If someone were to ask a Muslim, or Mohammedan, how he would summarise Islam's advice for how people should live their lives, his answer would be: "It teaches us to follow the straight path." This phrase refers to the very first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an, where the supplication is, "Guide us in the straight path, the path of those for whom you show mercy..." (1:6-7).
What is the Islamic "straight path"?
The straight path is direct and firm. Unlike other religions, one of the aims of Islam is to set out the path of life with detailed guidelines. It classifies every essential action on a scale from forbidden to indifferent to obligatory. Muslims believe this is one of the strengths of their religion. They say that God's revelations to mankind occurred in four great stages: God revealed the truth of monotheism to Abraham, the Ten Commandments to Moses, and the Law to Jesus.
What do the Islamic guidelines mean?
If life requires guidance, and the Qur'an gives it, what are the guidelines? Their presentation is divided into two. First, we deal with the five pillars of Islam, the principles that govern the private life of Muslims in their relationship with God. Then we turn to the teachings of the Qur'an on society.
The first pillar of Islam is the Sahada
The first of the five pillars of Islam is the Shahadah. It consists of a single sentence. The first half of the statement refers to the cardinal principle of monotheism, that there is no other God but God. The second statement, Muhammad is his prophet, states that Muslims recognize Muhammad's word as authentic, that is, they believe in his revelations. At least once in his lifetime, a Muslim is obliged to recite the Sahada accurately, slowly, thoughtfully and loudly, with full understanding and heartfelt conviction. In practice, Muslims often say this, especially the first half of the sentence, "Lá iláha ill Allaha". In times of crisis, and whenever the world is threatened with destruction, including the approach of death, the Muslims utter the prayer.
"There is no god but God" When a pious man is seized with poison, this saying calms and quells his outbursts of temper. The Shahadah is the ultimate answer to all questions.
The second pillar of Islam is the prescribed prayer
The obvious meaning of prayer is to express one's gratitude for life itself, but an even deeper meaning is to put human life into a higher perspective. The Qur'an considers this the most difficult lesson that man has to learn, and is therefore, one might say, fully concerned to illuminate it. Man did not create himself, so he comes from somewhere, but he does not seem to realise this and puts himself at the centre of his little world. He lives as if he were the law. This is what brings trouble upon him. Muslims acknowledge their createdness before their Creator in their prayers, and have already taken the first step in the direction of directing their will towards Islam.
How many times a day should a Muslim pray?
In a nice detail, the Qur'an mentions the original number from Allah, so fifty times what Moses (when he heard about it after one of Muhammad's heavenly nights) thought was impossible. Following a dispute with Moses, Muhammad reduced the number of prayers to five, which Moses still found too many. "I know this people," he said to Muhammad, who refused to negotiate further, and so the number was eventually set at five.
The five times of prayer are also prescribed: at sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, dusk and before bedtime. Islam places no emphasis on communal prayer and does not recognise a particularly holy day of the week, although Muslims are expected to pray in a mosque if they can, and are particularly encouraged to pray on Friday at noon. Muslims used to start their prayers facing Jerusalem (the direction where Muhammad began his nightly heavenly journey), but the Qur'anic revelation later decreed that they should pray facing Mecca. Washing precedes the prescribed prayer, which is begun standing, and reaches its climax when the worshipper touches the floor with his forehead, like a fetus in the womb. The content of the prayer is one of praise and thanksgiving, but also of supplication.
The third pillar of Islam is mercy
Let him who lives in plenty share his goods with the poor. The Qur'an is clear here too: two and a half per cent of movable wealth is to be distributed annually among the poor. It also names those with whom mercy is to be exercised: the direct sufferers, the slaves who want to redeem their freedom, the debtors who cannot pay their debts, the strangers and the wanderers, and finally those who collect and distribute the bounties.
The fourth pillar of Islam is the observance of Ramadan
Ramadan is the holy month of the Islamic calendar, the month in which the revelation of the Qur'an began, and the month in which Muhammad left Mecca ten years later. To commemorate these two great occasions, able-bodied Muslims (those who are not sick or in an emergency situation, such as war or unavoidable travel) fast during Ramadan. From the first moment of sunrise until sunset, it is forbidden to eat, drink, smoke or have sex. And since the Muslim calendar follows the course of the moon, the date of Ramadan runs consecutively through the months of the European calendar year.
What is the significance of this fast? First of all, it makes you think. It teaches self-discipline. It reminds us of human frailty and dependence. Finally, it teaches compassion, because only the hungry know what hunger is.
The fifth pillar of Islam is pilgrimage
All Muslims who are physically and financially able to do so are expected by Islam to make the pilgrimage once in their lives. The purpose of the journey is to increase devotion to Allah and His revealed will, but the habit has an added benefit. Firstly, it is a reminder of human equality, because on arrival in Mecca pilgrims take off their clothes indicating their social status and put on a simple garment of two sheets. The gathering of people from many different countries demonstrates that they share a common faith that transcends national and ethnic boundaries. Pilgrims gather knowledge about other countries and peoples so that they can learn more about the world when they return home. They form the fifth pillar of Islam, by which Muslims strengthen the Islamic House. There is also talk of prohibitions. Some of them are gambling, stealing, lying, eating pork, drinking alcoholic beverages and food, and prohibiting sexual promiscuity. Even Muslims who otherwise violate these rules recognise that they are obligatory.
