Islam is not for blood thirsty terrorists

Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai

Currently Muslims all over the world are involved in the month long annual Ramadan fast during which they would abstain from food, water and sexual pleasures with their married partners from dawn to dusk. With regard to unmarried men and women sex is prohibited to them at all times. A visit to almost all mosques in the cities and towns would reveal large congregations especially of the youth who attend the five daily prayers with emphasis on the evening prayers during which they break their fast. Alhamdulillah for some years now, most of the youths who troop the mosques are found to have remained serious Muslims praying regularly long after the month of Ramadan. It is our prayer that this good attitude of the Muslim youth must from now on remain true Muslims.

To be able to pray regularly and follow the tenets of Islamic prayers, one must first be a Muslim and accept the pillars of Islam.

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

First Pillar (Faith or Iman)

The Prophet Muhammad has said that Islam has been built on fie pillars; testifying that there is no god but God and that Mohammed is the messenger of God. Acceptance of God as one’s Lord is like making a covenant to place him at the central point in one’s thoughts and emotions. It means entrusting oneself to Him entirely, and focusing upon him all ones hopes and aspirations, fears and entreaties. …..instead of living for worldly things he or she must live for this world and the hereafter.

2nd pillar prayers

The second pillar is accepting to pray as prescribe by God especially the five daily prayers that were introduced to mankind through Prophet Mohammed pbh. The prayers which are led by Imams after the Muslims perform ablution for cleanliness is meant to ensure spiritual upliftment of Muslims

The 3rd pillar Fasting

This is a necessary exercise of depriving one of food and water from dawn to dusk leading attainment of personal discipline needed to push one to have feelings for the needy and the deprived. A person observing the fast is permitted to break his or her fast in the evening and eat early morning but he is also required to engage in long hours of prayers at night before going to bed. God has endowed man with many gifts in life but does not value them. That is why He introduced fasting to test mankind on patience love and endurance.

The 4th pillar Zakat

Zakat the fourth pillar means setting apart a year a portion of one’s wealth towards charity (generally 2.5 per cent) to be spent on religious duty and the poor and needy. This has been enforced in Islam because all that we have belongs to Allah and there for must be spent in line with his orders. The Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Asia and some nations Europe and America attach importance to this pillar of Islam that they send cash and valuable things to the needy worldwide .

In short Zakat is the symbol of one’s obligation to recognize the right of others and to be in sympathy with them in pain and in sorrow. These sentiments should become so deep-rooted that one begins to regard one’s own wealth as belonging in part to others

The 5th pillar Hajj

The fifth and last pillar of Islam is pilgrimage to Mecca and medina to perform rituals at least one’s a year meant to enforce ones looseness to Allah. The rituals that include the wearing of prescribed garments ihram and going round the Kaaba is really meant to show unity of purpose to all those performing the hajj. In sum the hajj is a complete lesson on leading a God oriented life in that it reminds one of the awesome day of resurrection- a day that could be painful for many –it is a prelude to the attainment of God, exhorting us to strive with all our might to tread the path of righteousness. To achieve our cherished aims as Muslim one is required to embrace the pursuit of spirituality within the realm of Islam

According to the Quran the high level of spirituality to a true Muslim reside in the mind and is achieved through endurance at intellectual level. In sum spirituality is the elevation of human condition to a plane on which the mind is focused on the higher non material reality of a Godly existence to know Go how and why you are created and what you are set out to do to Go over

Locked up between Europe Asia and Africa Saudi Arabia in time past was not invaded by any of the early adventurers all because it lacked the appeal being full of deserts to any one or powerful nations yet this uncultivable land which has Mecca at the center was later to produce prophet Mohammed who was born on 22 April AD 570. His Father Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muttalib died a few months before he was born. He was six years old. He was taken care of by his grandfather and he also died he was taken over by his uncle who took care of him till he became matured. But his lifestyle depicted piety earlier in his life. This led to him getting chosen by God as messenger after people who came close to his saw in him purity in life. Even though Mohammed was not literate God ordered him to read leading to his receiving messages from God through angel Gabriel leading to the compilation of the holy Quran. In addition to the texts of the Quran his undertakings are being used as standards by Muslims. Today the religion of Islam is growing very fast worldwide and all over the world the prophet Mohammed is known to be the founder of the religion. However many are those who know that Islam means peace. As it did in the days of the prophet Islamic leaders were taught to call people into the religion through peaceful means. The word Jihad does not mean a call to persecute people for the religion or force them to be Muslims. The prophet called people into Islam through persuasion. Therefore all those engaged in extremism in the middle Asia and Africa must desist from it and tow the good path of Allah shown to the prophet.