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How Do Muslims Pray?
Prayer, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is central in the life of a Muslim. Here are some highlights:
Five times each day, hundreds of millions of Muslims face Mecca (holiest city of Islam, birthplace of Muhammad, and site of the Kaaba, or House of Allah) to pray — at daybreak, noontime, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening. These five obligatory prayers have to be performed in Arabic, regardless of the native tongue of the worshipper. Each part of the prayer has its function within this daily ritual and is designed to combine meditation, devotion, moral elevation, and physical exercise. Prayers can be performed individually or in congregation.
The actions and words a Muslim uses during the prayer demonstrate his or her ultimate submission to Allah. This process combines faith and practice, putting into action what is expressed in the First Pillar of Islam, in which Muslims proclaim their belief in one Allah, Allah by name, and in Muhammad as Allah’s messenger.
Preparing to meet and address their god, Muslims perform a ritual ablution, or cleansing, to ensure that they are in a state of spiritual and physical purity. First, they cleanse their minds and hearts from worldly thoughts and concerns, concentrating on Allah and the blessings he has given them. Second, they wash hands and face, arms up to the elbow, and feet, then say, “I bear witness that there is no Allah but Allah; He has no partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger,” in Arabic. This purification process is as spiritual as it is physical, as can be seen in the fact that sand can be used if water is not available. The objective is for the mind and body to be clean as Muslims approach or put themselves in the presence of Allah.
The movements Muslims perform while praying, individually or in groups, reflect past customs used when entering the presence of great kings or rulers: raising their hands in greeting, bowing, and finally prostrating themselves before this great power. Worshippers begin by raising their hands and proclaiming Allah’s greatness (“Allahu Akbar” —Allah is most great). Then, folding their hands over stomach or chest or leaving them at their sides, they stand upright and recite what has been described as the essential message of the Qur’an, the opening discourse:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds; the Beneficent, the Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek aid. Show us the Straight Way, the way of those upon whom You have bestowed Your grace, not of those who have earned Your wrath or who go astray. (Qur’an 1:2–6)
After reciting another (this time self-selected) verse from the Qur’an, Muslims bow and proclaim, “Glory to Allah in the Highest,” three times. Returning to an upright position, they say, “Allah hears the one who praises Him” and “Our Lord, all praise belongs to you!”
The next phase of worship involves what is commonly called “prostration” in English, although it does not involve lying down at full length. The position Muslims take represents an expression of ultimate submission. Before beginning the act of prostration, Muslims first repeat, “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is most great). Then they fall to their knees, placing hands flat on the ground and bringing their foreheads down between their hands to touch the ground. While in this bowing position, Muslims recite three times, “Glory to the Lord Most High!” After this, they stand up and repeat the entire cycle of prayer.
Prayer includes sitting on the heels and reciting a formula known as “the witnessing” because it contains the declaration of Muslim faith. The witnessing is followed by asking Allah’s blessings for the first and last of Allah’s Prophets, Abraham and Muhammad.
Finally, prayer is ended with an invocation of peace (salam). Worshippers turn their heads right and left and say, “May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.” Although this invocation is addressed to fellow believers on the right and left, some Muslims also believe they are addressing their guardian angels, who remain over their shoulders as they pray. After completing the obligatory prayers, Muslims can privately petition (dua) Allah regarding their individual needs. There are recommended prayer texts in Arabic for such individual needs and problems, but in these prayers the worshipper can also address Allah in his or her own native language and own words.
When Islam first appeared in the Middle East, it was common practice in the Byzantine and Sasanian empires to prostrate oneself before the Byzantine emperor (a Christian) and the Shah of Persia (a Zoroastrian), since these rulers were both king and high priest. However, Muslims historically were especially adamant in refusing to prostrate themselves before anyone or anything but Allah. In the mid-seventh century the T’ang Dynasty of China recorded that a delegation of Arab and Persian visitors refused to prostrate themselves in front of the emperor, whom the Chinese believed to be the “Son of Heaven.”
In modern times we can still find examples of prostration in other religions. To the present day Anglican and Catholic clergy prostrate themselves before the altar at the beginning of the Good Friday liturgy, and so do the ordinands in the rite of ordination. Members of some Catholic monastic orders regularly prostrate themselves instead of genuflecting before the Eucharist on the altar.
Do Muslims Believe In Angels?
Like Jews and Christians, Muslims believe that angels are a part of Allah’s creation. Angels act as Allah’s agents and serve Him by protecting humans, relaying His messages, or performing a variety of other functions. For example, the angel Gabriel brought divine revelation to Muhammad; the angel Michael provides sustenance for human bodies and knowledge to human minds; the angel Israfil (Raphael, in the Judeo-Christian tradition) will sound the trumpet at the Final Judgment.
