Islam the way of life

1) Kalima Tauheed or Kalima Tayyiba

La 'ilaa-ha 'il-lal-laa-hu mu-ham-ma-dur ra-soo-lul-laah

There is none worthy of worship besides Allah
Muhammad (Sallallaho-Alaihe-Wa-Sallam) is Allah's Messenger.

2) Kalima Shahadah (Testification)

'Ash-hadu 'an laa'i-laa-ha 'il-lal-laa-hu
I testify that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah

wa 'ash-ha-du 'anna mu-ham-ma-dan 'ab-du-hoo wa ra-soo-luh
And I testify that Muhammad (Sallallaho-Alaihe-Wa-Sallam) is Allah's worshipper and messenger.

3) Kalima Tamjeed
(Glorification of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)



Sub-haa-nal-laa-hi wal ham-dul-lil-laa hi
Glory be to Allah, All praise be to Allah

wa-laa 'i-laa-ha 'il-lal-laa-hu
There is none worthy of worship besides Allah



wal-laa-hu ak-bar
And Allah is the greatest


wa-laa haw-la wa-laa quwwa-ta
There is no Power and Might

'il-laa bil-laa-hil 'a-liy-yil 'a-zeem
except from Allah. The most High - The Great.

4) Kalima Tauheed
(Believing in the Unity of Allah)

Laa-'i-laa-ha 'il-lal-laa-hu
" There is none worthy of worship besides Allah,

wah-da-hoo
He is one

laa sha-reeka la-hoo
He has no partner.


la-hul mul-ku
His is the Kingdom


wa-la-hul ham-du
and for Him is all praise.

yuh-yee wa-yu-mee-tu
He gives life and causes death.

bi-ya-di-hil khai-ru
In His hands is all good.



wa-hu-wa 'a-laa kul-li shay-'in qadeer
And He has power over everything.

5) Kalima Rade-Kufr
(Disproving of Kufr - disbelief)

Pilgrimage (Hajj)

The act of Hajj

Hajj means making a religious pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) once in a lifetime. All Muslims should try their best to save up enough money to travel, at least once in their life, to the city of Makkah in which the holy Ka’bah is found. In and around Makkah they follow certain rituals. These were initiated by Prophet Abraham (pbuh), and completed by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to guidance from God. Some are in memory of particularly important events in the lives of Abraham (pbuh), his eldest son Ishmael (pbuh) and Hagar (Abraham’s second wife). All parts of the Hajj have lessons or reminders of significance for those taking part.

Hajj is not obligatory in some situations

It is only obligatory for most Muslims to do Hajj once in the lifetime, after reaching adulthood. Hajj is not obligatory for those who cannot afford it, who cannot travel to Hajj safely, or who are too ill or old to complete it, but all Muslims of adolescent age and above should make their best efforts to save up for Hajj, to be healthy, and to perform it while they are young and able. Before making Hajj pilgrims must pay all their debts, ask forgiveness from people they feel that they may have wronged or hurt in some way, and make amends where possible.

The time of Hajj

The Hajj is performed only at one particular time of year during the 8th-10th of the Islamic lunar month of Dhul Hijjah. As the lunar calendar is 10 days shorter than the usual solar or Christian calendar, each year the date of Hajj moves 10 days earlier in the solar year.

The lesser pilgrimage or Umrah

If Muslims wish to visit the holy places at times of year other than Hajj, they can, do a minor pilgrimage (Umrah), which is much shorter. It can be performed voluntarily at any time of year, including just before or after the Hajj.

The lessons or reminders provided by the rituals of Hajj and Umrah

All humans are equal in the sight of God, and are one community, only having different degrees according to God’s judgement of their level of piety and God-consciousness, which nobody knows in this life.

As all pilgrims of all races, genders and backgrounds dress in the same humble and simple way, have to perform the same rituals and follow the same manners, and experience the same conditions as each other, they are reminded that humanity is one and that all humans are equal in the eyes of God. The only way one person can be better than another is by through their higher level of piety or God-consciousness which influences their everyday living. As gifts to humans, God gives riches, power, status, intelligence, beauty, talents, skills, children and so on, for which they should be grateful, using them wisely and to please God. These gifts should not become a source of pride for them and a reason for treating people differently, or in any other way be used wrongly.

All humans should try to remember, frequently and deeply, that they will be judged by God for the use they made of their lives.

Associated with this are the scenes of an apparently endless sea of human beings peacefully praying while standing and sitting on, and walking between, the plains of Arafat, and Muzdalifah and at Mina, which can remind pilgrims of the scene of the Plain of Resurrection. This is where all human beings will be raised up to life after their death, and their souls collected and brought before God to be judged for the use that they made of this (earthly) life. This should cause the Muslim pilgrims to become more conscious of the need to please God in their daily lives, and to frequently seek God’s forgiveness.

