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In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
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In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
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Basics of faith
Each prophet was sent to a particular group of people,
like Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Ishmael, Isaac, Elias, Zakariah, Jonah, Moses, and
Jesus (peace be upon them all) (as well as many others). The difference with
the final prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was that he was sent to the whole
of mankind and his message would continue until the Day of Resurrection.
The essence of Islam is the acknowledgement of the Lordship of Allah; that He
alone is to be worshipped and obeyed. The whole of creation is His handiwork
and thus should be respected and cared for. That is why even when killing
animals for food, the Muslim mentions the name of Allah, and so acknowledges the
fact that this animal is owned by Him and has been provided for mankind out of
His bounty. The Muslim recognizes that nothing happens within creation except
by the knowledge and permission of Allah and that there exists wisdom and
knowledge far beyond the reach of human beings. Indeed of knowledge, we have
only been given a little. Hence there is no pride or arrogance as Allah alone
is the Sovereign Lord and one of the things, which He dislikes is oppression.
The Muslims have been called upon to spread good relations, honor the ties of
the womb, help the poor and oppressed and alleviate suffering. To help the
Muslims do this, Allah prescribed a way of life for the human beings so that all
their duties and responsibilities in life could be fulfilled, as well as their
spiritual potential and the development of their character.
Everything done in the life of a Muslim can be regarded as an act of worship if
it is done with the intention of gaining the pleasure of Allah. So learning,
working, taking care of the family and even the so-called mundane duties of life
can be turned into means of closeness to Allah, as they are performed according
to Islam and with the intention of gaining closeness to Allah.
In His Infinite Mercy, Allah turned to mankind and provided them with the
necessary guidelines to live by, in order to attain success in this life and the
next. Prohibitions from evil and all that leads to it, and encouragement to do
good and establish piety have been prescribed and clearly set out.
The Muslim must worship Allah alone, pray five times a day, fast from dawn to
sunset in the month of Ramadan, pay Zakat (a percentage of ones' wealth given to
the poor), and perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah, if one is able to do so, once
in their life time). Along with these basic pillars of Islam, the Muslim must
follow the laws of Allah which outline the duties and responsibilities of family
members, behavior in society, business, etc including all aspects of life.
Every person has a trust, a role to perform which binds society into a
harmonious unit. There are strict punishments for murder, theft, adultery,
oppression and vices, which destroy the body and soul of man. How many families
have been destroyed because of adultery? How many children suffer because of
that? How many people today live in constant fear of being killed or robbed?
These laws were instituted to protect human beings from evil.
The human being is regarded as a wondrous creation of Allah and within each
person resides an innate nature that urges him/her to search for Allah (God) ,
truth, peace, justice and all that is good. Each child is born pure and no one
bears the sins o r burdens of another. However, as the child grows, often this
innate nature becomes distorted according to environment and education, but it
remains deep within the psyche of man, emerging from time to time throughout
life; responding to the individual's desire to attain their spiritual potential
and closeness to Allah.
The relation between the body, mind and soul of man is paid a lot of attention
in Islam. Man was created, prone to weakness and desires and so a lot of
spiritual strength is required to overcome the evil in and around us. The
struggle between good and evil is ongoing. It began in the beginning of time
when satan refused to bow down to Adam and acknowledge his superiority and then
again when satan tempted both Adam and Eve until they were cast out of the
Gardens of Paradise. Allah forgave Adam and Eve but the consequences of their
actions was that they were to live on the earth. Hence, the beginning of
mankind. Satan remains as the enemy of mankind, having vowed to entrap as many
as possible in his evil designs but Allah promised His help and protection to
those who follow His ways and trust in Him.
Islam
prescribes many forms of worship which help to develop spiritual strength in
man. For example, prayer five times a day becomes a life line for the Muslim; a
time to stop the activities of life and remember the bounties of Allah, His
Mercy, Kindness and the reality of the Day of Judgment. It requires commitment
and discipline and a high level of personal cleanliness of both body and soul.
Also, fasting in Ramadan from dawn until sunset is a rigorous feat that can only
be performed by those who are patient. It is not just keeping away from food
and drink, but controlling the tongue, the desires and the urge to become angry,
gossip and all other kinds of evil. There is also the pilgrimage to Makkah,
which was the first mosque erected in the history of mankind, for the worship of
Allah. It was built by prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael and continues to be
visited by Muslims from all over the world. People until today, travel to
Makkah in many ways. Some by plane, ship, motor vehicle and still some walk and
ride animals. The atmosphere there is one of peace, love and fear of Allah,
seeking forgiveness of sins and renewal. It is an event of great spiritual and
practical significance, as people return from Hajj, refreshed and ready to face
life and its hardships, while striving to obey Allah and establish piety of
earth..
Contributed by :
Velma Cook, Australia
