Islam Essay PDF

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Investigating Islam

Elizabeth Martin Grand Canyon University INT-244: World Religion Tom Daniel 10/18/2020

2 Islam is one of the three Monothesic religions that came from Abraham (Newby). The other two are Judaism as well as CHristianity. These religions all have similar beliefs, with the difference being that Islam was formed after Muhammed had visions and began his own ideas. He is the main prophet of Islam, along with smaller ones lie Jesus and Gabriel. After the death of their Prophet, the five pillars were formed. The first of these pillars is the profession of faith. This pillar focuses on the fact that there is only one God and that Muhammed is the messenger of God. This profession must be recited once in a Muslims lifetime and it must be said out loud, correctly and on purpose. They also must understand the meaning and it must be from the heart. Branches of this pillar are the belief in angels, the quran, the prophets, and the day of judgement (Islam - Prayer. 2020). The second pillar of islam is Prayer. Muslims must pray 5 times a day. They should be performed at the mosque if available, they may also be performed individually. The first prayer is before the sun rises. The nex prayer is performed right after noon. The third prayer is in the late afternoon, The fourth after sunset, and the fifth and final prayer is just before bed. Before muslims can perform their prayer, they must go through a set of rituals to prepare. They must wash their hands, feet, and face. The muezzin makes the call for prayer from a high place in the mosque. The “When prayer starts, the imam, or leader (of the prayer), stands in the front facing in the direction of Mecca, and the congregation stands behind him in rows, following him in various postures. Each prayer consists of two to four genuflection units (rakʿ ah); each unit consists of a standing posture (during which verses from the Qurʾ ān are recited—in certain prayers aloud, in others silently), as well as a genuflection and two prostrations. At every change in posture, “God is great” is recited. Tradition has fixed the materials to be recited in each posture.” (Islam - Prayer. 2020). On Fridays, special congregational prayers are offered. The

3 sermon on Friday is recited partially in the local language and partially in Arabic. The leader will also usually recite verses from the Quran and builds the message upon those verses. Lastly, “In strict doctrine, the five daily prayers cannot be waived even for the sick, who may pray in bed and, if necessary, lying down.” (Islam - Prayer. 2020) The third pillar of Islam is an obligitory tax called zakāt. “This is the only permanent tax levied by the Qurʾ ān and is payable annually on food grains, cattle, and cash after one year’s possession.” (Islam - Prayer. 2020). The taxes vary on different amounts and in modern Muslim communities, the tax is optional. The fourth pillar is of fasting. Fasting is observed during the month of Ramadan. This fasting begins at day break and ends at sunset. During this fast, eating, drinking, and smoking are forbidden. ‘For a person who is sick or on a journey, fasting may be postponed until “another equal number of days.’ The elderly and the incurably sick are exempted through the daily feeding of one poor person if they have the means.” (Islam - Prayer. 2020). The fifth and final pillar of Islam is the annual pilimgrige to Mecca. Muslims must do this once in their lifetime if they are able to afford it. “A special service is held in the sacred mosque on the 7th of the month of Dhū al-HḤijjah (last in the Muslim year). Pilgrimage activities begin by the 8th and conclude on the 12th or 13th. All worshippers enter the state of ih Ḥrām; they wear two seamless garments and avoid sexual intercourse, the cutting of hair and nails, and certain other activities. Pilgrims from outside Mecca assume ih Ḥrām at specified points en route to the city. The principal activities consist of walking seven times around the Kaʿbah, a shrine within the mosque; the kissing and touching of the Black Stone (HḤajar al-Aswad); and the ascent of and running between Mount S aḤ fā and Mount Marwah (which are now, however, mere

4 elevations) seven times. At the second stage of the ritual, the pilgrim proceeds from Mecca to Minā, a few miles away; from there he goes to ʿ Arafāt, where it is essential to hear a sermon and to spend one afternoon. The last rites consist of spending the night at Muzdalifah (between ʿ Arafāt and Minā) and offering sacrifice on the last day of ih Ḥrām, which is the ʿ īd (“festival”) of sacrifice.” (Islam - Prayer. 2020) The Copts are descendants from pre Islamic egyptians. They are an ancient cristian group and make up approximately 10% of the egyptian population (Copt | Definition, Religion, History, & Facts. 2020). While the Copts mostly follow a chritian religion, “Modern-day Copts often visit the monasteries for spiritual guidance, community retreats and to rediscover their heritage. But while Copts may go to the deserts of Egypt for their religious practice, most live in the cities among their Muslim compatriots.” (Rowe, P. 2017). In recent times the Coptic religion has face large amount of violence and backlash from the Islamic community since they are so closely related. Along with violence, the “Copts have faced systemic discrimination in employment and limitations on their ability to access public services and education ever since the establishment of the modern republic of Egypt in 1952.” (Rowe, P. 2017).

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References Gordon D. Newby, "Islam." In The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law. Ed. Gordon D. Newby. Oxford Biblical Studies Online. 18-Oct-2020.

Islam - Prayer. (2020). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam/Prayer Copt | Definition, Religion, History, & Facts. (2020). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Copt Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. (2020). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coptic-Orthodox-Church-of-Alexandria Rowe, P. (2017, April 17). Who are the Coptic Christians? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-coptic-christians-76273...