WORSHIP IN ISLAM
(In Islam, all acts, deeds, talks and movements that are performed because Allah has ordered so are called worship of Allah. Islam does not allow worship of an entity, other than Allah, human or superhuman in any form or even in thought or intention. Here we present some rituals of worship and their requirements as ordered by Allah).
Ablution: Before starting to offer some ritual worships, believers are required to purify their bodies with purifying water. The obligatory parts of ablution are washing full face, washing two hands up to elbows, rubbing head with wet palms, and feet of two legs up to ankles. The sunnah (Please see below for details) parts are swishing water in mouth and spouting, putting water into two nostrils before starting obligatory parts; washing each part three times and; performing all these washings in order of sequence. If purifying water is not available within a radius of one mile, one is allowed to perform dry ablution with light dust (Please see Tayammum below for details).
Circumambulation: There is a building called Ka’bah in the court yard of Grand Mosque in Makkah. All believers are required to first circumambulate this building whenever they enter the mosque before they do any thing else (Please see Tawaf below for details)
Du’a: It means to call or pray or invoke Allah’s blessings with humility on someone or some actions. One can pray to Allah any time, any where, for any just cause. However, there are certain times when prayers are certainly granted, such as during a journey, sickness, after obligatory salats (Please see below for details), etc. Prayers can be granted in one of the three forms: 1. the actual request is granted, 2. some calamity that was set to fall is removed or, 3. a reward of that prayer is stored to be given in Hereafter.
Fasting: Islam prescribes obligatory fasting on every sane adult Muslim, male or female, for full month of Ramadan (Please see Hegira in Social Life above) every day of the month from dawn to sunset. A fasting person must abstain from food, drink, smoke, medicine and sexual activity during those hours. However, those who are sick or on journey or on menstruation are asked not to fast in such conditions. They should complete their missed fasting days later on to complete the total count of thirty or twenty-nine days. Muslims are also encouraged to offer voluntary fasts on other days as well.
Ghusul: All believers who are making complete ghusul (purifying bath) to clean their bodies of impurities must perform following three steps in sequence to complete its process: 1. wash those parts of their bodies that are affected because of excretion or sexual acts with soap or other cleaning agent, 2. perform complete ablution (Please see above for details), and 3. pour running water once on the entire body so as it passes all its mounts and valleys, such as navel, between fingers and toes, under arms and private parts, etc.
Hajj: Islam orders every sane and adult Muslim, male or female, who can afford travel, lodging and boarding expenses of going to Makkah to perform hajj once in life time. Hajj is performed during the seventh day to twelfth or thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Zul-Hajj (Please see Hegira in Social Life above). This worship consists of following rituals: Circumambulation of Ka’bah in Makkah, walking and running between two hills named Safa and Mervah, staying in Mina, standing in planes of Arafat on ninth day of the month till the sun sets there, sleeping night of tenth day in Muzdalifah, returning to Mina on the morning of the tenth day, stoning Satan there for at least three consecutive days, sacrificing animals, shaving or trimming head’s hairs, taking bath afterwards and farewell circumambulation of Ka’bah.
Ihram: During Hajj rituals Muslim men are required to use two white sheets only to cover their bodies. They should not cover their heads and faces. This state of dress is called ihram. Ihram state of dress for Muslim woman is to keep her entire body covered as in usual dress of daily life except her face and palms of her hands. During ihram state, she should never allow her clothing to touch her face.
I’tikaf: It means seclusion from worldly affaires for worshipping Allah all the time of seclusion. For men, this seclusion should be done in a mosque. Women are encouraged to specify a place in their homes for this purpose. This seclusion during the last ten days of Ramadan in a mosque is Sunnah. During this seclusion, believers are not allowed to attend to their worldly matters such as marriage, job, business, visits to relatives or friends, etc. They should devote their total time in worshipping Allah either by offering salats, recitation of Qur’an, remembering Allah by his names or invoking his blessings, and participating in learning or teaching Islam.
Jihad: It is also an important way of worship (Please see Jihad in Social Life for details).
Juma’h: It is the sixth day (Friday) of a week, just before Saturday. This day is the day of weekly congregational salat for a local community. All sane adult Muslims men are required to offer two units of day salat together in congregation in a mosque big enough to accommodate them all. They are asked to come to Juma’h salat after taking bath and donning clean and pretty dresses, possibly wearing scents as well. Muslim women are however given the privilege of not participating in this congregation, if they so desire. A Muslim leader (religious or political) of community first delivers two sermons, one after the other, exhorting people to virtuous and good deeds in their lives based on the teachings of the Qur’an and sunnah of the Prophet (s). He then leads all the participants in offering two units of salat (Please see Salat below for details) as worship to Allah. They are then allowed to disburse and seek Allah’s bounties at their jobs or trade.
