What are some of the practices and rituals of Muslims?

Saturday, 23 April 2005 16:58

The concept of worship in Al-Islam goes beyond rituals. Every act and deed done in the name and cause of Allah is considered worship. The minimum of those deeds are listed below:

1. Prayer (Salat) - facing the holy Ka'bah in Makkah (Saudi Arabia) five times daily and performing the prescribed prayer.

2. Fasting (Siyam) - abstaining from food, drink, and sexual intercourse during the daylight hours of the holy month of Ramadan on the lunar Islamic calendar.

3. Pilgrimage (Hajj) - visiting, at least once in one's lifetime, the first house built by Prophet Abraham (the Ka'bah) in Makkah and performing the prescribed rites.

4. Charity (Zakat, Sadaqh, Khums) - alms tax paid annually to the poor as well as voluntary charity paid to poor and to Islamic institutions.

5. Enjoinging what is good (amr bil-ma'ruf) - A Muslim should try to encourage all good deeds outlined in the Qur'an and tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

6. Forbidding what is evil (nahi anil-munkar) - All evil should not only be avoided by a Muslim, but he/she should also keep others from it and protect all people from harm and wrongdoing.

7. Struggle (Jihad) - A Muslim should struggle against evil with his words, his wealth, and his life. In addition to this, the bigger struggle (jihad al-akbar) is a Muslim's struggle against his own lower self (jihad un-nafs). This is accomplished through self-purification and remembrance of God.

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