Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim....




The Mujahada in Prada

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

~My Ramadaan Diary-The Five Pillars~

Since my conversion to Islam four years ago, one of the most recurring comments I’ve received from non-Muslims is their concern that Islam is so “strict”. I’ve been asked how we keep track of so many rules, how we still enjoy ourselves when we can’t do anything “fun”, even how we have time to do ANYTHING else in our lives when we have to pray SO MUCH.


That last one especially makes me chuckle a bit inside, although I try not to be rude when confronted with it, because really: we were blessed with twenty four hours every day by Allah (God) so how can praying for maybe three of those (and that’s including Sunnah and Taraweeh prayers) be SO MUCH?

I can understand how others may feel Islam is especially strict in comparison to other religions. But to put it simply, we do not have any more rules than any other religion; we just still try our best to follow them as the original Muslims did insh’Allah (God-willing), instead of shifting or bending them to fit modern life more easily.

In my last diary entry I talked a bit about fasting and the reasoning behind it. I attempted to answer a couple of the most common questions I’ve been addressed with by non-Muslims, and tried to clear up a few misunderstandings that seem to persist. I thought it was only fair after covering one of our five basic “Pillars” or requirements of Muslims, that I should address the other four.

Faith…Prayer…Charity…Pilgrimage

When we talk of faith, we don’t mean faith in a general sense. Faith when relating to Islam specifically indicates faith in only One God, and the knowledge that Muhammad was His messenger. When one chooses to revert/convert to Islam there is a statement that is made, usually in front of an imam (head of a Mosque or Masjid) along with another one or two witnesses. This statement is referred to as the Shahada and is said in Arabic.

Ashadu an la ilaha ila Llah, Muhammad ir Rasoolu’Llah.

There is no god except God (Allah) and Muhammad is His messenger.

To Muslims, especially converts, those simple words can bring tears to your eyes. Witnessing someone take their shahada is probably the single most uplifting, emotional experience that Muslims can have (other than taking their shahada themselves). This faith is the first pillar of Islam and is quite simple and straightforward. Muslims do not believe in a trinity, or the status of Jesus as God’s son. We believe in one god (Allah) and in the importance of Muhammad as His messenger, the one who received the revelations of the Qur’an.

The second of the five pillars is prayer. In Islam there are two different types of prayer, the required (fard) prayers that we must say throughout the day, and supplemental prayers (du’a) that we can make whenever we feel the need for support, guidance, or protection as we live our daily lives. Many non-Muslims have asked me why we pray SO MUCH. According to authentic (sahih) stories (hadith) that have been passed down by scholars throughout the generations, Allah (God) first commanded His followers to complete fifty prayers a day. Prophet Muhammad ascended with the angel Gabriel to the heavens to beg on the people’s behalf that we would not be able to complete this number of prayers a day. After much begging, Allah commanded that we complete only five prayers a day, and we would still receive the rewards as though we had completed all fifty. (Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, #345) The fact that we are given the reward for fifty prayers, by completing only five shows how merciful Allah is, and is an example of how although the guidelines in Islam may seem more strict, there is great reward in abiding by them. Five prayers a day may seem to non-Muslims to be a lot of time spent in prayer, but it is also time that prevents a person from falling idle, committing sins, or otherwise wasting time. It is much easier to spend this time praying than to spend it suffering from the effects of our behavior.

In Islam we are required to give charity to others. We refer to this charity as Zakaat The purpose of Zakaat is to spread wealth throughout the community, to prevent us from becoming greedy or miserly, and to help us to remember others during times of need. The importance of Zakaat is revealed in the Qur’an, as well as hadith. Although the giving of Zakaat may seem to others to be hard, especially in tough economical times, it is shown in many hadith that giving something even as small as a half of a date will be rewarded.

"Save yourself from Hell-fire even by giving half a date-fruit in charity." (Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 24, #498)

The pilgrimage that Muslims are required to make is called Hajj. Hajj is a time of symbolically stripping away people’s social and economic standing, by wearing simple garments, traveling to Makkah and completing seven rotations around the Ka’ba, as well as seven trips between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa. At the end of this journey all the pilgrims join together in prayer, a time that is the most uplifting and spiritually moving experience in a Muslims’ life. After Hajj is over there is a huge celebration called Eid Al-Adha that includes prayer, and exchanging gifts. Although Hajj may seem to others to be demanding and difficult, it is only required of those physically and economically able to make the trip.

