(2) SALAT - Prayer

Salat, sometimes translated as prayer, is the 2nd pillar of Islam. Salat is the foundation of Islam and is a gift from ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. Salat was prescribed by ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, during the Prophet Muhammad's, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, Night Journey and Ascension, when he went from Makkah to Jerusalem, led all the Prophets, alaihim assalaam, in Salat, and then ascended through the 7 Heavens. At the final stop, he received the 5 daily Salawat (plural of Salat) from ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. Muslims are required to perform Salat 5 times everyday at prescribed times. These times are referred to as Fajr, Thuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.

Before Salat is performed, one must be in a state of purity and cleanliness. This requires performing Wudu, Ablution, in a specific manner and may require a full shower or bath. Salat can be performed individually, but the reward is greater if it is performed in a group, referred to as a Jama'ah, with an Imam leading the group. Normally, the Jama'ah performs their Salat in a Masjid, or Mosque, referred to as a House of ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. In addition, Muslims are encouraged to offer voluntary Salat at most times during the day and night. (There are some times when Salat is not allowed.) The voluntary Salat are offered in the same manner as the required 5 daily Salawat and can be offered in Jama'ah, but usually are offered individually.

Salat combines recitations from the Quran, Glorifying ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, hand movements, bowing, prostrating and head movements. For more information on Salat or any other aspect of Islam, please contact the IFANCA or your local Islamic Center or Masjid.



SHAHADA - The Oath (1)

I bear witness there is no God but ALLAH and I bear witness that Muhammad is HIS Messenger.

This is the oath that brings a person into the fold of Islam and unites the person with the over 1.4 billion Muslims in the world today. It is a simple phrase, with enormous meaning.

First, one must testify, bear witness, take the oath, and believe, that there is only one God, whose proper name is ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, is the Creator, the First and the Last, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the All-Encompassing being that created the Heavens and the Earth, the Just, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms, the Forgiving.

ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, has no partners and ascribing partners to HIM is the only sin which will not be forgiven.

Next, one must testify, bear witness, take the oath and believe that Prophet Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, is the Messenger of ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, sent as a mercy for all creatures. Muslims believe in all the Prophets and Messengers, alaihim assalaam. That includes the ones whose names have been revealed (as listed above) as well as the over 124,000 others whose names have not been revealed. Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, is the seal of the Prophets and Messengers, alaihim assalaam. There will be no more Prophets sent to mankind, as the final Message has been delivered in the form of the Quran.

To be a Muslim, one must utter this simple phrase, believe in it, and hold true to its meaning. That brings one into the fold of Islam. This is the most important pillar of Islam. The belief in One God, ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, is referred to as Tawheed and is the basis of Islamic belief. All acts of worship are based on this.

Islam is based on 5 pillars :

1.     Shahada

2.     Salat

3.     Zakat

4.     Siyam

5.     Hajj

These will be explained later. Some of the additional practices Muslims are required to observe include Modesty, Kindness to neighbors, Cleanliness, Justice, Close family ties and Facing the direction of the Ka'ba during Salat. Some of the practices which are forbidden to Muslims include Eating pork or pork by-products, Consuming alcoholic beverages, Incest and Riba, which is dealing with usury. It should be noted that a prohibition in Islam requires totally avoiding any association with the prohibited item. For example, the prohibition of alcohol means it is not allowed to drink it, transport it, buy it, sell it, manufacture it, grow the raw materials for producing it or in any way being involved with it.

The Muslim calendar is called the Hijra Calendar and is a lunar based calendar. It consists of 12 months, with each month beginning upon the sighting of the new moon. This results in months that are 29 or 30 days long. (No month can be longer than 30 days.) Hence the Hijra calendar seems to float or span through the Gregorian Calendar. The calendar gets its name from the Hijra (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, from Makkah to Madina.

ISLAMIC BELIEFS

Islam is an Arabic word which means Submission or to Submit to The Supreme Being, The Creator, whose proper name is ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. The Oneness of ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, is the basic principle of Islam, and is called Tawheed. Muslims are those who submit, totally, to ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Creator and Sustainer. As part of this worship, Muslims are required to believe in :

