The Quraysh Tribe in the Middle East - Assignment Example

? History of Islam Research May 20, History of Islam The Quraysh tribe in the Middle East bore Prophet Mohamed. Prior to the birth of Mohamed the tribe still had religious beliefs. But it was till the birth of Mohammed that Islam took another step in becoming a religion. When he was 40 years Mohammed was given the Quran by an angel. It is the Quran that shapes the Islam religion. It grew stronger during their journey to Medina. It was during the journey when they were forced to peace by the Quran. Up to date Muslims still adhere to the Quran and see Mohamed as a deity in their religion1. The origin of Islam is credited to Mohammad. He experienced an angelic visitation from Archangel Gabriel. The angel handed him the Quran and recited the first verses of Surah XCVI2. The pillars of Islam are: Shaddah, Salat, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj3. They signify the things Muslims believe in as Commanded by Allah. The five pillars of Islam provide a framework on how Muslims should act. The pillars were summarized in the hadith of angel Gabriel. Shahada is an Islamic creed and a testimony of faith. The Shahada is the most important pillar as it should be known to any Muslim convert. Salat is the daily Muslim prayer. Muslims pray five times a day. Zakat is the pillar that emphasizes on giving to the needy. Sawm is the pillar which emphasizes on fasting on the holy month of Ramadan. In this month Muslims abstain from food, drinks and sexual relations. The fifth pillar is the hajj. Hajj is the pilgrimage journey to Mecca. Performing the hajj is usually a compulsory activity at least once in a lifetime to people who are physically fit. Salat is the most significant worship. It originated from the Quran, Salat Al-Fajr 24:58, Salat Al-Isha 24:58 and Al-Salat Al-Wusta 2384. Muslims believe praying five times a day can clean all the sins of a person. At the beginning, Salat was performed three times a day. The Quran specifies three positions of performing Salat. These are standing, bowing and prostrating. Salat is the formal procedure of worship to Muslims. It has prescribed procedure, conditions and the time to be practiced. In the holy Quran, Salat is performed while standing bowing and prostrating. During the prayer Muslims are required to wash themselves before praying, an activity known as Wuddu. The main importance of Salat is to act as a person’s communicator to God. During Salat one is able to communicate more intimately with God5. It is also during Salat that Muslims have a form al way of remembering Allah. It is during Salat that Muslims give thanks to God for all their possessions and blessings and also pray for other needs. Salat also helps a Muslim to refrain from the social ills and moral deviancy6. Sahih Bukhari collection of hadith says that Mohammed considered salat as the best deed. According to prophet Mohamed, Allah does not listen to the cries of a person while talking but listens to person’s cries while praying. He continued and said that mercy always drops on a person’s head while praying. Salat is usually practiced at dawn, noon, afternoon, evening and night time. Adhan refers to calling of Muslims to prayer. It comprises of words that envelop the fundamentals of faith, worship and Islamic rituals. As affirmed in Bukhari, Muslims went to Madinah at prearranged time for prayer. Umar planned appointing a man to call out for prayer by recite the words of Adhan.7 It is recited from the minaret so that it can be heard from a distance, and melodiously to titivate their voice for it8. Salah is one of the pillars of Islam and prayer is the best form of worship. Every Muslim should endeavor to earn Pleasure of Allah. According to Surah 51:56, “I have created Jinns and men that they may serve me,” Adhan calls persons to prayer and proper relations. This has an effect on the performance of Salah. Adhan is a procedure in which Muslims are called to mandatory prayer. It is done five times a day to call Muslims to perform the Salat. Adhan is performed by the muezzin. Adhan is also done to show people on the strength of the Muslim strength, both believers and none believers. It is usually made by very loud announcements. Every mosque is fitted with the required instruments to perform the Adhan in modern day all mosques are fitted with loud speakers and the Adhan is clearly heard over very long distances. The Adhan also sums up the Shahada, the testimonial of the Muslim faith which is the first pillar of Islam. Adhan also serves the purpose of reminding Muslims of their faith. By Adhan many Muslims are brought closer to their religion. They are reminded of their obligation to prayer which is a basic need in Muslims.9 Salat and Adhan are very important to Muslims in that they both give them the feeling of responsibility towards their religion. It is during the two procedures that Muslims are reminded of their responsibility and religious obligations10. They also build the Islam faith in both non-believers and believers. However, the importance of the Salat cannot be compared to Adhan. Salat helps a faithful to communicate to their creator which is a compulsory deed in religion. The two procedures also mark the religious beliefs of the Muslims. They are an indication that Islam is not losing its identity in society.11 The Quran state, believing in Allah is righteousness. Allah is the only God and Gabriel appeared to Mohammad with the Quran. There are many prophets, scriptures are infallible, and everyone will be judged by Allah12. In the Quran, Allah is the only true God. It also says that angel Gabrielle presented Prophet Mohammed with the Quran. Additionally, it says that all people will be judged by Allah. The Quran also preaches peace and recognizes Jews and Christians as people they came together from God. The holy Quran also denotes the superiority of the over the female. However, there has been a difference in the translation of the Quran when addressing the issue of Jews and Christians. Some individuals argue that the Quran preaches hate towards the Jews and the Muslims. Some may contradict this assumption by saying the complete opposite13. For instance, in Chapter 2, verse 191; one who believes take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends: They are but friend to each other. In the modern century, the number of Muslims in the United Kingdom has risen significantly. This has caused major changes in the laws and the perception of Muslims in the region. It is due to this that has seen the inclusion of mosques as voluntary institutions and have excluded from taxes and local levies. Economic wise, Islam has also impacted the U.K positively. For example, emergence of the Islamic Bank of Britain. This bank provides services for both Muslims and non-Muslims but purely operates on Islam basis. This promotes the country’s economy in terms of taxes and providing job opportunities. However, this is not enough to erase the perception that all Muslims are related to terrorism by many U.K citizens14.With Muslims occupying even job positions in the United Kingdom they have no intention of decreasing in number. There are several Muslim groups in the UK. Some of these Muslims have engaged in acts of terrorism and activists strive to have Islam rule all over Britain. In the health sector, Muslims are overrepresented among doctors and other health professionals. Muslim schools have been established in the country, and some of them participate in politics. References Braswel, George. Architectural conservation in Islam: Case study of the Prophet's Mosque. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman & Holman Publishers,2000. Maulana, Muhammad. The Religion of Islam. Dublin, Ohio: Ahmadiyya anjuman ishaat islam, 2011. Morgan, Kenneth. Islam, the straight path: Islam interpreted by Muslims. Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987. Penney, Susan. Islam. Oxford, USA: Heinemann, 1999. Syed, Ahmad. Architectural conservation in Islam: Case study of the Prophet's Mosque. Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia: Penerbit Universiti Teknologi, 2005. True, Islam “Three Salat (Prayers) Authorised in the Quran”(2001). http://www.quran-islam.org/main_topics/islam/pillars/number_of_salat_%28P1200%29.html (accessed May, 20, 2012). Wiktorowicz, Quintan. Radical Islam rising: Muslim extremism in the West. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Read More