30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World | www.30-days.net » pillars http://www.30-days.net What Christians should know about Islamic background, history and culture. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000 en hourly 1 The Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith http://www.30-days.net/islam/basics/beliefs/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/basics/beliefs/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 14:26:06 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/beliefs/ Muslims believe in Allah and that he is unique, all powerful, gracious and merciful to all Muslims.
The Islamic faith is lived out according to five “pillars” that must be adhered to if one is to hope for salvation.

The Five Pillars of Islam are:

1. Reciting the two-fold Creed (shahada) (profession of faith) – ‘There is no God but Allah’ and ‘Muhammad is his prophet’ (or ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of God’).

2. Prayer (salat) – At five set-times a day while facing towards the city of Mecca.

3. Alms-giving (sakat) (zakat – means ‘purification’, an act of worship) – Both obligatory and voluntary giving to the poor.

4. Fasting (saum) – Especially during the ‘holy’ month of Ramadan.

5. Pilgrimage (hajj) – At least once in a lifetime – to Mecca, Saudi Arabia if at all possible, known as The Hajj.

Although the Hajj is well known today, it should be noted that the Black Stone was a meteorite to which great religious significance was attached even before Muhammad was born. Muhammad simply adopted the pagan practice. Thus the act of walking around the Ka’aba (“Cube”) seven times, kissing and touching the Black Stone became the “Islamic” pilgrimage of “Hajj” – one of the pillars of Islam today.

No guarantee

While a Muslim may observe each of these pillars there is still no guarantee of salvation. Islam is based on a religion of self-righteousness. Muslims often think about the Day of Judgement where they believe Allah (or an angel) will take a balance and weigh each persons deeds. His hope is that his good deeds will outweigh his bad deeds, but even then Allah’s judgement is based solely on Allah’s will – not on justice.

Another interpretation is that man’s deeds are written in a book and on the Day of Judgement Allah will open the book and the sum of a man’s account will be placed in either his right or left hand. The only sure way to paradise is to die as a martyr during an Islamic Holy War, Jihad.

Muhammad

Muhammad is Islam’s highest prophet, but the Qur’an also speaks often of Jesus, also known as Isa. The Qur’an also refers to Jesus as Kalimat Allah, which means The Word of God. Muslims do not believe in Jesus death on the cross, His resurrection nor in His deity. Although Jesus is the second highest prophet in Islam, the Isa of the Qur’an is only one prophet among 124,000.

Jinn

The belief of angels and evil spirits, also known as Jinn, plays a very prominent part in the lives of most Muslims. Although the Qur’an states that ‘good and evil comes from Allah’, this belief is not founded in orthodox Islam but is a result of pagan religions, particularly from Africa and India, being incorporated in Islam.

The Law

Islam incorporates rules for every aspect of life. Within the Qur’an and the Hadith’s there is instruction for every detail of a Muslim’s daily life. The Shari’a – the sacred law of Islam, applies to all aspects of life, not just religious practices. It describes the Islamic way of life, and prescribes the way for a Muslim to fulfill the commands of God and reach heaven.

Video: Foundations

Foundations from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/basics/beliefs/feed/ 22 Muslim’s, Money and “Zakat” http://www.30-days.net/islam/culture/zakat/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/culture/zakat/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:40:15 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/zakat/

Importance of Trade and Business

Muslims actually have a lot to say about money in general. Historically, Muslims have been very successful as merchants. Many think that Islam has essentially grown as a world religion through holy wars, but in reality trade and business contacts have been a very significant means of spreading Islam. This continues to be true even today. During the past 150 years, many tribes in Africa have been converted to Islam through relationships developed as a result of commercial contacts. Many Arabs in the Middle East consider their oil wealth to be God’s means of financing the furtherance of Islam around the world. They are making significant use of that wealth to promote Islam through the distribution of the Qur’an and other literature, as well as through the construction of mosques and aid programmes in various countries.

An important principle of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by humans in trust. Christians should be in general agreement with Muslims on this point. Another positive teaching of Islam about money is an emphasis against usury in lending. This principle is not always followed in reality, but it is positive that Muslims are encouraged to restrain the negative power of high interest rates.

Grameen Bank

Recently, Muslims have made significant contributions to economic development in many poorer nations through micro-enterprise loans, an idea that started in Bangladesh. The world-famous Grameen Bank and other initiatives of a similar nature have helped millions of people around world to become relatively prosperous through small business loans of often only US$50-200. The Grameen Bank was founded by Muslims – not to further the cause of Islam but rather to help the poor. Many Christian organisations have copied this model in their efforts to encourage economic development. (www.grameen-info.org ).

Grameen Bank Concept:

Groups of five individuals are loaned money creating economic incentives for the group to act responsibly.

Muslims are not immune to the negative power of the love of money. Jealousy, hatred, strife, bitterness and even murder concerning money and resources have plagued every Muslim nation and family. Islamic cultures tend to be family- and group-orientated, which can complicate financial matters. Sometimes the financial dependence and tangled debt and repayment situations lead to disastrous relationships. On a positive note, the Muslim sense of financial solidarity is often very strong.

