A Brief Overview of Islam Practice

The majority of Muslims are God-fearing and law abiding. In fact, “one who submits to Allah” is the definition of the name Muslim. A practicing Muslim tries to live his life in obedience to God. He follows his commands that are given in the Quran, the holy book of the Islam religion. Most believe that one command to follow is to live in peace among all people. There are those who take Qu’ranic scriptures to support their extremist actions. But every Muslim I have met does not believe such people are true Muslims. I have learned that these extremist Muslims are viewed by true Muslims just as true Christians view extremist Christians who use Biblical scripture to back up their actions in blowing up an abortion clinic, for example.

Muslims actually share many beliefs and values that we as Christians uphold. The foundation of Islam is based on five duties, known as the five pillars. The first pillar is called Shahadah, which is the Muslim’s profession of faith. A Muslim believes that “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” Muslims have 99 names for Allah—all of which are names that we use for God. Some examples are “The Most Holy,” “Creator,” “The True and Ultimate King,” and “The Alpha and The Omega.” Muslims believe that Mohammed was the final prophet in a long line of prophets including, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jonah, and Jesus. While they believe Jesus was only a prophet and not God, they do believe Jesus lived a perfect life and that he will return to judge all people.

The second pillar of Islam is Salat, or prayer. Muslims take prayer very seriously because they understand Allah is so mighty and holy. A Muslim will go through a ceremonial washing—cleaning their hands, feet, mouth, eyes and ears—symbolically acknowledging their unworthiness to come before a holy God. They then roll out a mat and lie down facing East toward Mecca. Muslims pray five times a day—at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and before going to bed. Very devout Muslims will also do a sixth prayer in the middle of the night.

The third pillar is called Zakat, which is the giving of alms. Dutiful Muslims will give 2.5% of their income to the poor and needy or contribute to charities. They see it as their duty to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Sawm is the fourth pillar of Islam. It is the duty of fasting. Muslims fast throughout the year, but the most common time is in the month of Ramadan. During this time, a Muslim will not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. He will get up early to eat breakfast, and then wait until dark to eat again. Very devout Muslims won’t even swallow their own saliva during this time and spit it out instead. Muslims usually spend time in prayer, repentance, and doing good deeds while observing a fast.

The final pillar is called Hajj. This is a pilgrimage that every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the trip will take at least once in his lifetime. Muslims travel from where they are living to Mecca where they will see holy sights and observe several rituals.

A true Muslim desires to follow God and be at peace with humanity. Isn’t this the very calling Jesus gave to his followers—the two greatest commandments (Luke 10:27)? As Christians, we can relate to many of these pillars and agree with much of them. However, Muslims believe that in order to be saved, they need to continually observe these duties. For the Muslim, salvation comes through doing good works. This is the one huge difference Christianity presents—salvation in Jesus Christ alone.