Every Muslim isrequired by Islam to hold certain beliefs and practice certain religious exercises. It is essential
for a Muslim to believe
that there is only one god, and that Muhammad was chosen
by him as the last prophet ; that god has created angels, and has revealed his
messages to prophets before Muhammad, and that all of us will have another life
after death in which we shall be rewarded or punished according to our deeds
on earth. The religious practices which every Muslim has to perform are Prayer
(Namaz) five times a day, fasting (Roza) for one month-the month of Ramadan
in a year, giving away one fortieth of one's wealth every year as charity, and
going, if one has money, on Hajj at least once in his lifetime. The Hajj is
a great assembly of Muslims from all parts of the world in Mecca, the birth-place
of Muhammad. Here the Muslims visit Ka'aba, a place regarded holy since the
time of Abraham, another prophet who lived long before Muhammad.
Islam introduces the fraternal feelings
among the followers by brining them closer together in stages. The people who
pray five times a day may pray either at home or in a local mosque. On Fridays
the Muslims must offer their midday prayer in the central Mosque, called Jami'
Masjid. Here one has the opportunity of meeting people from various parts of
the city. This is the second stage in the promotion of collectivity. The first
stage being coming together in a local mosque. The third and the last stage
is coming together of people from various parts of the world in Mecca during
the Hajj. The religion Islam tries to bring mankind together as one large family
descended from one man and one woman. It does not allow any feeling of superiority
on the basis of race or colour. Superiority, according to Islam, comes only
through a man's virtues.
The literal meaning of Islam being
'submission to god', the life of Muslim is governed not by his desires and ambitions
but according to the desires of god. The 'Quran' and the
'Hadith' together provide
elaborate instructions for the Muslims on how to conduct themselves in
their day to day life, at home and in their dealings with others.
Religion and the affairs of the world
are both regulated in equal measure by the teachings of Islam. That is to say,
it does not keep the church and the state separate as most nation sates of the
world do today. The success of Islam as a socio-religions system can be measured
from its contribution to humanity. With its simple, powerful and appealing doctrine
of the unity of god it has been able to wean the people away from irrational
and conflicting beliefs and practices. The great collectivization of men of
different faiths and different races has been an important achievement.