To become disciples of Christ Muslims need to learn a real fear of God in their relationship with money. The “fear of God” means to hate evil: including pride, arrogance, and the evil way (Prov 8:13). The book of Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is interesting to note that the Grameen Bank could be an example of God’s wisdom. The principles of acting to help the poor and refusing to seek profits first actually reflect some of God’s own values.

Zakat

One of the five pillars of Islam is called “Zakat”, which concerns the giving of one’s money and or goods. The word “Zakat” means both “purification” and “growth”. Some Muslims have pointed out that pruning plants removes branches which do not produce fruit and encourages new growth. In a similar way Muslims often believe that giving through the Zakat will purify them of sin and that God uses it as a test of true Islamic belief. The Zakat consists of giving 2.5 per cent of one’s annual increase in goods or funds (or both). Muslims generally associate the Zakat with specifically giving to the poor. The Zakat can be distributed among eight categories of people, including those who do not have material possessions or a means of livelihood, those who convert to Islam, those who borrow, those who are fighting for the cause of Allah, or one who is stranded on a journey.

Christians coming from a Muslim background have to become accustomed to other ways of and viewpoints about giving. In Islam, Muslim “clergy” (the “imams”) are generally not paid (though there are many exceptions in larger mosques that have significant responsibilities). In Islam, there has never been a Levite priesthood that lives off tithes and offerings. While not all aspects of the levitical laws hold true today, the principle of giving is very much part of Christian teaching. Christians have historically been called to give much more money than Muslims (often 10 per cent or more of their earnings rather than 2.5 per cent). This may also be a challenge for some Muslims who are drawing near to Christ.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/culture/zakat/feed/ 9 The Hajj Pilgrimage – Journey of a Lifetime http://www.30-days.net/islam/basics/hajj/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/basics/hajj/#comments Sun, 30 May 2010 14:20:38 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/hajj/ The Hajj and Eid al-Adha

One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration to complete, at least once, the spiritual journey called the Hajj. In Arabic, Hajj literally means “resolve” ie; to resolve to some magnificent duty.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Countless millions of Muslims, men and women from the four corners of the earth, have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam. In carrying out this journey they fulfill one of the five “pillars” of Islam (or central religious duties of a believer).

The Prophet Muhammed said, “He who performs the Hajj with no obscenity or evil practices will come out as a newly born baby free from all sins”. For the Muslims, the pilgrimage is therefore much more than something to be done. It is a sacred and revered journey. Yet without it they have less chance of getting into paradise.

Spiritual Climax

Whether a pilgrim spends years walking from his nomadic home in Africa, or several hours on a plane from Asia, there is little doubt that the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, will be the spiritual climax of his life. The pilgrimage takes place every year to commemorate Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son (who Muslims believe was Ishmael, rather than Isaac). The Hajj pilgrimage takes place during the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah (Hajj). Highlights will be the coming to Mecca and circling the Kab’ah, then going to Mount Arafat and stoning the devil (Day of Repentance) and then celebrating Eid ul-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice.

Preparation

Before setting out a pilgrim should redress all wrongs, pay all debts and plan to have enough funds for his own journey and for the maintenance of his family while he is away. Certain Governments even allocate funds to assist pilgrims. Many religious rites are performed according to the Qur’an and tradition. The pictures we usually see are of a great throng of humanity circling the Ka’bah (a cubical structure made of stone). Their circling of the Ka’bah, the symbol of God’s oneness, implies that all human activity must have God at its centre. It also symbolizes the unity of God and man. It is circled seven times and a prayer is recited each time round. According to some traditions, the Ka’bah is the sole remnant of the original structure built by Abraham and Ishmael. While making their circuits pilgrims may kiss or touch the black stone. Perhaps the single most important reason for kissing the stone is that Muhammad did so.

Stoning of Satan

Another rite is The Stoning of Satan. According to the Qur’an, Satan tempted Abraham and Ishmael three times to stop the sacrifice. Each time they responded by throwing stones at Satan. As pilgrims throw seven pebbles at the three pillars, they remember the story of Satan’s attempt to persuade Abraham to disregard God’s command to sacrifice Ishmael. Throwing the pebbles is symbolic of a humans’ attempt to cast away evil and vice, the number seven symbolising infinity.

Prayer Points

* While performing the Hajj a Muslim really seeks God. Many are known to have had visions of Jesus. Pray that they may also have visions of Jesus and turn to follow Him (Joel 2:28).

* Pray for divine appointments, that on their journey to Mecca Muslims would meet Christians who would witness to them.

* That God would put a desire in their hearts to look past their traditions and to look towards Jesus and what He has completed at the cross (John 4:23).

The Hajj – Video

Scene From Our 2009 Hajj Journey (Updated) from Akanke Abdul-Khaaliq on Vimeo.

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