According to Islamic tradition, angels are created from light. Unlike humans, they do not have free will. They are absolutely obedient to Allah’s commands and are engaged everlastingly in worship and service to Him. Many Muslims believe that two angels attend each human being, recording all of his or her words and actions up until the moment of death. They will present this account on the Day of Judgment.
How Do Muslims View The Day Of Judgment?
The Last Day, or JudgmenThe Last Day, or Judgment Day, is one of the main themes of the Qur’an. It includes the destruction of the world and all creatures, resurrection of the body, and judgment, reward (heaven), and punishment (hell) for all creatures. On the Day of Judgment, or Day of Resurrection, a cataclysmic cosmic event that will occur at a time known only to Allah, all will be raised from the dead.t Day, is one of the main themes of the Qur’an. It includes the destruction of the world and all creatures, resurrection of the body, and judgment, reward (heaven), and punishment (hell) for all creatures. On the Day of Judgment, or Day of Resurrection, a cataclysmic nn event that will occur at a time known only to Allah, all will be raised from the dead.
Signs of the Last Day are foretold in many prophetic traditions. They include the appearance of the Great Deceiver — al-Dajjal — (who will spread corruption and evil in this earth), the Return of the Mahdi (Muslim messianic/savior figure), and the Second Coming of Jesus. Muslims are divided over the coming of a Mahdi. Some believe that the Mahdi will appear to bring justice and truth to all before the Day of Resurrection. Other Muslims believe that Jesus’ second coming will fulfill that role, citing those Qur’anic commentators who believe verse 43:61 refers to the resurrection of Jesus: “And he/it (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way” (43:61). They reinforce this interpretation by noting that Jesus is specifically mentioned in the preceding verses. The Second Coming of Jesus is definitively established in the prophetic traditions: Jesus will kill al-Dajjal, establish justice, and reign over the world for forty years as an upright and just ruler. On the Judgment Day all the dead will be resurrected, body and soul. Allah will gather people together “as if they had stayed [in their tombs] only one hour of the day” (10:45). According to some traditions, the Prophet Muhammad will be the first to rise and arrive at the place of assembly.
Do Muslims Believe In Heaven And Hell?
Muslims believe that heaven or hell, eternal reward or punishment, depends on whether human beings follow the will of Allah and act with justice and mercy toward others during their lifetime. The Qur’an frequently emphasizes the ultimate moral responsibility and accountability of each believer.
Allah will judge each person by the standards brought by the person’s community’s prophets and scripture, using the record of each person’s actions throughout his or her life that are recorded in the Book of Deeds: “Then those whose balance of good deeds is heavy will attain salvation, but those whose balance is light will have lost their souls and abide in Hell forever” (Qur’an 23:102–3).
The Qur’an’s vision of the afterlife is both spiritual and physical. Bodies and souls will be joined, and the pleasures of heavenly gardens of bliss and the pain of hellfire will be experienced fully. The Garden of Paradise is a heavenly mansion of peace and bliss with flowing rivers, beautiful gardens, and cool drink from a shining stream. Qur’anic descriptions of heavenly bliss are life-affirming, emphasizing the beauty of creation and enjoyment of its pleasures within the limits set by Allah:
Those who believe and do righteous deeds, they are the best of creatures. Their reward is with their Lord: Gardens of Paradise beneath which rivers flow. They will dwell therein forever, Allah well-pleased with them and they with Him. This is for those who hold their Lord in awe. (98:7–8)
Later traditions elaborated on the joys of paradise and the role of houris, or beautiful companions. The Qur’an makes no reference to a sexual role for the houris, a word sometimes translated as “virgins.” Many Qur’anic commentators and most Muslims understand houris as virgins but only in the sense of pure or purified souls.
Hell is a place of endless pain, suffering, torment, and despair, with roaring flames, fierce boiling waters, and scorching wind. The destiny of the damned, their punishment, is a just punishment, the result of human choice:
Verily, the sinners will be in the punishment of Hell, to remain therein. It will not be lightened for them and they will be overwhelmed in despair. And we shall not be unjust to them, but it is they who have been unjust to themselves. (43:74–76)
The Qur’an’s comprehensive and integrated view of life contrasts with Christianity’s tendency to compartmentalize life into the sacred and profane, body and soul, sensual and spiritual. In contrast to the “spiritual” images of a more sedate, celibate, and blissful paradise that predominate in Christian visions of heaven, the Qur’an does not draw a distinction between enjoying the joys of beatific vision and those of the fruits of creation.
