It’s apparent that Muslims are everywhere in the world. Muslims are very holy people who see themselves as coming to god with great humility and submitting to god, creates a sense of equality. The Quran, which is the most sacred text for Muslims, in which they believe is the direct word of god reveal by god messenger, Muhammad. In the Quran, there are words recited frequently in daily prayers and it is used in different sorts of religious occasions.
Islam lacks much religious practices and rituals, but the ones they do practice are very important to them. Most of the rituals are practiced daily, like praying; others are practiced on an annual or monthly basis, depending on what is going on in that year. The five pillars of Islam are a good way to have a greater understanding of Muslims way of life. The five pillars of Islam are the religious duties expected of every Muslim. The first pillar is called Shahadah or confession of faith, basically it is a recited phrase saying that “there is no god, but god and Muhammad is the prophet of god”, this event is how Muslim declares their faith (Parringer 503). It is recited daily, in the call to prayer and part of a practice of mediation.
The second pillar is the salat or ritual prayer which is recited five times a day facing the direction of mecca, the holiest city of Muslim. Before prayer, Muslim must perform a washing ritual in order to be clean, along with wearing good clothes before they present themselves in the presence of god. During this prayer ritual, the worshipper is in a standing position, followed by bowing many times with the forehead touching the ground, while reciting passages from the Quran. The prayer is done at early dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset and night. Whenever it is time to pray, Muslims are made aware of this through a call to worship.
The third pillar is a zakat or charitable event which occurs every year to give the poor a certain percentage of a Muslim salary. It is the duty of a Muslim to help the needy, which would put a them in the good faith of god. The fourth pillar is the Ramadan, where a Muslim fast during the holy month depending on the lunar calendar. They refrain from eating, drinking, or smoking from dawn to sunset. This help to ensure that they can follow their faith in a way that is devotional to god. The fifth pillar is to make pilgrimage to mecca. All men or women are expected to make this journey once in their lifetime. During this process various activities are done such as shaving the head, kissing the black stone and the sacrifice of an animal. Through these five pillars there is a sense of togetherness among Muslim community.
When it comes to an Islam funeral, the prepping of the dead is required before burial. When a Muslim is on their death bed, family members and close friends are present. They encourage the dying person to say the first pillar of Islam, Shahadah, and show empathy. When the person officially dies, someone present close the deceased eyes and cover the body with a clean sheet. Then pray over the dead body and ask Allah to forgive the sins of the dead. While non-Muslim countries accept autopsies and cremation, it is not acceptable in Islam as it is a sign of disrespect to the dead.
Islamic law requires a deceased person to be buried as soon as possible. Burial often happens within twenty-four hours. Before burial, someone who is of Islamic faith washes the body multiple times. The deceased hair should be clean, and if it’s a woman her hair is to be tied into three braids and place behind her back. At the funeral service men and women sit separately and the women cover their heads and arms. After the service, they walked in silence to the burial plot in respect of the dead. In cemeteries, the graves face the holy city of Mecca. The deceased body is placed on their right side without them being in a casket, facing the Kaaba, the house of god, in Mecca. When the body is placed in the grave, wood or stones are placed on top of the body to prevent direct contact with the soil.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
Like Catholics, Muslim believe in life after death, that the dead will remain in their grave, until judgment day where some will ascend to heaven and others who didn’t seek forgiveness will descend to hell. It is prohibited to decorate or put a huge tomb stone on a Muslim grave. Flowers are not welcome at the funeral. They allow a small stone or marker so that the grave is recognizable for future visitors. No recordings are allowed. During the mourning period especially for widowers, they are expected to mourn for months, wear black and are prohibited from interacting with other men. Mourners can express grief at the time of death, at the funeral or burial ground like other religions.
Weddings are vital in the Muslim world and its practices and celebrations varies between countries and regions. Also arrange marriages are popular practice. Potential couples always seek the blessings from Allah through a special prayer done by the religious head of the mosque. There are a lot of gifts exchanges between both families to show acceptance of bride and groom into their future family. The exchange of gift between bride and groom marks the official engagement ceremony.
The grooms would wear Kurta Pajama (it looks like a dress with a pants worn underneath it). They can wear any color except for black, since the color represents mourning. The groom can have jewelry such as gold neck chains, finger rings and bracelets. They can also wear a suit or tuxedo with formal shoes. Dress code is stricter for the bride and she is dress based on what is required in the Quran. Only the face and hands are to be seen by the public. The bride wears a lot of ornaments made of gold and precious stones. she wears a nose ring on the right side of her face which is eventually replaced by a nose pin after she is married. The nose pin in the right side of the nose is compulsory for married Muslim women.
The groom gets to the wedding service by way of a vehicle sent by the bride’s family. A member of the bride’s family follows him to the wedding venue. The relatives of the groom follow this car and the whole wedding party heads towards the wedding venue, this is known as the Baraat. when the groom arrives at the venue, he is welcomed by the bride’s family members and is offered a drink of sweet Sherbet by his potential brother-in-law. The relatives of the groom also receive grand welcome and are sprayed with scented rose water as they enter the wedding venue. Similarly, to their funerals, the men and the women are seated separately. The women surround the bride and the men around the groom.
Throughout the ceremony the bride and groom are separated from each other so that they are not able to see each other. Then they sign a marriage contract which outlines all possible duties of both the bride and the groom as laid out in the Quran, and this signing is observed by two witnesses. Areligious official then recites paragraphs from the Holy Quran which are the same as wedding vows. The bride and groom don’t repeat these vows but listen to them. Then the couple receive their blessings from the elders. During this portion of the ceremony the couple get to see each other for the first time after the ceremony has been completed.
A mirror is placed between the bride and the groom with the Quran on top of it. The mirror is necessary to see the reflection of each other. Finally, the bride says goodbye to her family. Then head on to the home of her husband, where the mother in law awaits her to place the Quran on her head to welcome and remind her of her duties. Like any post wedding a reception party is held. At the reception, the bride and groom are seated on a stage, where they meet, greet and eat. The bride and groom visit her parent’s home on the fourth day of the wedding. Her parents invite the couple to lunch and give them various gifts.
Even though Muslim around the world practice their faith in variety of ways such as how a funeral service is celebrated or the type of dress and rituals for wedding, they all read and believe in the Quran and is governed by the same principles.
Stuck on your essay?