Mosque: Believers are encouraged to offer their salats
in congregation. Mosque is a required institution where daily and weekly
congregational salats are held. It has many more functions to perform
(Please see Mosque in Social Life above for details). There are three most
important mosques for Muslims in the world to which they are encouraged to
visit: 1, Grand Mosque of Makkah. It is the first mosque ever built in the
world. This contains a rectangular building called Ka’bah in its court
yard. This building is called House of Allah or Old House. Muslims all over the
word are ordered to face this Ka’bah while offering their salats.
It is this Ka’bah to which Muslims are ordered to circumambulate (Please
see Tawaf for details). A unit of salat offered in this Mosque
brings a reward of 100,000 times that of offered in other local mosques. This
Mosque is a place of peace, security and immunity; 2, Prophet’s Mosque of Madinah.
It is the first mosque built by the Prophet Muhammad (s) in Madinah. There is a
cubicle on the top left side that contains graves of the Prophet (s) and his
two close associates the first caliph of Islam Abu Bakr (r) and the
second caliph of Islam Umar (r). Muslims are encouraged to go to the front
of this cubicle to invoke Allah’s blessings on all three of them. A unit of salat
offered in this Mosque brings a reward of 10,000 times that of offered in a
local mosque; 3, Aqsa Mosque in
Qiblah: Ka’bah in Grand Mosque of Makkah is called Qiblah i.e. direction. All believers, wherever they are, are required to find the direction of the Ka’bah, and turn their faces towards it while offering salats. Muslim dead bodies are buried in such a way that their heads are kept towards it.
Recitation of the Qur’an: The Qur’an (Please see Qur’an in Beliefs above) is a Holy Book revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S). It is Word of Allah. It is a Book of Guidance. Just reading some portions of the Qur’an, or preferably in full, is also a form of worship. Believers are advised to read the Qur’an correctly, slowly and enchantingly with meditation. The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S), has asked believers not to finish its complete recital before three days.
Remembrance of Allah: Believers are advised to remember Allah every time of their lives. Whenever they want to do or say something- such as getting up from bed, going to toilet, performing ablution, before and after taking food or drink, changing dress, riding a mean of transport, passing through market, entering and leaving a mosque, etc.- they should remember Allah, his attributes by his ninety-nine names, or invoke his blessings and mercy. The Messenger of Allah (S) has taught believers many prayers or praise to Allah as such for each occasion.
Sacrifice: Muslims who can afford have been advised to sacrifice animals such as sheep, goat, cow, camel, etc to worship Allah during the days of Eid-ul-Adha festivities (Please see Social Life for details). However, believers can sacrifice animals any time of any day as a mark of worship or gratitude to Allah. Sacrificing an animal at the time of naming a new born child is a festivity very much advised by the Prophet (S).
Sadaqah: Giving alms and charity to poor and needy people is a very much encouraged form of worship. Giving money and other substance in the path of Allah is a mean of certifying truth of Oneness of God (Please see also Infaq in Social Life above). Time spent, energy exerted, and passing of knowledge to others just for Allah are also Sadaqah.
Salaam: Salaam is one of the names of Allah. It means peace. Muslims are advised to greet others with this word i.e. invoke peace and shelter of Allah. It is thus a form of worship as well.
Salat: Its literal meaning in Arabic is prayer. All sane adult Muslims, male or female, have been ordered by Allah to worship him five times a day in an organized system of worship. This worship is called Salat. This is the most important worship of all. It is second pillar of Islam after Testimony of Faith. Its main features in sequential order are: 1. While standing on a clean place with clean body and dress and facing Qiblah, believers proclaim Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is Great) by words, raising their two hands up to ears, and then folding them on the front part of their bodies; 2. They then recite some portions of the Qur’an; 3. They then bow in the front by putting their hands on their knees while keeping back straight, and praise Allah with fixed words; 4. They then stand up straight, and go down in prostration state touching ground by their foreheads, noses, two palms of hands, knees and toes of their feet, and praise Allah with fixed words; 5. They then sit up on their legs and bottoms; 6. They then do prostration a second time and praise Allah with the same fixed words; 7. After completing second prostration, they stand up straight. This process from 1 to 7 is called one rakaat (unit) of salat. A person offering salat has to complete two such units, and then sit on legs and bottom to offer salutation to the Prophet (S) himself/herself and other pious servants of Allah as well. If it is a two unit salat, the person offering salat has to invoke Allah’s blessings and then salute every one on his/her two sides to complete it. If the salat is of three or four units, he/she has to stand up after sitting and repeat from 1 to 7 for each unit to complete all required units.
