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May 2008
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Body and Soul
Claire Statham continues with her quest for a new religion...this month it's the Muslim faith...
My personal journey this month, takes me to discover Muslim. A popular religion with followers including Mohammed Ali and Dave Chapelle and over 2 billion others in the world.
It’s difficult to sum up a religion, without upsetting what a large majority of the human race believe in their hearts and souls but it’s my quest so…
Those who follow Islam are called Muslim. Islam began in Mecca, Arabia over 1400 years ago with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that there is only one god, Allah, the Arabic translation of the word God. Muslims believe that Allah sent a number of prophets to human kind to teach us how to live according to his decree. Among these prophets were Moses, Adam, Jesus and Abraham, their final Prophet is believed to be Muhammad.
It is agreed by most Muslims that Islam has always existed but has developed over time.
Basic Principles of Faith
Muslims base their laws and day-to-day living on the holy book, the Qu’ran, and the Sunnah. The Sunnah is the practical example of the Prophet Muhammad. There are also five basic pillars in Islam:
- declaration of faith
- giving money to charity
- fasting
- praying five times a day
- once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca
- The Declaration of Faith, above, "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".
The Qu’ran and Covering Up
The Qu’ran states that Muslims should dress moderately and lower their gaze, that women should cover their chest and figure when out, and that men too shall not wear tightly fitting clothes, and not to wear gold or silk. What Muslims wear depends on the country they live in, and a wide variety of clothing is available, in some countries for instance; it’s traditional to cover up completely.
Lunch Time
Muslims take advice from the Qu’ran when it comes to eating and drinking also. Muslims mustn’t eat pork, drink wine or do anything that will damage their health including gambling.
In many Islamic countries alcohol has been made illegal. Muslims tend to eat meat that is ‘Halal’, this means that the animal was killed in a particular way and that a prayer was said as the animal died. Some Muslims also eat kosher meat, this is Jewish meat. The word Kosher not only refers to meat, but can be anything following all the legal Jewish guidelines.
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, it is important for many reasons:
- The Qu’ran was first revealed during this month
- The gates of hell are closed and the devil is chained up in Hell
- The gates of Heaven are open
Although Muslims can fast during other times of the year, Ramadan is the only time when fasting is a must during the entire month for every able Muslim. Ramadan is intended to increase self-control in all areas of day-to-day living, including sleeping, food, sex and use of time generally. During Ramadan Muslims must not eat or drink during daylight hours.
Prayer
Muslims must pray at five set times every day, during these prayers they all follow the same format, including set movements and phrases. A Muslim can pray anywhere, but it is often preferred to pray with other Muslims in a mosque. Before praying Muslims go through a routine washing ritual, cleansing them in preparation for prayer.
For more information on Islam and the Muslim faith, or if you have any questions, queries or suggestions please contact me via claires@futurepink.com
Claire Statham
My studies in communications, media & culture, criminology, sociology, arts and debating, the projects researching British and American culture, my interest in current affairs and politics counts for nothing in the eyes of an avid reader, so what I'll present is the truth!
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