Sixth, Muslim morality is very similar to both Christianity and Judaism, due to marriage and family being of the utmost importance. Lastly, Muslims adhere to the concept of Jihad which basically means "the continual, inner spiritual struggle for submission to Allah in which all Muslims must engage in on a daily basis." This concept is very similar to what Christians practice, being a daily struggle to become closer to God and his Son, Jesus Christ, via prayer, worship and contemplation (Livingston, 2004, 256).
Likewise, there are five core practices called the Five Pillars of Islam which are required of all faithful Muslims. The first pillar is faith as shown in the speaking of the creed known as Shahada -- "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is the prophet of Allah." Devout Muslims repeat this belief of faith every single day which helps to keep their major principles of faith at the center of their lives.
The second pillar is prayer five time a day which is preceded by ritual cleansing. Muslims must pray facing Mecca, the holy city of Islam, located in present-day Saudi Arabia. Much like the speaking of the above-mentioned creed, prayer "helps to keep Muslims continually aware of Allah and of the need for submission to him" (Al-Moghamis, 2002, 216).
Unlike Christianity, Islam does not have a weekly Sabbath, yet all devout Muslims gather together to pray at the mosque nearly every day as a group in order to hear the Quran read explained by the imam or prayer leader. While Christians have traditionally interpreted Sunday as the Lord's day, Muslims traditionally meet to pray on Friday after their daily work routine. The third pillar is the giving of alms to the needy.
Muslims are greatly encouraged to make charitable contributions whenever they can, yet the giving of alms is not considered as charity, due to being seen as financial/material assistance from Allah himself. The fourth pillar is fasting during the month of Ramadan which is a time of increased spiritual awareness. Lastly, the fifth pillar is the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, "a journey that Muslims are required to make at least once in their lives as long as they are able to do so" (Ikhlas, 1993, 251).
Obviously, the main difference between Islamic beliefs and practices and those of the Christian faith is the absence of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, for under Islamic tenets, Christ is not seen as the Son of God nor as a product of divine intervention. According to Dr. Mark Durie, the true name of Jesus, at least as found in the Quran, was Isa whose message was "pure Islam (or) surrender to Allah." And as a Muslim prophet, much like Muhammad, Jesus/Isa "was a lawgiver, and Christians should submit to his law;" his disciples were also Muslim, "for they said, 'We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered. We are Muslims." Also, like other prophets of Islam before him, Jesus/Isa "received his revelation of Islam in the form of a book... called the Injil or 'gospel." Thus, Muslims "must believe in...
Religious Field Search AHMADIS: THE OTHER FACE OF ISLAM For the purposes of this paper I visited the local Ahmaddiya Muslim Community or as they prefer to called Ahmadis. Ahmadis are a sub-sect of the Islamic Community. What attracted to me to study this community was that unlike the general image we have of the Islamic community, this community is non-violent and is considered heretical by the larger Islamic community for having
More recently, reports have begun coming from the Middle East that women will no longer be "expected" to participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca, thereby eliminating women from the holiest rite associated with Islam. Having once done that, it would then be easy to keep women physically, mentally, emotionally isolated within any Muslim society. Of equal concern is the way in which the Koran is interpreted to facilitate and carry
Initially, there was no separation between religious and civil law within Islamic countries, however Turkey became a secular state during the twentieth century (Introduction). Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus' birth was miraculous, that he was the Messiah, that he performed miraculous healings, and resurrected the dead (Introduction). However Muslims do not believe in original sin, that Jesus was killed during a crucifixion (but rather escaped and reappeared to
In fact there are signs of turmoil among religious as well as ethnic groups. An internal war between the Hausa and another tribe called the Yoruba resulted in 300 deaths. More recently tribes called the Tiv and the Jukun have executed tribal raids. In fact, between the successful election of a civilian President in May of 1999 and the end of 2001, over 10,000 Nigerians died in regional conflicts
Yet it is somewhat biased, due to the author being a strict fundamentalist. Said, Edward. "The Clash of Definitions." Emran Qureshi & Michael a. Sells, eds. The New Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003, 70-80. This essay presents a very divergent viewpoint as compared to that of political theorist and practitioner Samuel P. Huntington whose views on the "Clash of Civilizations" is now being questioned and
Expansion for Christianity and Islam in the Early Middle AgesThe death of Jesus on the wooden cross and the fallen fruit from the tree for Adam is symbols of both the religions that have become instruments of salvation for their respective believers. However, it was unbearable for the non-believers and against their status quo that they had been living in for years of ignorance that the advent of such religions
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