Islam, try to stay away from all these bad deeds in other times also when they are not fasting (Siddiqui 1995). Salah or prayer five times a day is not only a religious activity but is also beneficial for the people, as it is proved that Muslim prayers are a form a beneficial exercise due to which, people who say prayers are able to get their health fit (Brohi 1991). Prayers five times a day not only allow people to go near Allah and to communicate with Him but also to communicate with their fellow men, as men are asked to come together and say prayers (Schmidt 2003). In this way, they are able to communicate with one another and this communication establishes a social interaction and as a whole the society establishes. Due to prayers five times a day, the life of a person is disciplined. As because of commencement of religious duties at particular times, discipline is added to life due to which, life is led on the basis of discipline and order (Schmidt 2003). Hajj is also a pillar of Islam and is an Islamic ritual that helps in communication and establishment of close relationships between people. Due to Hajj, Muslims also gather from different parts of the world at one place due to which, a strong bond is created between them. Communication is made better when people from different regions, different races and different languages gather at one place and try to connect to each other (Nasr 1968). Due to Hajj, a strong social bond is created, as all the Muslims are going towards one objective keeping in their minds only one ambition and that is prayer to Allah Almighty. Islam does not ask us to be away from our social life but to pass our social life by following the principles of Islam, which should be followed for a successful life. All the features of Islam take us towards healthy living. Features of Islam create a balance between the religious and social life. The pillars of Islam that are Shaddat, Salah, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj enable Muslims to lead a life that is disciplined, social, peaceful, harmonious, well-organized and simple. The Muslims with the help of these pillars of Islam not only get closer to Allah Almighty but also get closer to health and well-organization (Nasr 1968). A good environment of love, communication and togetherness is created in which, each and every individual is ready to help the other members of the society. Islam is a way of life and this claim is entirely true. References Shipp, Horace 1999, Faiths that Moved the World, Macmillan, England, 45-65. Jurji, J (Ed.) 2003, Great Religions of the World, Princeton University Press, New York, 75-83. Ling, Trevor 2000, A History of Religion East and West, Macmillan, London, 102-128. Sharif, M. M 1998, A History of Muslim Philosophy, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, Vol. 1 Chap. 1 and 3, 12-28. Siddiqui, Abdul Hamid 1995, Life of Muhammad, Islamic Publications Limited, Lahore, 25-34. Schmidt, P. W 2003, The Origin and Growth of Religion, Macmillan, London, 64-72. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein 1968, “The Principles of Islam”, Science and Civilization in Islam, Harvard University Press, London, 78-123. Brohi, A.K 1991, Islam in the Modern World, Chiragh-e-Rah Publications, Karachi. Read More