What is Islam? Basic Principles of Being Muslim
What is Islam?
What is Islam? Islam is a beautiful religion which is complete in all aspects. It provides guidance in every wake of life. The meaning of Islam is “to surrender”. Therefore it means to completely submit before One God. That is to say that, to completely submit one’s self before the will of God. In Islam, no one can force a Non Muslim to convert. Love and kindness is what spread Islam not cohesion.
Basic Principles of Being Muslim
The morals and teachings of Islam are very close to human nature. As a human already possess the qualities of empathy, sympathy and kindness embedded in their soul. The people belonging to this religion are called Muslims. The most vital and basic belief of the Muslims is that there is only one God; Allah (SWT) and that Muhammad (S.A.A.W) is the last prophet.
These two points are very crucial in being a Muslim. For example, if a person doesn’t believe either of these two things, they are exempted from Islam. Furthermore the Muslims all lead their life according to their Holy Book; Quran and Hadith. Basically, the Hadith is the sayings of the last Prophet (S.A.A.W).Therefore it is compulsory to act on them too. Muslims believe that this book was bestowed on their last prophet Muhammad (S.A.A.W). All queries of life have been extensively discussed in the Quran.
Islam Preaches Peace
Although the Muslims believe in the existence of the other books i.e. Bible, Gospel, and Torah. They only follow the Quran. The basic message of Islam is peace. Islam is not a violent religion as it preaches forgiveness. It deems it far better to forgive your opponent than to take revenge. Islam emphasizes the rights of neighbors, blood relations, relatives and even the common stranger. The only religion which protects the rights of every human. Islam claims that only the kind will enter Paradise.
Hell and Heaven
Muslims believe in life after death. Not only believe that but also believe that they will be held accountable for every task. Along with that Muslims believe the concept of reward and punishment. If you are righteous and live this life by the commandments of Allah you will enter Paradise. Otherwise you will enter hell. This they believe will be the ultimate eternal life.
The five main pillars of Islam, which a Muslim has to believe and follow, are:
1. Shahadah
This is just a proclamation that you have accepted that Allah is one true God and that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is his last Prophet. This is the most basic and important step for entering the realm of Islam. As it requires a person to believe and accept with the entire body and soul.
2. Salah/Prayer
In Islam it is obligatory after the age of seven to offer prayers. In these prayers you recite the verses from the Quran. As the Quran is in Arabic, the prayer is also in Arabic. The Azaan is the call to prayer, from the mosque. It alerts the Muslims that the time of prayer is now. The prayers take place according to the position of the sun.
There are five prayers in a day. Those are:
a• Fajr(Morning Prayer)
b• Zuhr(Noon Prayer)
c• Asr(Afternoon Prayer)
d• Maghreb(Sunset Prayer)
e• Isha (Night Prayer)
It is mandatory for Muslims to offer these prayers daily. In Islam, they believe there will be Day of Judgment. On that day the deeds of all people will be questioned on. Moreover they also believe that they will be questioned if they maintained their prayers. These prayers keep the Muslims from evil and remind them of God.
3. Zakat/Alms
The third pillar in Islam is Zakat/Alms.Islam can be called a humanitarian religion as well. As it prompts the people to help the less fortunate.Zakat is not compulsory for those who are not financially stable. However people who are financially able are required to give a specific amount of money to the needy. Therefore this ensures that the rich don’t keep getting rich and that there is flow of money. Zakat is necessary on valuable items, for example on gold, silver etc. That is to say that if that item has been in your possession for a year. Only then you are required to give a certain percentage of its value of the poor. Mostly people give their Zakat in the month of Ramzan; which is considered holy for them. As it was the month the Quran was descended on the Prophet (S.A.A.W).
4. Sawm/fasting
The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting. It is mandatory for Muslims of abstain from eating during Ramzan. The fast for Muslims lasts from dawn to dusk. During this time frame, Muslims must refrain from anger, vulgarity, gossip and food. Therefore they must spend their time in remembrance of Allah only.
Muslims take a meal before starting the fast called as Sahar. The meal which is used to break the fast is Iftar. The main purpose of the fast is to make the Muslims conscious of their blessings. That is to say, to make them realize how fortunate they are and to invoke a feeling of empathy towards the destitute. Allah has promised great reward for these fasts.
5. Hajj / Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage to Mecca, once in a lifetime, is an obligation on every financially able person. In Hajj, you have to perform specific acts and devote all your time to Allah. Therefore you have to leave all the thoughts of the world behind. Hajj is performed during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. In hajj you must be in the state of Ihram. Ihram is the state a Muslim must be in before crossing the Miqat (The pilgrimage boundary).This is done by performing the necessary washing and cleansing rituals. In addition they wear the prescribed attire. During the days of Hajj you will perform acts only for the sake of Allah.
In days of Hajj you will circle the Kaaba and perform Tawaaf. The Muslims will visit many historical Islamic places. Furthermore they will throw stones at the walls called Jamarat in the city of Mina. These rituals are sacred and obligatory.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope to have shed some light on the basic points of Islam and answered some of your queries. Islam is a beautiful and vast religion and can’t be condensed into one article. Therefore I urge you to do more research, if this article interested you. Please feel free to comment down below!