Humans should realise that Satan is their greatest enemy, only interested ultimately in the suffering and destruction of their souls, and so they should do their best to reject his suggestions and temptations.

At one point in the Hajj pilgrims throw stones at some large, stone pillars, in Mina. This symbolises their rejection of Satan and his temptations and suggestions, in remembrance of Abraham's (pbuh) rejection of Satan's efforts to stop him attempting to follow what he had been informed by a vision was God's Will - to sacrifice his first born, teenage son - Ishmael (pbuh).

To please God and to do what is right and just, we need to love him more than anything else, and we have to be willing to sacrifice that which we love.

Abraham (pbuh) continued with preparing to sacrifice his son (pbuh), until he was stopped by an angel, who informed him that this had been a test from God of the willingness of Abraham and Ishmael (put) to sacrifice what they loved to please God. Abraham (pbuh) was then given a ram to sacrifice in place of his son, which he did. Pilgrims also sacrifice a sheep at the end of the Hajj, as do all Muslims at home who can afford it, in remembrance and celebration of Abraham and Ishmael’s (pbut) overriding love for God, and their submission and self-sacrifice. In the same spirit of love, submission, self-sacrifice and humility, men have their head shaved at the end of the Hajj, and women trim their hair.

The meat from the sheep is distributed to the poor and needy, and at home partly to family, neighbours and friends - making it an act of charity, as well as a way of bringing the community together with good-will.

The general difficulties associated with performing a pilgrimage under the hot Arabian sun, and with so many people of all kinds, should help the pilgrim to learn self-restraint, tolerance, sympathy for and empathy with those that suffer, self-sacrifice and patience. Ideally a pilgrim should also learn the value of contentedness and gratefulness for any relief, for small mercies and relative blessings, and for the lessons learned during Hajj.

One part of the pilgrimage for pilgrims to particularly reflect upon is the Sa’y which is a period of repeated walking between two hillocks near the Ka’bah in remembrance of Hagar who did this in search of water, or people with water, out of love and concern for her baby Ishmael. She was an example of love, patient perseverance and of faith and trust in God's mercy and wisdom, as she was following instructions given to Abraham by God to settle near the Ka’bah in the valley of what was called Bakkah, and is now Makkah, despite the fact that it was desolate, uninhabited desert.

Another example of patient devotion to God is the Tawaf or walking in a circle around the Ka’bah seven times, while making many different supplications to God
If humans try their best to love and please God, they will be forgiven, purified, revived, blessed and rewarded abundantly.

Hagar’s goodness was rewarded when the foot of Ishmael (pbuh) kicking the sand resulted in the powerful gushing forth of a spring. The spring was named 'Zam Zam' and continues to flow abundantly today. The water from it has been found to have healing properties, sometimes in a miraculous way, for example one woman whose upper body was covered in painful, oozing sores was completely cured of them within only a few days of having prayed and applied zamzam water (an account found on the internet). ZamZam is now used for both drinking and for ritual washing (wudu or ghusl) by the millions of pilgrrims who visit the Ka’bah every year, and containers of the water are taken by pilgrims as gifts for those back at home.

In the Qur'an water is often a symbol for blessings and purification given by God 'bringing life to a land that was dead', or spiritual life to the heart and soul of human beings. Zam Zam water could be seen as a symbol of the purifying blessings of Hajj. Pilgrims pray to God that He accepts their Hajj, and that He therefore rewards them for it by forgiving all their sins. It is important for pilgrims to remember that in order for the Hajj to be accepted and rewarded by God, the pilgrims have to make a lot of effort to make it pleasing to God. During Hajj a pilgrim should constantly be trying to keep his/her intentions, attitudes, thoughts, words and deeds pure and pleasing to God, while asking Him for forgiveness as much as possible.

Therefore the whole process of Hajj is seen as a way of purification from past sins, and from repeating the sins of the past, or being tempted to new sins when returning to normal everyday life.

As Hajj is also a symbol for the struggles and tests of life, Zam Zam can also be seen as a general symbol for the blessings, reward, relief, healing, purification, revival and eternal life of the soul given by God in return for following Islam and being true Muslims.

Fasting (Sawm)

The act and meaning of Sawm

Sawm is day-time-fasting during the Islamic lunar month of Ramadhan, each year. Sawm literally means to abstain or keep yourself away from something.

The month of Ramadhan

The month of Ramadhan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar, and lasts for 29 or 30 days, its beginning and ending both being dependent upon the sighting of the new moon. Muslims should remember, with gratefulness and reverence, this month as a holy month in which the first verses of Qur'an were revealed.

Muslims are encouraged to make a special effort to be generous in charity and to do many good deeds, extra prayers, and reading and reflecting on the Qur’an during Ramadhan, as the reward and blessings from God for these are greater during this month than at other times.

