Islam in UK Essay

I am going to write about â€Å"Islam†. In this topic, I’ll describe Islamic values, Islamic traditions, the meaning of Islam and other things, which are related to Islam. I am writing this to inform Muslims about Islamic culture and values. I have chosen this topic to advise and persuade them to follow the right ways of Islam. The reason to choose this topic is that in Pakistan there are many people who call themselves Muslims, but in reality, they don’t fulfil the duties of Islam. They don’t understand what Islam is. They don’t know how to treat their children, how to teach them Islamic principles. My aim is to inform Muslims about the true meaning of Islam. I’ll get the information from the internet, my family, my teachers and my personal points of view. I am a Muslim therefore I have lots of information about my topic. I’ll tell you about God, belief, sects of Islam, prophets and other information. The people, who call themselves Muslims, they consider that they belong to a Muslim family so they are also Muslims, but it is wrong. They don’t know their religion’s facts. For being a Muslim, they should know their religion’s reality. There are also some people who think that they have recited the creed, so they would be called Muslims, but this is not reality. Muslims are those people who have firm belief in their heart and soul, on Islam, Allah, His angels, His messengers, His books and His revelations. You should believe in the judgement day, and fate and destiny. Muslims believe in only One God, the same God that Jews and Christians believe in. For a Muslim, the life of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the perfect example. A Muslim is that person, who follows the principles and the acts of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), these principles and acts are called ‘Sunnah’. For being a Muslim, the first thing that you should know about Islam is its meaning. Islam is the Arabic word, which simply means peace and purity. Islam connotes submission, surrender, and obedience. As a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and obedience to Allah and therefore it is called ‘Islam’. Anyone who has firm belief in Islam and surrenders himself to Allah is called a Muslim. Islam is not a new religion. It is in essence the same message and guidance which Allah revealed to all His previous messengers. The message which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form. Islam is the religion, which was given to Adam, the first man, and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to humankind. The name of God’s religion Islam was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book of divine revelation, the Koran, Allah states the following: â€Å"This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen Islam for you as your religion†. (Soorah Al-Maa’idah 5:3) After having faith in Allah, a Muslim worships God to seek His will. The five pillars of Islam are core beliefs that shape a Muslim’s thought, deed, and society. A Muslim who fulfils the five Pillars of Islam, remains in the faith of Islam, and sincerely repents of his sins, will make it to paradise. One of these pillars is the ‘Shahada’, which is the Islamic proclamation that â€Å"there is no true God except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah†. This is the declaration that Allah is the one and only true God, that Allah alone is worthy of worship and the sovereign lord who does what he wills with whoever he wills. It means that all of His rules and laws found in the Koran are to be followed. Muhammad is the true and greatest prophet of God and recognition of Muhammad as the Prophet of God is required. It was through Muhammad that God conveyed the last and final revelation. I have seen some Muslims who just recite the Islamic proclamation but do not care about acting upon other pillars. The second pillar is prayer, which involves confession of sins, which begins with the purification of the body and ends with the purification of the soul. Prayer is performed five times a day. The first prayer is at dawn and the last at sunset. The names of the prayers, which are essential to pray, are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. There are also some prayers, which are not obligatory to pray. As a Muslim, I perform these prayers, but unfortunately not regularly. The third pillar is ‘fasting’, which is an act of worship where the faithful follower denies his own needs and seeks Allah. Usually, this fasting entails no drinking, eating, or having sexual relations during the daylight hours for the entire month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is the month of fasting in Islam. I must keep fast myself in the month of Ramadan, but sometimes I keep fast in other days instead of Ramadan. The fourth pillar of Islam is giving alms to poor people, disabled people, orphans and widows. Charity is the biggest source of asking forgiveness for our sins. Whenever I have something to give someone, I give alms to needy people. The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which has been ordered to everyone to do it at least one time in your life. That pilgrimage purifies your soul from all sins as the water cleans the dirtiness. If you perform the five pillars, but do not remain in the