When asked if it is “hard” to be Muslim, or when confronted with skeptics who view it as too demanding I like to counter with this thought: Which is harder, to prostrate yourself in front of your Creator five times a day and beg for forgiveness, or to pull yourself out of a life of sin or despair that was caused by too much idle time and a lack of direction? Which is harder, to share your wealth a bit with others who are worse off than you, or to be one of the “worse off” with no one to turn to because you refused to help anyone when you had the chance? Which is harder: to stay strong in your imaan and avoid drinking alcohol, abstain from improper relationships with the opposite sex, and steer clear of gambling and cheating; or to lose the respect of your family, your relationships with your loved ones, and your potential for a good future due to alcoholism, pre-marital and extra-marital affairs and excessive debt?

This is exactly why when someone approaches me with their concerns over the “strictness” of Islam, and pity me that I don’t have any fun in my life I just smile. You can have your fun. I don’t need it, I have my faith…my prayer…my fasting…my charity…and my pilgrimage. And I am happy with that. Alhamdulillah.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Fasting.

Fashionably Yours,
The (yes, I still have fun) Mujahada in Prada

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Assalaamu Alaikum waRamatullahi waBarakatuh habibti! MashaAllah reading this brought tears to my eyes as I remember taking my Shahada 4 years ago as well. I have had my ups and downs with my iman, as we all have, but I have never once regretted taking my shahada and CHOOSING to become a Muslima. Alhamdulilah we were guided and have the opportunity to raise our children as Muslims. Alhamdulilah we are reverts and HAVE to learn the Qur'an and Sunnah on our own through research through reliable sources, instead of confusing culture with Islam and blindly following traditions. This was another excellent article! I can't wait to see what you have to chat about next :)

Anonymous said...

Salam Alaykum sister,
Great piece of writing here. It's lifestyle. Prayer is a part of the daily activity. It's so simple and some people just don't get it. People also make too much out of someone who is a quote revert. I reverted to Islam many years ago but I don't explain myself this way. My faith is Islam. I am Muslim by faith. I'm not a "revert Muslim". Just a Muslim. Let's help people understand.

Jay said...

Wow.
I just read a few of your posts and I must say that it is really intriguing, especially the latest about Ramadan.
It's amazing when I hear about someone who converted to Islam, since I hold my religion very close to me, and it's beautiful when hearing someone else who loves it.

It is funny how some people see it as so difficult to refrain from eating....

Thanks for your wonderful blog. I'll check back soon.

The Mujahada in Prada said...

Walaikum Salaam!

I really appreciate your comments and encouragement, and love to hear from you! I'm always happy to have people actually give me feedback, as it can be quite discouraging to take the time to write a post and then never hear anything from anyone.

To Anonymous: I appreciate you point of view about the reversion thing, but I respectfully disagree. I think it is a wonderful thing to celebrate when someone reverts, and I think it is something that should be made a big deal. Yes, we are all born muslims, but unfortunately (especially here in the States, and in Europe) it can be hard to find your way back to Islam later on in life. I think it is important to raise awareness that people can revert/convert to Islam, because many people have the misconception that only people of Middle Eastern descent can be Muslim. It is important to me that others (especially non-Muslims) know that anyone who believes in only one god, Allah, and knows that Muhammad (saws) was His messenger can revert to Islam too, it's not some exclusive club only for Arabs.
Anyways, thanks for the comment, insh'Allah you understand where I am coming from, and I really do appreciate your feedback.

Until next time, stay fashionable my stylish sisters!!

Allah Ma'aku

Jay Kactuz said...

Which is harder, to say a lot of sweet, cute words that change nothing, or to stand up to those who preach hate and violence against non-Muslims and discriminate against them everywhere Islam dominates?