• The Oneness of the Creator
• The Angels created by ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala
• All the Divine Scriptures, including the Books of Ibrahim (Abraham), alaihis salaam, the Torah revealed to Musa (Moses), alaihis salaam, the Injeel revealed to 'Issa (Jesus), alaihis salaam, the Scriptures of Dawoud (David), alaihis salaam, and all other Divine Scriptures.
• All the Prophets and Messengers, alaihim assalaam, from Adam, alaihis salaam, through Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam. These include Adam, Idris, Nuh (Noah), Hud, Salih, Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma'eel (Ishmael), Is-haaq (Isaac), Ya'qoub (Jacob), Lut (Lot), Yusuf (Joseph), Ayoub (Job), Thil-Kifl, Yunus (Jonah), Musa (Moses), Haroon (Aaron), Ilyas-sa' (Elisha), Ilyas (Elijah), Dawoud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Zakaria, Yahya (John), 'Issa (Jesus), alaihim assalaam, and Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, as well as the over 124,000 others whose names have not been revealed.
• The Day of Resurrection, also referred to as the Day of Judgement or Day of Reckoning, when all human beings will be evaluated based on their own deeds and will be rewarded a place in Paradise or a place in Hellfire.
• The existence of Paradise and Hellfire.
• Al-Qadar. Al-Qadar is the understanding that some facets of our lives have been pre-destined by ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. These include the existence of all creatures, the length of a person's life span, and the amount of provision (or wealth) they will receive. Although ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, has the Supreme authority, HE has granted man, HIS Vicegerent (deputy) use of a limited authority in exercising discretion and making choices. Since accountability presupposes authority, ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, equipped man with all the necessary and appropriate faculties to understand and exercise judgement. ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, out of HIS Mercy, revealed additional guidance through HIS chosen Prophets, alaihim assalaam, to explain the rewards and the consequences of one's deeds. It is up to man to make or mar his own future.

Nazarbayev: Muslim world should defend Islam’s image

ASTANA – The Muslim world must launch a media campaign to create a more positive image of Islam, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev told participants at the 7th World Islamic Economic Forum June 8, according to Novosti-Kazakhstan.

The Islamic world needs to reinforce the image of Islam as a religion of peace, kindness, tolerance and justice, he said, adding that the Islamic world is itself a target of terrorism.

Terrorism is linked not only to trans-national crime but to geo-political sources too, he said.

Nazarbayev also called for the Islamic world’s 10 largest economies to form a group for dialogue, akin to the Western world’s G8. The Islamic world has the resources to back substantial investment in its own countries, he said. 

Prince Naif opens Haj research forum in Makkah

By ARAB NEWS

Published: Jun 15, 2011 01:03 Updated: Jun 15, 2011 02:01

MAKKAH: On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, inaugurated a scientific forum for Haj research, which is attended by nearly 1,000 speakers, experts and delegates.

Prince Naif commended the efforts of King Abdullah to improve Haj services. "King Abdullah's support for this forum is a good example for that." He wished every success for the forum and hoped it would contribute to further improving services to the guests of God.

"Toward Realizing the Vision" is the title of the forum, which is organized by the Haj Research Institute of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja, who is acting higher education minister, attended the opening session.

Bakri Assas, president of the university, commended the government's efforts to manage the annual pilgrimage, the largest congregation of Muslims in the world. He also noted the institute's efforts to improve Haj and Umrah services by carrying out scientific studies.

Abdul Aziz Soroji, dean of the institute and chairman of the organizing committee, said his institute has been organizing this annual forum for the past 10 years to review the latest research works and exchange expertise on improving Haj and Umrah services. He said the forum would discuss 50 research papers.

Later, a documentary was screened highlighting the institute's achievements over the past years.

The event will be organized by the Haj research institute at Umm Al-Qura University in the holy city.

Jakarta to Host International Islamic Information Conference June 14, 2011

The Indonesian government in cooperation with the Rabithah Alam al Islami, a non-governmental Islamic organization based in Mecca, plans to hold an International Islamic Information Conference in Jakarta in September.

The secretary general of the ministry of religious affairs, Bahrul Hayat, made the announcement to newsmen here on Monday after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Rabithah Alam al Islami (the Muslim World League).

He said the role of the media was very important in the current globalization era, especially for the Muslim world. "The media has given its contribution to development in the Muslim world," he said.

He said the conference would be about media and information technology in the Islamic world and finding solutions for Islamic countries to deal with the fast development of information and communication technology.

"The theme, however, still has yet to be finalized with the Rabithah," he said.

He said he hoped the media could help with information development in poor Islamic countries. "How should the poor Islamic countries deal with information and communication technology development," he asked.

He said he hoped the conference could later be carried out periodically.

"Perhaps once a year or once in two years," he said.

He said that through the event Indonesia would ask the world to see media constellation in the Islamic countries and prove that Indonesia could become one of the world`s Islamic civilization centers.

The president director of media and relations of the Rabithah Alam al Islami, Hassan Al Ahdal, meanwhile said that Indonesia could play a strategic role in the world especially in showing the true face of Islam to the world, as the country has the world`s biggest Muslim population.

"Indonesia and the Muslim World League are committed to campaigning that Islam is a religion of peace," he said.