faith, you will not be saved. Islam has a number of special occasions of celebration. These occasions are observed with devotion to seek the pleasure of Allah. There is no concept of festival only for pleasure. The festivals are the occasions of thanksgiving, joy and happiness. The two major occasions in Islam in each year are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. I also celebrate these occasions. I enjoy them a lot. Eid-ul-Fitr is observed at the end of the month of Ramadan. On this day, after a month of fasting, Muslims express their joy and happiness by offering a congregational prayer. This day is generally observed as a holiday in Muslim countries. Eid-ul-Adha begins on the 10th of Dhu’l Hijjah and continues until the 12th day of the month. It is celebrated to commemorate the Prophet Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son Ishmael on the command of Allah. This occasion of great importance comes every year during the days of the pilgrimage of Mecca and is observed by offering congregational prayer, as i n Eid-ul-Fitr. Some other occasions to observe and celebrate include Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of power), Lailat-ul-Miraj (Night of the Ascent), the beginning of Hijrah, and the dates for Islamic battles, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Ashurah (10th of Muharram). Islamic festivals are observed according to the Islamic calendar, which is based on Lunar months. The Lunar year is shorter than the solar year by about 10 days. Festival dates are determined by the sighting of the moon. Unfortunately, there is not a single Islamic calendar, which has been accepted by Muslims all over the world. I do not celebrate all of these occasions, but I try my best to celebrate all of these festivals. Nowadays in many Muslim countries, most of people lay stress on celebrating non Islamic festivals instead of Islamic like Basant (festival of flying kites), Holli (festival of playing with colours and music) and Christmas. Some people think that â€Å"a perfect Muslim† is simply one who is correct in the observance of the ritual prayer, the fasting, the charity, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. This is not the fact. If you are not humble, pious and truly God-fearing instead of performing ritual prayers, then you are not a real Muslim. A Muslim should be truthful, honest, and moderate in everything, loving, optimistic, hopeful and sincere. You should take special care to keep away yourself from all the shameful and sinful things God has forbidden. The main forbidden acts in Islam are refusing from the oneness of Allah, testifying false testimonies, murdering people and making money by taking interest on loans. Allah has also forbidden us from taking other’s money unjustly especially money of orphans and needy people. Islam has prohibited us from slandering chaste and pure women, and having sexual relationships outside marriage. The other things, which are not allowed to do in Islam, are drinking alcohol, gambling, stealing, swearing, lying, eating pork and committing suicide. Islam makes faith and religion the basis of the entire human society and the most important for the system of its relationships. The Islamic concept of nationhood is not based on language, colour or region kinship. The Islamic community is a society of faith. Anyone who believes in the Islamic religion and its beliefs is an undeniable part of this nation whatever his race, colour, language or place of birth. I accept it that all human beings are equal. Social responsibilities have lots of importance in a Muslim’s life. The base of Islamic teachings about social responsibilities has been built on kindness and consideration of others. The responsibilities and rights of different relationships are defined in Islam. Islam also lays emphasis on specific acts of kindness. In a widening circle of relationship, our first obligation is to our immediate family which includes parents, husband or wife and children, then to other relatives, neighbours, friends and acquaintances, orphans and widows, the needy of the community, our fellow Muslims, all our fellow human beings and animals. Respect and care for parents is very much stressed in the Islamic teaching and is a very important part of a Muslim’s expression of faith. Islam says that you should be kind to your parents, whether if they reach their old age in their lifetime. You should not say to them a word of contempt nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. Your mother has more right on you than your father, because she gives you birth after facing many problems. Mother has three times higher level than father, therefore it is said that the paradise lies under the feet of your mother. You should obey your mother’s command whether that command is right or wrong. There is only one command of your mother, which has been prohibited to obey, and that command is refusing from the uniqueness of Allah. I respect my parents very much, especially my mother, because I know that I have to give answer to my Allah, on the Day of Judgment. On that day, children will be called referring to their mother’s names. As parents, you have some jobs towards your children. Your first aim towards your child is to teach him Islamic values. You should treat your children