Which is harder, to talk about how good you are because you follow silly rituals, or to think about the hundreds and hundreds of verses in the Quran that demean non-Muslims? Do you really think non-Muslims are lower than animals?

Which is easier, to blame non-Muslims for everything that goes wrong in a Muslim's life or in Islamic societies, or to consider the effect of a doctrine based upon an inflexible, fascist dogma that teaches Muslims that they are better than others ("You are the best of people)".

Which is easier, to talk about the many sins and failings of non-Muslims throughout history, or to consider endless wars the wars upon others starting with Mohammed, a man that spent 10 years of his life attacking others, doing horrible things? Tell me, have you actually read the hadith? So do you really believe that attacking others, looting, murder, torture, enslavement of men women and children, and rape of captives is ok because your prophet did it because the Quran says that Mohammed is a good example to follow if you want to see paradise?

Oh, by the way, Allah didn't "commanded that we complete only five prayers a day". If you read the Quran, it requires only three prayers in the several verses that mention this. The five prayer requirement is from the hadith! Allah says 3, Mohammad says 5, so who wins?

Silly rituals are easy and require no real moral actions or courage. Why don’t you instead go down to the mosque and ask about the hundreds and hundreds of Quranic verses that denigrate non-Muslims, or better yet, ask about how Muslims treat others everwhere they dominate?

Think about these things. This posts doesn't qualify as stylish, but it is honest and necessary.

oldie goldie said...

well said, sis mashaAllah!

The Mujahada in Prada said...

Salaam uAlaikum to everyone who left comments.
I debated long and hard if I should publish the comment left by Jay, and in the end decided I could not pick and choose only the positive comments.
I have pages and pages to write back to that comment, not just "sweet cute words" as you have called my post, but actual hadiths, and passages from the Qur'an and Bible both that may help clear up some obvious misconceptions you have about Islam and our beloved Prophet. Unfortunately, and quite honestly, I have neither the time nor the energy to compose my thoughts and reply in an intelligent manner. I'm not sure that even if I had the time it would make much of a difference, as it seems pretty obvious to me you have made up your mind about Islam and those who follow it.
I instead will ask my sisters in Islam to assist me by posting hadiths they feel are relevant, and have faith that they will do so in a polite and respectful manner, until I have the time and energy to come back with my own thoughts.
Forgive me for being unable to do so at this time, but my life is a bit tumultuous and my attention needs to be focused elsewhere.
Jazzak Allahu khairun in advance my Fashionable Followers, and I pray that your eyes will be opened to the truth Jay. I do appreciate your comments, no matter what their content is.
Allah Ma'aku

jasmin said...

hey jay,

i wont be sweet or cute with you. ill be absolutely blunt. first of all, no one is forcing you to convert to islam, so dont worry about it.

second of all, since you seem so well versed about the quran, you also did read how we believe in jesus, how we believe he's the messiah, how we are to respect our fellow brothers and sisters that believe in God? right? or are we just going to pretend to be that ignorant? did you read about jihad or do you also think it directly translates to holy war too?

third of all, what is your faith? i would love to know so i can sling back as much contradictions and fallacies as you say islam has. so bring it.

fourth of all, your ignorance is not respected. if islam sucks so much, then it would not be the second greatest religion in the world, the fastest growing, and the most converted to. on a day to day basis, islam rocks. we dont change the laws day to day to fit the politics like some churches do, and we also dont rewrite what god or jesus wrote in the bible. we also dont have about 100+ authors to our holy book. only one. islams never hurt anyone. and since you know so much, you should know the terrorists arent really muslims and arent considered muslim by 99% of the muslim world.

and most importantly, the quran always comes first. if god says three prayers, and muhammad says five, use some goddamn common sense. will it hurt to pray two more times a day? no it wont. so no one is rewriting god's word.

Aminah said...

Well said, Jasmin. I'm not about to waste my time debating with someone who has obviously already made up his mind and spends his time trolling on Islamic sites:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=off&&sa=X&ei=DQ2UTKmtBYSdlgfOyOGoCg&sqi=2&ved=0CBEQvgUoAA&q=Jay+Kactuz&nfpr=1&fp=7b3e9e0669ddb0a1

May Allah guide him.