The act of fasting

Fasting is to refrain from eating, drinking, or having conjugal relations during daylight hours. During the night these activities are all allowed. There is no specified limit to these, but the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was moderation, especially during Ramadhan. The benefits of fasting may not be felt very much if we go to the opposite extreme at night.
Fasting, more importantly, is also making a special effort to restrain yourself from un-Islamic or harmful uses of the tongue, ears, eyes, and other parts of the body. This takes the form of, for example, not indulging in falsehood, but speaking only the truth; not expressing anger or quarrelling, but holding in, channelling positively, and diffusing anger, trying to be patient and making peace; not speaking ill of others, but speaking well of them; not speaking about shameful things but instead focusing upon uplifting subjects which remind people of God and bring them closer to Him, and to each other. As Ramadhan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed, it is also a month when people try to read the whole of the Qur’an in the mosques, during special evening prayers, as was the practice of the Prophet. At home, Muslims try to read more Qur’an than usual.

The way that fasting is carried out

It is recommended to have a moderate meal, finishing just before dawn, and then pray the dawn prayer (Fajr or Subh). The intention to fast is made before dawn, and before fasting begins. When first breaking or finishing the day's fast, a prayer of gratefulness to God is said, as well as other optional supplications. It is recommended to eat only a small, odd number of dates, and water or milk. After this small snack, Muslims usually pray the sunset prayer (Maghrib), and then eat a moderate evening meal.

Who must fast?

Fasting in Ramadhan, as described, is compulsory on all Muslims who are not too young, too old and frail, too weak or sick, pregnant, breast-feeding, menstruating or bleeding after child-birth, or travelling long distances. If a Muslim falls into one of these categories, they either do not have to, or may not fast. Children, for example should not fast when they are growing rapidly as they need a lot of food, but when they get to around 7 they may try fasting for half a day at a time, on days spent at home, then gradually increase the amount of days and length of time fasted each year according to their ability, until they reach adolescence when they are expected to fast more like an adult. If a person fasts and starts to feel too ill or weak, they should stop and eat and drink. If they are not in these categories, and become able to fast, they should fast to make up for days missed. If they cannot make up the days, then for each day missed, they have to compensate by feeding someone poor and needy one day’s food for each day missed.

The benefits of fasting

Firstly, the reason why a Muslim fasts should be to draw nearer to God, and therefore receive reward and blessings from God in this life and the Hereafter.
Through fasting comes self-discipline. This means that the ability to withstand deprivation patiently can be increased. It also helps us to become less attached to, and more in control of our bad habits and ultimately to get rid of them, whether these are addictions to something harmful and/or sinful e.g. cigarettes; wrong ways of speaking or acting, e.g. swearing or gossiping; or a tendency towards bad attitudes e.g. arrogance. The soul therefore becomes more free, and it becomes easier to develop good habits, and to be more generous and kind. At the same time, through fasting and reflecting on the experience, sympathy with others who have less and who have difficulties can grow, so that there is increased motivation to be generous in giving regular, voluntary charity (Sadaqah).

This is brought to its highest level through a strengthening and sensitising of the soul in terms of the depth of its faith and God-consciousness, if your time is used in prayer, in reflection, and other ways of remembering God, and in consciously making a special effort to do good and keep away from mistakes, and injustice.

Ramadhan is a time when the Muslim community comes together, by fasting together, starting and finishing each day’s fast together, praying together, and generally helping each other as much as possible. The feeling of brotherhood can therefore be increased as a result of Ramadhan. Also, the feeling of sympathy for all others in suffering, and the increased effort made to help others (not necessarily Muslims) can give the Muslims a greater feeling of oneness with humanity in general.

Relationships and society at large will benefit from greater generosity in giving charity, as described when discussing Charity (Zakah and Sadaqah).

There can also be physical benefits to the body and brain. These include giving the stomach and digestive system a rest from digesting food. This helps to normalise the body’s metabolism (Allan Cott, 1975). The stomach should shrink, if less food is eaten at meals in the evening, so that there is less hunger, and less tendency to eat more than the body needs. Voluntary, self-controlled, gradual weight loss which can be achieved through the moderate fasting method of Islam helps people to lose weight effectively and permanently, unlike severe and rapid weight loss (Athar, S., 1993). Fasting of this type should, therefore help to prevent the ailments and suffering associated with obesity, such as heart disease. Also during Ramadhan, although lower than normal at the beginning, people’s blood sugar level rises above normal levels after the first ten days (Athar, S., 1993), making people feel more energetic and mentally alert. Four weeks after Ramadhan, blood sugar level returns to normal basal levels days (Athar, S., 1993).