with love and kindness. You should get them good education. You are responsible for their spiritual and moral amendment. You should fulfil all their needs. You should not torture them, because the person, who does not love children, is not one of the Muslims. The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, â€Å"children are the flowers of Allah’s garden†. I also like children very much, because they are very innocent and cute. They are far away from tyranny and sins. As a husband, you have some duties and responsibilities towards your wife. You should give your wife her dowry in its entirety, and co-habit with her in a good way, take care of her and teach her matters of her religion. You should guard her in her religion and dignity, and protect her secrets, honour her family and her friends. I have seen many Muslim husbands in Pakistan and England who don’t respect their wives and their family and relatives. They torture their wives like an animal if their wives are barren or do not bring many expensive things in their dowry. As a wife, you have some duties and responsibilities towards your husband. Your duty is the good organization of your home. The house is your kingdom and you are its princess. You should protect your husband’s property and children, and should be honest and truthful to him. You should respect your husband and his family and relatives. In my family, some of my relatives are very obedient to their husbands and look after their children in the absence of their husbands. My mother is also one of them. For being a Muslim, you also have some obligations towards your other relatives such as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, brothers, sisters, mother-in-law, father-in-law and others. You should help them in their needs whether that help is financial, emotional or social. You should speak to them very softly and respect them. According to the statement of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), you are not a Muslim, if you know that your neighbours are hungry and you eat whole heartedly. If your neighbours are not safe from your injurious conduct, you do not believe in Islam. A teacher has a great position in Islam. A teacher is called a spiritual father, because he is responsible for a sensible and educated society. It is your duty to respect your teacher as you respect and take care about your parents. I have never talked to my teachers harshly, because I have lots of respect in my heart for all of my relatives. According to the Koran and Sunnah, as a Muslim, you have to discharge your moral responsibility not only to your parents, children, relatives and neighbours, but also to the entire humankind, animals and trees and plants. Hunting of birds and animals for the sake of game is not permitted. Similarly, cutting trees and plants which yield fruit is forbidden unless there is a very serious need for it. Thus, on the basic moral characteristics, Islam builds a higher system of morality by virtue of which humankind can realize its greatest potential. Islam purifies the soul from selfishness, tyranny, shamelessness and indiscipline. In Islam, it is said that all individuals become responsible and accountable for their behaviour at the age of puberty. At that time, the Islamic teachings about modest dress apply to any person whether that person is male or female. Nothing should be seen of you except your face, feet and hands when you reach your age of puberty. Therefore, at this age, it is expected from you to adopt more modest styles of dress that do not expose too much. As a Muslim, I also act upon these teachings of Islam. According to Sunnah, all Muslim marriages should be simple and far away from false showing of wealth. Nowadays Muslims spend lots of money on marriages which is their waste of money. I have attended many marriages in which people use their money incorrectly. As a Muslim, you can give your money to the needy persons for the sake of Allah instead of wasting your money on unnecessary customs. I can conclude from this piece of writing that what I have set out to do, I have achieved it. My aim was to tell Muslims about the true meaning of Islam. I have not been completely successful in achieving my aim, because I had decided to write about Islamic months, Islamic education and Islamic miracles, but I could not include them in my piece of writing because of the word limit. It was not too difficult to do the research, because I got most of information from the internet and from my personal experience. I could not find suitable books for my topic, therefore I searched on the internet. I really enjoyed doing the extended writing, because I have learnt lots of things about Islam. I have learned lots of vocabulary. I have found out how to write a long essay and how to join paragraphs to each other. By finding information, I have found out that Islam is the second largest religion in the world. According to the estimation, the range of Muslims is from 0.7 to 1.2 billion worldwide. Bibliography: The Koran http://www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/index.shtml (9.02.05) http://www.hammoude.com/Islam.html (20.3.05) http://islam.about.com (28.03.05) http://www.carm.org/islam/faith_five_pillars.htm (28.03.05) http://www.religioustolerance.org/islam.htm (6.04.05)