In modern times, conservative and fundamentalist writers and religious leaders continue to appeal to literalist interpretations of the afterlife. But most contemporary Muslim commentary emphasizes the importance of moral responsibility and accountability in this life and its direct connection to divine justice with eternal reward and punishment without getting into explicit, concrete descriptions of the afterlife.
What Are Muslim Women Promised In The Afterlife?
The Qur’an makes no gender distinction as to the reward or punishment of the afterlife. Gender is irrelevant as a criterion of judgment; faith and deeds are the ultimate determiners of one’s status in the afterlife: “If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female — and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them” (4:124) and “Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him” (49:13).
Both men and women will be rewarded with pure spouses and with gardens beneath which rivers flow (see verses 2:25, 3:15, and 4:57). For example, verse 4:57 reads, “But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, their eternal home: Therein shall they have companions pure and holy: We shall admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening.” In all three verses, the term azwaj (companions) indicates that both male and female believers will be rewarded with pure spouses in heaven.
Classical Qur’anic commentaries regard the houris as heavenly spouses. Nonetheless, the Qur’an also makes specific reference to one’s earthly spouses. It promises to rejoin believers with their parents, spouses, and children who were among the righteous: “Gardens of perpetual bliss, which they shall enter together with the righteous from among their parents, their spouses, and their offspring.
Do Muslims Believe In Saints?
Saint in Arabic is somewhat equivalent to the Arabic word wali, which means “friend, helper, or patron.” There is no mention of saints in the Qur’an, which emphasizes that Allah alone is the wali of believers and there is no helper but Him. In fact, the Qur’an warns against “intercession,” seeking help from anyone but Allah. Therefore, some Muslims oppose the concept of sainthood as un-Islamic. They say that such beliefs and practices violate monotheism by potentially treating saints as if they are equal to Allah. Others, however, believe that there can be intercession with Allah’s permission and that some receive a special favor from Allah allowing them to intercede for others. Certain saints are known for providing intercessions for particular causes: helping women to bear children, solving domestic problems, curing illnesses, or avoiding certain disasters.
The Christian and Islamic concepts of sainthood differ in a number of ways. Sainthood in Islam is not determined by Catholicism’s method of canonization but rather by a less formal process of acclamation. The majority of popular saints are Sufi. (Sufis are the mystics of Islam; see page 61, “Who are the Sufis?”) The tombs of Sufi saints are often the object of pilgrimage and a focal point for festivals and processions celebrating a saint’s birth or death. Other Sufi saints are more remembered for their wise sayings, virtues, and miracles. A significant number of popular, Sufi, and legendary saints are women.
Do Muslims Believe In Sin And Repentance?
Sin is a violation of Allah’s will or commands, the deliberate misuse of the freedom that has been given to human beings. The Qur’an speaks of two kinds of sins, major and minor (4:31, 53:31–32). Among the most serious offenses is idolatry, associating other Allahs, or anything else, with the one true Allah. The term idolatry (or shirk) has been dynamic throughout history. In modern times it has been applied in diverse ways to any action that places anything above Allah, from superstition to greed to power, personal or political. Other major sins are murder and illicit sexual acts.
Sin in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition comprises both individual and collective sin, the behavior of a community or nation. In modern times, Qur’anic concerns with the welfare of society have led many Muslim religious leaders and scholars to label political and social injustice and oppression as great transgressions, sins that must be resisted and fought.
If sin is a violation of Allah’s commands, departing from the straight path of Islam, to repent is to turn toward Allah, literally to return (tawbah) to Allah, who is compassionate and forgiving, after falling into sin or error. Repentance is a major theme, mentioned over seventy times in the Qur’an, and the title of an entire chapter (Surah 9). Repentance in Islam is a personal, moral, individual act of remorse. It is an informal act that does not require a formal act of confession or atonement, as in some forms of Christianity. In cases where the sin has violated the rights of others, restitution is required. If the sin does not infringe on others’ rights but involves an offense against Allah, then penitence, remorse, and making a resolution to abstain from the sin in the future are sufficient.
In modern times, just as the notion of sin has been applied not only to the acts of individuals but to those of a group or community, so too repentance has not only an individual but also a social dimension, and requires publicly acknowledging the transgression, such as political oppression or social injustice.
What Do Muslims Believe About Mary And Jesus?
