What is Islam? It can literally be defined as "submission". So then, what is a Muslim or one who practices Islam? The Muslim is the "submitted" but to what is he or she submitting? His or her submission to Allah, or the (al) God (ilah) defines the Muslim. As we begin to examine this Islam or submission to the one God there are three key topics we need to touch on, the Prophet and, practice, and doctrine.
The seal of the prophets or the final prophet for the Muslim is the prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born in 570 of the Common Era (CE) and died on June 18, 632 CE. Muhammad was born in a city called Mecca, which is the first holy city of Islam. Although he was a member of the tribal family Quraysh, the most powerful economic and political entity in the Meccan area, he was not very prominent at birth. This is because his father died before he was born and the pre-Islamic culture was harsh for widows. After his mothers death an uncle who taught him the caravan business eventually took him in. At the age of twenty-five Muhammad married a widow by the name of Khadija in 595 CE. Khadija is the exception to the pre-Islamic treatment of widows in that she inherited control of her late husband's prosperous caravan business. During her lifetime she was a committed and loyal wife. Her economic standing, whether intended or not, now gave Muhammad a political and economic voice within the Arabic community. Around the year 610 CE Muhammad began to receive his revelation from God through the angel Gabriel which later becomes the Qur'an. Khadija was supportive of him as he began this transitional period in his life. Now that we have established a brief early biography of Muhammad we can move on to examine his revelation and teachings as they have been transformed into practice and doctrine.
Let's begin by looking at practice as Islam is more concerned with orthopraxis, right practice, and slightly less concerned with orthodoxy, right belief. The five pillars of Islamic practice are; Testimony, Prayer, Fasting, Alms Giving, and Pilgrimage. These points of practice define a Muslim's submission to God and can serve as a general guideline for understanding the major themes within the practicing of Islam.
The first doctrine is that of Testimony, There is no god but Allah (the God) and Muhammad is his messenger. This statement sums up the faith for a practicing Muslim. It is the central statement of faith upon which the religion is based. By performing this act of testimony, the Muslim is declaring to the world his or her submission to Allah.
The next point of practice is that of prayer. Prayer can be divided into two types, formal and informal. The informal prayer is a constant state of communication with God. It is less of an obligation and more of a relationship to the sacred. The formal prayer, on the other hand, is a ritualized kind of worship. Formal prayers are to be said five times a day toward Mecca, which is as you may recall, the first holy city of Islam where Muhammad received the revelation of the holy Qur'an. Mecca is also the site of the Ka'ba, which is the holiest shrine in Islam and is the focal point of all prayers. Before praying one must perform ablutions, or ritual washing. During prayers one must perform the correct motions of prayer and speak in Arabic while facing toward the Ka'ba. While prayer can be performed virtually anywhere there are also special places of worship called masjids, or mosque. The mosque is designed as a prayer hall with a niche, or marking, that indicates the qiblah, or direction of Mecca.
The next point of practice is that of fasting. The holy month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was received is celebrated with a ritual all day fast (no food or drink from sun up to sun set). This point of practice is to show reverence for the Qur'an and to thank God for His holy Arabic word. The end of this month of fasting is celebrated with the holiday of 'Eid
The Fourth pillar is that of almsgiving. This idea, similar to the Christian notion of tithing, defines the Muslim's understanding of property and wealth. That is to say, a Muslim is not the owner, rather he is a steward or guardian over what God has given him or her. Almsgiving is the act of giving money to the needy and by doing so one is submitting to the will of Allah and administering well the resources he has given. There are two kinds of almsgiving, the zakat, formal almsgiving, and informal almsgiving. The first is done out of religious obligation and is calculated on certain kinds of wealth and donated to worthy causes. Informal almsgiving is much less structured and done less out of obligation and more because it is the will of Allah to help the less fortunate.
The final pillar that we will discuss is that of pilgrimage. Once in a Muslims life he or she is to perform the act of pilgrimage. This is a ritualistic journey to the Ka'ba in Mecca and surrounding holy sites. The journey climaxes with a visit to the Ka'ba when the pilgrim cirumcmbulates around the holy shrine. There are certain guidelines for the pilgrim such as the financial condition that he or she must leave adequate money to care for their family. One can not go on a pilgrimage just to skip town and get a way from your creditors. There are also health restrictions placed on the pilgrim. The idea is that one should only make the pilgrimage to Mecca if one is physically able.
I have gone to great lengths to tell you about the practice of Islam, but that is not to say that Islam is without doctrine. However, since Islam places so much emphasis on orthopraxis (right practice) I felt by doing the same a clear idea of what it means to be Muslim could be expressed. Doctrine or belief is important, but it is a more private thing whereas practice is basically universal within Islam and in part is defined by practice. For example, one universal doctrine within Islam is the unity of God. The first point of practice defines this point of doctrine. There is no ilah (god) but Allah (the God). This point of practice is a window into the radical monotheism, belief in one supreme deity, of Islam.
