Religion 212 - Discussion Eight - Week 8

Exploring Islam
Discuss the Five Pillars of Islam and the role of Muhammad within Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam (Belief and Witness, Daily Prayers, Zakat, Fasting, Hajji) are descriptive of spiritual practices that were specified, written to fulfill a life as a Muslim. Each spiritual practice that a Muslim undertakes is important in its inner revelation.

Belief and Witness

This first Pillar of Islam (the Shahadah) allows the belief that God has unified himself with Muhammad and sent him as messenger to relay his word and will. Thus the quote “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God” reflect that the false idols are of no consequence and there is only one true God who is all and everywhere. As such the Qur’an is the breath and life of God in written form sent from him to Muhammad. Further that he was to teach and spread God’s word and will.

Daily Prayer

As per the Second Pillar the performance of the salaat (continuous round of prayer five times a day as a testimony of faith with ablutions with water, sand or dirt) facing Mecca with reciting of prayers and passages from the Qur’an bowing and kneeling. Joint prayer around the world unites all in a single world family bowing acquiesce and agreement.

One of the reasons for prayer is to strengthen belief in God and his goodness and help relay this into every aspect of external life outside God. As such, prayer is used to purify the heart and soul, develop the mind and conscience, comfort the soul, encourage good and suppress evil and awaken the senses to higher morality and higher aspirations (thoughts).

Zakat

The Third Pillar links prayer with the gift of charity or almsgiving. Consideration of prayer is only accepted if one shares with freeness and sweetness giving to those with none and helping those of different faith.

Fasting

The Fourth Pillar is to fast during Ramadan is required of all Muslims to celebrate the first revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad. Further fasting is recommended because it is thought to bring forth spiritual rewards, unselfish surrender to God’s commandment and as assertion of control over lower thought and sins of base nature. Also, it is used to teach the soul to control what goes into the mind and heart that would divert self from the path to God.

Hajj

The Fifth Pillar is the requirement of Muslims to pilgrim to Mecca at least once during their lifetime. During the time at Mecca symbolic rituals are held to bring the faithful close to God.

Muhammad’s role with Islam was that he was sent as the messenger of God and the Qur’an was revealed to him to relay the teaching of God. He was chosen to fulfill the word and let it manifest itself in all that heard. Further he helped facilitate a brotherhood for all Muslims and established the Ka’bah as the center of Muslim piety and lived an exemplary life.

Discuss what the Holy Qur'an is to Muslims and how it informs their faith.

The Holy Qur’an to Muslims represents the heart of Islam as the revelations of God through his messenger Muhammad his Prophet. As thus it is the Word of God relaying united messages of needed affirmations of service and the dismay of those who do not heed God’s message.

Further it is thought to have a healing soothing effect bringing protection, guidance, knowledge and informs their faith by maintaining Islamic tradition and a shaping of their life. Also, it has subtleties and multiple levels of meaning that reflect example, a spiritual lesson and a deeper mystical significance. It also has interwoven figures and stories from Jewish heritage, Christianity and that Islam is the religion according to the Qur’an.

Briefly discuss the role of Mary and Jesus in the Qur'an and Islam in general.

The role of Mary and Jesus in the Qur’an and Islam in general relay in its teaching that Jesus was a very great prophet who along with other Jewish prophets brought a parallel teaching from God. But based on Islamic interpretation they do not believe that Jesus has authority or right to atone for our sins. Also, that Jesus was Mary’s son and that she had been in the service of God in the Jerusalem temple while under the care of the prophet and the Priest (Zechariah) who was the father of John the Baptist. Further that she was a virgin when she conceived and was chosen as a holy vessel to fulfill the Lord God’s will and brought forth the holy one (Jesus) and was proof that God’s holy breath filled her womb with the One.

Also, they believed that according to John 14:16 and 14:26 that Jesus was prophesying the coming of Muhammad to assist humanity after him as the paraclete (advocate).

Thank you.

Felicia

References:
Fisher, M. P. (1999). Living religions. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice-Hall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Islam

Response to co-student

This post was very informative and listed more information then was relayed by the textbook. The whole philosophy of Islam is magical and unique and transcends the thought and person from selfish to selfless and a worker of God's will.
Also, I found it to be very demanding but fair and have decided that I too would like to Mecca as well as pray with them.

Thank you.

Felicia

Response to Professor

Give this a try:
Jesus (as the Revelation of God) is to Christianity as ________ is to Islam. What do you think fills in the blank?

What goes into the blank is Muhammad God's Prophet and Messenger.

Thank you.

Felicia

Response to co-student

As I relayed to E., my dream is Mecca and the whole surrendering of my life, soul and mind to God's will. I am a Christian who appreciates all who serve my Father. God's love is the only love that will never leave and will never forsake his sheep. Mary was true in her faith and chosen above all because she was love. I liked your post because it is direct, compact and easy to understand and absorb.

Thank you.

Felicia

Response to Professor

I hope you don't mind but I have a thought on this question. Based on data that was indicative of a parallel between the two religions (Muslims - Islam and Christians - Christianity) where there are indications and mentioning of Jesus in the Qur'an and of his birth (as the Son of God) in the Holy Bible. Muslims do not consider him as the Son of God because they believe that it is blasphemy but Christians were there as witnesses of his miraculous deeds and healing and no human has ever been able to do the same. His teachings, professions and gifts of love is synonymous with Muslims teachings but there is no expression of healings or any prophetic bringing the dead to life, making the lame walk, healing of the blind with sight.

What other explanations can there be but that he is God manifested in the spirit of his flesh twine with his soul as his Son. Impossible to think that a virgin can conceive by immaculate conception but only through God is this and was this possible because it denies logic as well as science. Further it is only right that she bring forth because she was a purified vessel of no soil and only God himself could place his Son in her womb.

No prophet of God would bring forth a lie for of his (God) flesh brings he thee (Jesus) for our salvation and excusal of our sins.
If Muslims believe in signs from God then they should be able to believe in Jesus as his Son for he died to allow the continuancy of the life of people and prevented a Judgment Day thereby allowing a paraclete to come.

I agree that all messengers come from God but feel that Jesus is the lamb who sacrificed his life for us to live and thereby this dialogue between the two (Muslims and Christians) is possible because there are too many similarities and expressions of love and God in both the Holy Bible and the Qur'an.

For God saith this is my Son I love above all and whoever I send is beneath him.

Thank you.

Felicia