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a prominent figure in Islam and the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an. The Qur’an upholds Mary as one of the four perfect examples of womanhood (66:12). An entire chapter, Surah 19, is dedicated to her and her history. Mary is mentioned more times in the Qur’an than in the entire New Testament, and more biographical information about her is contained in the Qur’an than in the New Testament.
The Qur’anic account of Mary includes the pregnancy of her mother Anna, Mary’s birth, the annunciations of the coming births of John the Baptist and Jesus, and affirmation of the virgin conception and birth of Jesus: “[Remember] her who preserved her chastity, into whom We breathed a life from Us, and made her and her son a token for mankind” (21:91). The Qur’an teaches that Mary is to be revered because she completely submitted herself to Allah’s will, even though it meant that her own family would accuse her of unchastity when it was discovered that she was pregnant (19:16–21). The Qur’an also records Jesus as an infant verbally defending Mary’s innocence (19:27–34).
Jesus is an important figure in the Qur’an. No one can be a Muslim unless he or she believes in the prophethood of Jesus. Like Christians, Muslims believe in the virgin conception of Jesus by Allah’s Spirit. The Qur’an also records some of Jesus’ miracles, including giving sight to the blind, healing lepers, raising the dead, and breathing life into clay birds (5:110). This last miracle is not recorded in the canonical New Testament but does appear in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas. The Qur’an also reports Jesus’ proclamation of the need to worship Allah as the only Allah and his own status as a witness to Allah (5:116–17).
Muslim and Christian beliefs about Jesus differ in two areas. First, although Muslims believe in the virgin conception and birth of Jesus through an act of Allah’s Spirit, they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of Allah. They believe that he is one of the long line of righteous prophets and second only to Muhammad in importance (Qur’an 6:83–87). For Muslims, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity represents a form of polytheism, affirming belief in three Allahs rather than one Allah alone (Qur’an 4:171, 5:17, 5:72–77).
Second, Muslims do not believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (Qur’an 4:157–58). They believe that, although it appeared that Jesus was crucified, instead Allah took Jesus to Himself in a manner similar to what happened to Elijah (Qur’an 3:55, 4:157–589). Muslims do not believe in the Christian doctrine of Original Sin, so there is no theological need for the all-atoning sacrifice of Jesus through his crucifixion and resurrection. Muslims further believe that each of us will be held accountable before Allah for our own actions and thus responsible for our own salvation. Therefore, we will not be able to rely upon anyone else, not even Jesus or Muhammad, to save us from our
Is There A Difference Between Light-Skinned Muslims And Black Muslims?
African-American Islam emerged in the early twentieth century when a number of black Americans converted to Islam, the religion that they believed was part of their original African identity. Islam was preferred over Christianity, which was seen as a religion of white supremacy and oppression, the religion of those who treated black Americans as second-class citizens and denied them their full civil rights. By contrast, Islam seemed to emphasize a brotherhood of believers, the ummah, which transcended race and ethnicity.
In the early 1930s Wallace D. Fard Muhammad drew on the Qur’an and the Bible to preach a message of black liberation in the ghettos of Detroit. Wallace D., who was called the Great Mahdi, or messiah, taught withdrawal from white society, saying that blacks were not Americans and owed no loyalty to the state. He rejected Christianity and the domination of white “blue-eyed devils” and emphasized the “religion of the Black Man” and the “Nation of Islam.”
Fard mysteriously disappeared in 1934. Elijah Muhammad (formerly Elijah Poole [1897–1975]) took over and built the “Nation of Islam,” an effective national movement whose members became known as “Black=q
Muslims.” Elijah Muhammad denounced white society’s political and economic oppression of blacks and its results: self-hatred, poverty, and dependency. His apocalyptical message promised the fall of the white racist oppressor America and the restoration of the righteous black community, a “Chosen People.” His religious teachings gave marginalized poor and unemployed people a sense of identity and community, and a program for self-improvement and empowerment. Elijah Muhammad emphasized a “Do for Self” philosophy, appealing particularly to black youth, focusing on black pride and identity, strength and self-sufficiency, strong family values, hard work, discipline, thrift, and abstention from gambling, alcohol, drugs, and pork. By the 1970s the Nation of Islam had more than one hundred thousand members.
A number of basic beliefs in the Black Muslim movement differed significantly from mainstream Islam. Elijah Muhammad announced that Wallace D. Fard was Allah, and thus that Allah was a black man, and that he, Elijah Muhammad, not the Prophet Muhammad, was the last messenger of Allah. The Nation taught black supremacy and black separatism, not Islam’s brotherhood of all believers in a community that transcends racial, tribal, and ethnic differences. In addition, the Nation did not follow the Five Pillars of Islam or observe major Muslim rituals.
