Shari’ah(The Laws)

Theseare the general rules of conduct in deeds which are to be done bymortal man inword, and procedure, which regulate man’s relation with his Lord, andhisrelations within the society in which he lives among his family,neighbors andbrethren; and on the economic cultural, political and social levels,amongindividuals of the same community, and among larger communities-One totheother.

Shari‘ah is sometimesreferred to as Islam, in relation to Faith, which refers to belief, asmentionedin the Hadith of the Archangel Gibriel with the Prophet (PBUH), whenGibrielasked him about Islam, and as recorded in another Hadith; ProphetMohammad (PBUH)said: “Islam is built upon five pillars: Testimony that there is no godbutAllah ,and Mohammad is the Apostle of Allah; performing prayer; payingthe Zakat;fasting in the month of Ramadan; and pilgrimage to Makkah for those whocanafford it” (Narrated by Abdullah Ebn’Umr).  This Hadith points tosomeaspects of Shari‘ah which involves worship and in its essence ofpracticality;it involves indeed all the obligations in every respect.

The Two Testimonies

Byboth of them is meant, confirmation by utterance of tongue, that thereis no godbesides Allah; and thatMohammad is the Messenger of Allah. With this the conformer will betreatedaccording to Islam -as a Muslim.  Ifthis confirmation is in accord with what is in his heart, then it willbeaccepted by Allah, and by the people.   If it is theopposite, then he is a hypocrite; and again if the peopleaccept him on face value, it is because they do not know the secrets oftheheart; Surely Allah Sanctified shall refuse him.

Allah Most High said:

“Andamong people are those who stimulate the belief in God give credence tohisOmnipotence and Authority and acknowledge the truth of the Hereafterwhile infact they hug their old irreverent conviction to their heart; Theyapply theirmind to deceive God, the Omniscient Who knows what is secretlysuggested to themind and to deceive those whose hearts have been impressed with theimage ofreligious and spiritual virtues, when in point of fact they onlydeceivethemselves but they fail to perceive.” ( Sura 2: 8-9)

And He alsosaid:

“Indeed,the hypocrites are destined to the abode in the deep bottomless abyssof Hell,and never shall you find anyone who you can afford them help.” *1

PRAYER

Thisis the head of all worship and the cornerstone of religion.

AllahThe Almighty said:

“Andwhen you feel safe and secure, then you perform the act of worship inthe propermanner as prescribed by God, for the act of worship has been aprescriptive ruleincumbent on those whose hearts have been touched with the Divine handtoobserve at the scheduled hours.” ( Sura 4: 103)

Itstrengthens man’s link with Allah, and nourishes the tree of faith, inorder forit to bear fruit every moment, by the grace of the Lord.

AllahMost High said:

“Andadore Me with the appropriate acts and rites and I observe the act ofdivineworship which is dutiful to Me and which makes your remembrance applyto Me.”(Sura20: 14)

If prayeris performed with truth and sincerity, it makes man feel his nobility,whichdoes not diminish or wane with it before Allah alone, and it rectifieshisprivate as well as his social conduct.

AllahMost High said:

“Andestablish worship and adore God, your Creator, with appropriate actsand rites,for prayer (characterized by sincerity) checks abomination andimmorality  (Sura29: 45)

Prayeris performed five times during the day and night, every day. Everyprayer issaid at its own fixed time: two Rak‘ats in the morning, four at noon,four inthe late afternoon, three at sunset, and four in the late evening.

Whatcomes besides these is optional. Friday prayer is two Rak‘ats replacingthefour Rak‘ats of noon prayer.

ALMS- GIVING “ZAKAH”

Thismeans a person deducting limited amount from his property which reachesitscommon rate up to the equivalent of 2.5% of ratable property, which issurplusof the person’s needs. It is distributed to the needy, and charitableconcerns.

Allah Most Highsaid :

“Andpay reverence and veneration to me, and duly engage in worship and giveZakah ,for Alms are but the vehicles of prayer ” (Sura 2:43)

And He also said:

“Andthey apportioned a determinate share of their wealth to distributeamong theneedy who make request for aid, and among those without the means forbaresubsistence and among the faint souls past corporal toil.” (Sura51:19)

Andit is one of the modes of social security or well-being andCo-operation for thecommon good of the society, besides the fact that if purifies man fromthe viceof stinginess and worship of mammon (material things or property),

Allah Most Highsaid:

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“Take(O Mohammad) from their wealth a sum of money to be given to the poor,as anoffering to set upon the course of purity of thought and action and toimpartsanctity to them” (Sura9:103)

Propertieson which the poor-rate is payable and the prescribed proportion andquotas atwhich they are leviedare detailed in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and Shari’ah’s Books. Inadditionthere is a kind of Zakat  called ‘ Zakatul Fitr’ , taken out inconnectionwith the fast of Ramadan .

Fasting

Thisis abstinence from food, drink and carnal desire, from dawn to sunsetevery dayduring the month of Ramadan .As stated in the Holy Qur’an .

Allah TheAlmightysaid :

“Oyou who believe with hearts impressed with the image of religious andspiritualvirtues, the prescriptive role of fasting is decreed for you to observeas itwas observed by those who came before you in time, so that you mayentertain theprofound reverence dutiful to God and lift Him your inward sight.