The act of Zakah

This an obligatory payment given to the poor and needy which is a small percentage of your excess money combined with (the value of) your excess possessions each year. If you do not have any excess, you do not have to pay Zakah and are eligible to receive it.
The literal meaning of Zakah

Zakah literally means 'growth', 'blessing' or 'making something pure'. The Qur'an states that it is the best investment, resulting in abundant blessings and growth in this life and the Hereafter. The purification, blessings, and growth can actually take different forms, both material and spiritual.

According to the Qur'an, prophets and messengers that came before Prophet Muhammad, and their followers, were also told to give Zakah, which they did.

How Zakah is collected and distributed

Zakah is payable only by those who have reached maturity, and who have savings and jewellery worth the same or more than 80grammes of gold, that has remained unused for a whole year or more. Zakah of 2.5 percent of the value is then payable on various types of property including the amount of cash savings that have remained for a year; jewellery, precious metals.. Harvest or produce e.g. salable crops and cattle, and salable goods have various rates of Zakah. This is calculated and paid once a year according to well-established rules.

Some of the categories of people that Zakah could be distributed to include: your relations, orphans, the needy, travellers, those who ask for help. Although Zakah is only collected from Muslims, and Muslims have priority in terms of receiving it, Zakah can, according to some Muslims, be given to those who need it from amongst the non-Muslims with whom the Muslims have friendly relations or alliances. Even if non-Muslims don’t receive money from Zakah, they can be given Sadaqah, which is voluntary charity

Zakah should ideally be collected by representatives of the Caliph (Khalifa - or ‘successor’ to the Prophet and thus leader of th Muslim community), i.e. employees of the treasury, who then had the job of distributing it to the poor and needy. In the absence of a Caliph, and a Caliphate (Khilafah), Zakah can be given collectively through individuals donating it to a mosque, or an Islamic organisation or charity, and be distributed by a special committee to those who are most in need. Applications for Zakah can be made to such committees and organisations by poor Muslims and others. It can also be given directly to someone known to be in need.
Benefits

If a Muslim gives his/ her Zakah properly and regularly, then he/she is said to be purifying the rest of his/her money and possessions.

Zakah is a way of distributing wealth and possessions from the rich to the poor and needy, decreasing the gap between them. Zakah is seen as the right and property of those who are poor, and is a part of a rich Muslim person's wealth that he has no right to keep.
Ensuring that the poor and needy have money from the richer members of society, who might otherwise hoard their wealth, or only circulate it only amongst themselves, has the result that all people have money to spend and invest in new businesses, charitable and useful projects etc. There can be a general increase in people's wealth when their money is invested well. This has the knock-on effect that they can spend more, buying goods and services from others who therefore benefit. This means that the economy keeps functioning and the elusive 'economic growth' and 'economic development' that so many countries are trying to achieve can take place, at the same time as truly benefiting all sections of society.

When there is less unemployment and poverty, and more opportunity for all, the result is less stress on people, less envy and jealousy of the rich, and fewer problems in terms of physical and psychological health, as well as within families. As a result crime is reduced and there is greater security, trust and peace, and therefore happiness in society. Generosity spreads itself, and encourages good will and good relationships between people, encouraging community spirit. These influences usually bring financial benefits again, as people are more willing to invest in safe areas, with friendly contacts, where they are most likely to gain from the investment.
Zakah is seen as the correct use of the money and possessions that God has given to a person as a trust and a test. Giving Zakah is a way of acknowledging that everything belongs to God and is given by God, and a means of expressing gratefulness, thanks and love to God for what you have, by pleasing Him.

The giver of Zakah should also realise that they don't need those things that they give away, and become less dependent on and less attached to them. This should help them to become more generous in their heart. They then find it increasingly easy to give things away in regular, voluntary charity or Sadaqah, which is highly encouraged by Islam. Zakah is actually the minimum that people should give. When a person gives money and possessions away, they should be doing so because they are more attached to God and love Him more than the material things that they have. Sadaqah, or voluntary charity, need not be in the form of money or possessions. It can be physical help, guidance, information or useful knowledge, preventing oneself from doing what is evil, encouragement to do good, or even the act of smiling! Muslims are encouraged to do charitable acts secretly to ensure that their intention, is pure, rather than trying to impress other people, although less secrecy is beneficial if it would encourage others towards more good. This way a person’s heart and character may become purified from greed, miserliness, possessiveness, envy, and jealousy.

If people are truly giving for the sake of God, a person can eventually be said to have a 'big heart', because they are so generous. Therefore their soul has 'grown', through originally giving Zakah. This means that their inner spiritual heart (fu’ad) has grown, and become more dominant over the selfish desires, enabling the person to more easily reflect, in a minor way, God’s characteristics such as generosity, patience, compassion, gentleness and so on. Purity and growth of the heart, in turn, are the source of an increase or 'growth' in blessings and reward from God in this life and the Hereafter. The Qur'an says that those who purify and cause their souls to grow are the successful ones.