A key individual who rose through the ranks of the Nation of Islam to gain national prominence was Malcolm X, who accepted the teaching of the Nation of Islam while in prison. Drawn by Elijah Muhammad’s black nationalism, denunciation of white racism, and promotion of self-help, Malcolm Little became Malcolm X: ex-smoker, ex-drinker, ex-Christian, and ex-slave. The “X” also stood for the unknown surname of Malcolm’s slave ancestors, preferred to a name originally given by a slave owner. A gifted, charismatic speaker, Malcolm was the most visible and prominent spokesperson for Elijah Muhammad, recruiting new members (including the boxer Cassius Clay, renamed Muhammad Ali), establishing temples, and preaching the message of the Nation of Islam nationally and internationally. However, Malcolm’s exposure to world events and contact with Sunni Muslims resulted in a gradual change in his own religious worldview, away from that of Elijah Muhammad and toward mainstream Islam.
In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam to start his own organization. At this time he also went on pilgrimage to Mecca. On the pilgrimage he was deeply affected by what he experienced — the equality of all believers regardless of race, tribe, or nation. Malcolm explained his realization that “we were truly all the same (brothers) —because their belief in one Allah removed the ‘white’ from their minds, the ‘white’ from their behavior and the ‘white’ from their attitude.” He also recognized that he did not know how to perform Islam’s daily prayers and had not observed the other prescribed practices in the Five Pillars of Islam. Malcolm returned from the pilgrimage as El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, a Muslim, rather than a Black Muslim. He changed his position on black nationalism, moving to pan-Africanism, which aligns African Americans with their cultural and religious ties in Africa.
On February 21, 1965, the former Malcolm X was assassinated as he spoke to an audience in New York City. Two members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of the murder.
The 1960s were a time of transition for the Nation of Islam. Not only Malcolm X but also Wallace D. Muhammad, son of Elijah Muhammad, along with his brother Akbar Muhammad, a distinguished scholar of Islam who had studied in Egypt and Scotland, questioned and challenged some of their father’s teachings and strategies. Elijah Muhammad excommunicated both sons. Yet toward the end of his life Elijah Muhammad also made the pilgrimage to Mecca and began to modify some of his teachings. By the time of his death in 1975, Elijah Muhammad and the Nation were publicly acknowledged for their constructive contributions to America’s inner cities and communities.
When Wallace D. Muhammad succeeded his father as Supreme Minister of the Nation, he implemented major reforms in doctrine and organizational structure, to conform them to the teachings of orthodox Sunni Islam. Wallace Fard was identified as the founder of the Nation and Elijah Muhammad as the leader who brought black Americans to his interpretation of Islam. Wallace Muhammad made the pilgrimage to Mecca and encouraged his followers to study Arabic in order to better understand Islam. Temples were renamed mosques, and their leaders were now called imams rather than ministers. Members of the community observed the Five Pillars of Islam in union with the worldwide Islamic community to which they now belonged. Black separatist doctrines were dropped as the Nation community began to participate within the American political process. Finally, the equality of male and female members was reaffirmed, and women were given more responsible positions in the ministry of the community. While the Nation continued to work for social and economic change, business ventures were cut back and religious identity and mission were given priority.
At the end of the 1970s Wallace transferred organizational leadership to an elected council of six imams and focused on his role as religious and spiritual leader. In the mid-1980s, signaling his and the Nation’s new religious identity and mission, Wallace changed his name to Warith Deen Muhammad and renamed the community American Muslim Mission, integrating it within the global mainstream Islamic community and within the American Muslim community.
Media coverage of the Black Muslim movement often changes instituted by both Malcolm and Warith Deen Muhammad (d. 2008), maintaining that only he and his followers had remained faithful to the original message and mission of Elijah Muhammad. Farrakhan retained the mantle of leadership of the Nation of Islam, along with its black nationalist and separatist doctrines. Farrakhan’s strident, separatist messages as well as the international connections he has established with militant leaders like those of Libya and Iran have given him and his minority of followers a disproportionate visibility.
Farrakhan’s militancy and anti-Sem have been widely criticized. At the same time, his charisma and energy directed to fighting crime and drugs and to rehabilitating prisoners have earned praise for the. His leadership of the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C., received widespread media coverage and support from Christian, as well as Muslim, leaders and organizations. In recent years, Farrakhan Nation has moved the Nation closer to more orthodox Islamic practices, maintaining a closer identity with mainstream Islam.
How Do Muslims Pray?
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https://discerning-Islam.org
Last Update: 03/2021