Five times and number of required units of obligatory salats are: 1. Dawn-2 units, 2. After Mid-Day-4 units, 3. Evening-4 units, 4. After Sunset-3 units and, 5. Night-4 units.
Believers are also encouraged to offer voluntary Sunnah salats as well. Men are advised to offer their obligatory salats in congregation preferably in a mosque, whereas women have privilege of offering their salats at home.
Neglect or not offering of salat by Muslim men who are in their senses is by no means excusable. Muslim women should not offer salat while in their monthly period, and are not required to make it up. However, both Muslim men and women are allowed to shorten number of units of their obligatory salats while on a journey. If they can not stand, they should offer salat in sitting, or lying on bed, or with signs according to their state of heath.
Salutation on Messenger of Allah (S): Allah has ordered believers to send their greetings of peace to and invoke his blessings and mercy upon the Messenger of Allah (S). Thus saluting the Prophet (S) is a very much liked way of worship of Allah.
Seeking Knowledge: Seeking knowledge is required of all Muslim men and women. Whenever they leave their homes to seek knowledge, they are in a state of Jihad in the path of Allah till they return to their homes.
Sunnah: Any thing or act ordered by the Prophet (S) to Muslims is called Sunnah. Thus acting upon Sunnah is also a form of worship of Allah as He has ordered Muslims to do whatever the Messenger (S) has asked them to do and shun whatever he has ordered to give up.
Taraveeh: During the ninth month of Ramadan
when sane adult resident Muslim men and women are required to fast from dawn to
sunset, they are also advised and encouraged to offer extra units of salat,
preferably in congregation, after each obligatory night salat. These
extra units of salat in Ramadan nights are called Taraveeh
salats. These salats are Sunnah.
Tawaf: Whenever Muslims enter into the Grand Mosque of Makkah, they are required to go straight to the rectangular House of Allah, called Ka’bah, near the corner where some pieces of black stones are fixed. From there, keeping the House on their left side, they start to circumambulate it by walking and reciting prayers and praises to Allah. After completing seven such rounds, they offer two rakaat of voluntary salat at a place where Prophet Abraham A had stood to build the House. This ritual is called Tawaf of Ka’bah. This ritual worship can be done any time in normal dress. For Hajj or Umrah (Please see below for details) worship, however, Muslims must be in ihram.
Tayammum: It literally means intention in Arabic. When water is not available and a Muslim is in need of ablution or even bath, he/she is then ordered to do Tayammum before proceeding to perform some worship, such as salat or reciting the Qur’an, etc. He/she first hits his/her two palms on light dust, and then rub those on his/her two hands and face. This completes the process. Naturally this action does not clean the body, but helps to keep emphasis of cleanliness in mind- and that is what intention means.
Umrah: It is a lesser Hajj. It consists of only three rituals of Hajj in ihram. Muslims who perform Umrah first don ihram. They then proceed to the Grand Mosque of Makkah. They first do Tawaf of Ka’bah. Then they proceed to the hill of Safa. From here they walk and run to Mervah. This walking from one hill to the other is called one walk. Similarly, in the second walk they return from Mervah to Safa. Once they complete seven such walks at Mervah, they complete the second ritual called Sa’ee. During these walks, Muslims pray to Allah and seek his mercy and bounty. The third ritual is then shaving or trimming hairs of head. This completes Umrah. This worship can be performed any time of a year.
Zakat: It means increment or purification in Arabic. A certain percentage of wealth, which has capability of increase in value or quantity over a certain period of time, which is taken out of rich people to give to some needy people, is called zakat. It is a very important worship in Islam. It is called third pillar of Islam. The four types of wealth that are liable to zakat are produce of earth; cattle; trading goods; and liquid assets, such as gold, silver, and cash etc. Each type of wealth has a different threshold and rate of zakat tax. Zakat can only be spent on eight categories of peoples: beggars, poor, collectors of zakat, who need hearts consolation, who have to buy their freedom (are in severe debt), who have to pay huge fine, working in the path of Allah, and travelers in need.