“It is a religious observance that lasts for a fixed number of days. “(Sura2:182)

Allah Most High Said :

“The month of fasting is the month of Ramadan, during which the strikingdisclosure of the Qur’an to man began  to have free course toguide peopleinto all truth, and its  clear and plain revelations guides out ofdarknessand  superstition of later times and out of want of spiritual andintellectualsight into illumination and enlightenment as possessed by the mind ,and itsprecepts stand as the  standard and the  canon by whoperceives thebirth of the  moon by sight shall fast the whole month. ” (Sura2:184)

Andif by fasting there is abstinence from what Allah has made lawful, thenabstinence from the unlawful comes first and foremost. Fast protectsone againstbodily and psychological  diseases. A person fasting shall beacquaintedwith the presence of Allah and with sincerity or loyalty to Him. It isapractice for the person, of patience and endurance; and it implants inhimmercy, virtue , and it strengthens the bonds of society in general .

Pilgrimage

Thisis a visit to the sacred of House Allah in  Mecca,  toperform therites. It is obligatory only once in a lifetime, for those who canafford it .

Allah Most Highsaid:

“Andpilgrimage is a duty incumbent on people ; those of them who can affordto dohomage and honour to Almighty God. ” *1

Allah hasmade it obligatory both for the perpetuity of his House (Ka’abah) andforproviding for the guardians thereof, in answer to the invocation ofIbrahim, (onwhom be peace ) as stated in the Holy Qur’an :

“OGod our Creator, I have made some of my progeny take abode in anuncultivatedvalley in the vicinity of your  Sacrosanct House in order thatthey engage,O God,  in the act of worship. let the hearts and souls of peopleO God, bemoved toward them with tenderness  and affection. (Sura 3:97)

andprovide them with the fruits of the earth so that they may hopefully bethankful. ” (Sura 14:37)

Moreover,by performing Pilgrimage, Muslims are bound to the first House foundedformankind, and from which the Call to Islam has sprung. By this, theirfaith isstrengthened, and the cord of unity among them is strengthened throughthecongregation of the pilgrimage, in which differences diminish ordisappear . Thesingle motto is “present”( Talbiayah) and Allah is Greatest (Takbir).In it are cultural, economic political and other benefits or values .

AsAllah Most Sanctified says :

“Andproclaim pilgrimage to the people. They shall come to you on foot andmountedupon the back of every lean and exhausted beast  of burden fromeveryremote, distant and far away  place. ” (they shall be eager torespondto your call) in order to observe facts  and event. That  areconsidered  as a source knowledge, and to participate in  theintercourse  of life and envisage the spiritual and thedeeply movingsacred events and associations which dateas  far back as the mostancienttimes ” And they will extol and proclaim the glorious attributes of Godthroughout the whole continuance of the predetermined days inappreciation ofGod ‘s blessings, and be actuated with the feeling of gratitude andgratefulnessfor what He provided for them of cattle for sacrifice, and to fulfillwhat Godhas enjoined ” (Sura 22:27-28)

Pilgrimageis performed during specific months , which are Shawal, Dhul-Qidah andup to the10th day of Dhul-Hijah. The most important pillar in this is thepresence at’Arafat on the 9th day of Dhul-Hijah, Besides pilgrimage, there is’Umrah, whichcan be performed at any time of the year .

Thedetails of this topic are to be found in the Qur’an , the SunnahandShari’ah Books .

Theprinciple of performances is to follow what is mentioned in the Qur’anand theSunnah; any innovation is not permissible in it. The obligations ingeneral arecharacterized by easiness and avoiding hardship.

Allah Most Highsaid:

“Goddoes not charge a soul but with what it can bear “(Sura 2:286)

After which Hesaid:

‘Godpurposes to put you at ease and not make you experience discomfort.“(Sura 2:185)

Allah Most High also said :

“He did not intend to put you in difficulty nor to create for youdifficulties inthe system of faith and worship which  He has chosen for you. “(Sura22:78)

Allah the Almighty alsosaid :

“And God means to unburden your minds and your conscience by ordainingwhat iscompatible with your nature and to unburden you from the sins andsorrows of

life,for man  was  created wanting in moral strength for enduranceandresistance, lacking  fortitude and courage ,strength of purposeand will,and the weakest among you are often deceived by others ” (Sura4:28)

Andwhile Islam has lightened burdens .

Allah the Almighty said:

“Therefore, entertain the profound reverence dutiful to God to the best.” (Sura64:16)

Thestrictness which might result in debility and shortage is discouragedalso , andthe Hadith truly says:” It’s advisable to carry out the religiousobligations according to your ability .” And it is also true that :

“Although, the religion is facilitating to you , no one yet overcomesit. “Cited by Bukhari)

Theseare the most important acts of worship which require the correctintention andsincerity of action. They are items(codes) of personal and socialconduct. Soprayer is for the strengthening of the link with Allah , although itwill not beaccepted by Allah  unless its effect is seen in socialconduct. Fast is for the repairing of personal conduct by strengtheningthe willand purifying the ego; and yet it will not be accepted by Allah, unlessitseffect is seen or palpable in society.

Almsgiving is for the strengthening of social situations at a simple humanelevel.Pilgrimage serves to strengthen the broader social spectrum at thelevel of theentire Muslim nation,  although each of these latter two , haveeffectsupon personal conduct. And so , the acts of worship are an epitome ofpiety inits broad sense, which is sometimes applied to obedience and at otherstouprightness and upon which human happiness is based in this world andin thenext

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Chapter Four