WUDU' : Washing your body before touching a book?!
Washing your body before touching a book?! This idea my seem crazy to some but for Muslims reading the Quran this is a normal occurrence. I really appreciate this idea of valuing a religious text to this degree. Growing up as a Christian it was normal to see Bibles thrown around the church like any other book. This kind of treatment of the work causes the religious followers not to perceive its importance.
When one makes a ritual like washing their body before even touching a work it shows how vital it is to its people. It also shows the level of respect that those people have for their beliefs, even if it is just some ritual that is done without knowledge of its significance. It is completely understandable why people of any religion would be upset by others burning religious texts, especially for Muslims that hold theirs at such a high degree. This work holds much more significance for its people then books that have been burned for profanity and improper context in the past and people protested that happening.
The five pillars of faith were discussed as well this week. The dedication in all of the pillars is evident for the people of Muslim faith. Stopping to pray several times daily, and even fasting for an entire month are just examples of the selfless acts that are seen in this religion. The idea of fasting is especially selfless, where the religious people as a whole don’t eat to understand what it is like for others to deal with the struggles of poverty and hunger. This kind of reflection isn’t seen in many other religions, as many other religions goal is to just spread the “word” rather than helping others with nothing to gain.
SHALAT - the prayer
It is not always easy to understand why a religion performs a certain ritual or recites a certain passage, but it might be easier to realize that it does have a deeper meaning. As we talked about the Five Pillars of Faith during Thursday’s class, I began to realize just how important these rituals and beliefs are for the Muslim community. Sometimes people take for granted specific rituals or beliefs their respected religion may have, because we do not truly understand them. Many people simple perform the ritual, and have a belief because it is what is expected from them.
However, when I look at Islam, I do not see people just blindly participating in rituals or not understanding their belief.
Before even beginning to understand the Five Pillars of Faith, one must understand that the most important factor to keep in mind is this idea of this specific intention one must have before these acts can take place. This is important because a Muslim person is essentially surrendering their mind, body, and soul to Allah as they worship. Maybe I am right, or maybe I am wrong, but it seems that the
Muslim community has a stronger sense of identity already than many of the other religious communities around the world.
Just thinking about how many times a day I pray or don’t pray, or even the times I neglect prayer altogether, upsets me in a way. The only reason is, is that the first pillar of faith is praying five different times each day. This is better known as the salat. Not only is this performed five times a day, each time, they try to orient themselves toward Mecca, and they perform yogic movements while praying.
I definitely could not imagine doing this every time that I prayed so it is just awesome to realize the dedications some Muslims have. I can’t even begin to talk about the other four pillars because I feel like I have yet to fully comprehend them in their entirety.
HAJJ- the pilgrimage
Hajj also spelled as Haj is one of the pillars of Islam that is performed at particular place at particular time of the year. It is a set of rituals that spreads over five days and is performed at Makkah. Every Muslim having enough strength and wealth is expected to perform Hajj at least once in his lifetime.
The requirement that a Muslim be healthy and physically capable of undertaking the pilgrimage is intended to exempt those who cannot endure the rigors of extended travel. Wish of every Muslim is to perform Hajj but it is a must only for those who are capable of doing it since it demands more money, more energy and more mental power. So, it is better to perform Hajj at one’s young age.
Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God. Covering the face at that time is prohibited both for men and women and covering head for men is also forbidden. That is why the pictures of Hajj show men in white dress with open heads.
Muslims dressed the simple way, observe the same regulations and say the same prayers at the same time in the same manner, for the same end.
There is no royalty and aristocracy, but humility and devotion. These times confirm the commitment of Muslims, all Muslims, to God. It affirms their readiness to leave the material interest for his sake.
The rites of the Hajj, which were begun by Prophet Abraham, include circling the Ka’bah seven times, and going seven times between the mountains Safaa and Marwah as Hager did during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of ‘Arafah and join in prayers for God’s forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgement.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however, water, modern transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities are provided for the millions who take part in the pilgrimage.
The close of the Hajj is marked bya festival, ‘Eed al-Ad-haa, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and the ‘Eedal-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslims’ calendar.
Supposely, we muslims should have realize this better then them. We take our religion very lightly. Try to take a moment and think again about our religion. Where is the Respect? Don't we feel special having Islam as our religion already? Take the time, learn more about Islam. find and experience the beauty of it :)
May Allah please..
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