Islamic Faith and Ritual Practice

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The five pillars
Formation of rituals
Salat
Mosques
Zakat and Hajj
Hajj
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

Unlike Christianity where the acceptance of stipulated beliefs and dogmas indicate one’s religious identity, Islamic identity is characterized by “…the performance of required religious rituals regularly repeated and involving prescribed words and actions”.1 This does not imply that Christianity does not employ some ritual practices neither does it imply that Islam does not possess specified theological beliefs. The implication here is that as a religion, Islam is more emphatic on orthopraxy as opposed to Christianity which has its emphasis on orthodoxy. In the Islamic faith, rituals, known in their religion as ibadat, meaning acts of obedience, service, and worship to God, form the foundation on which the whole faith is anchored. Accordingly, this paper will highlight the Islamic rituals and critically analyze them as pointed out in chapter 7 of Andrew Rippin’s book Muslims.

The five pillars

Textual and scholarly portrayals of Islamic traditions point out five major rituals that have featured prominently. Mostly, they are referred to as the five pillars of the Islamic faith. These are the rituals that have been principal indicators of Islamic identity. The five pillars are shahada which is the verbal witness to faith, salat which means prayer, zakat which means charity, sawm which means fasting, and finally hajj meaning pilgrimage. These five fundamental rituals in Islam form the epitome through which the Islamic laws were formed.2 However, one question remains relevant in the quest to deeply understand the basis of these rituals. Why and how do religious organizations come up with these rituals that eventually form the centrifuge of the religion?

Formation of rituals

Religious concepts usually arise as a result of the innate human need for cooperation.

This means that human beings will always want to cooperate and form a group that will protect the interests of its members. In his argument concerning the origins of religious concepts, Boyer points out that “…humans are greatly dependent upon cooperation and information about potential co-operators.”3 This need for cooperation eventually forms a strategic problem of which an individual tries to solve by developing certain emotional and cognitive adaptations. Subsequently, the aspect of the supernatural comes into question. This, in most cases, is associated with group identity, social interactions, rituals, and morality. From this perspective, it would be possible to argue that the five pillars of the Islamic faith came up as a result of their emotional and cognitive adaptations. In addition, Boyer argues that the need for cooperation is associated with the need to find information on other co-operators. This means that the need to strengthen cooperation is inevitable. Members of the one group identity will try to make sure that their members remain faithful to the group. As a result, ways of retaining these members must be devised. This leads to the formation of such rituals as the Islamic declaration of faith. By continuously declaring the words “no other god but God” and “Mohamed is his messenger” daily is aimed at making sure that the followers of the faith are reminded daily of their major belief. This is evident in that the declaration of faith is not done during the conversion alone but daily as the words are incorporated in salat (prayer). In addition, these words must be uttered with deep sincerity and understanding because they are used to imply an honest intention.4 This, therefore, implies that through the recitation of these words, the member will remain faithful not only as a result of his daily declaration of the Islamic faith but also by practicing honesty of intention. This will therefore make the followers more faithful to the religion.

Salat

Rippin further identifies salat or prayer as another pillar of Islamic faith and ritual.

However, this offers a point of argument. According to him, a ritual usually identifies a follower of religion from an outsider’s point of view. In his definition of Rituals, Hinde removes prayers from the list of rituals.5 This is based on the fact that an outsider must identify the activity from his position. However, with prayer, an outsider cannot be certain whether the individual is really praying or is simply going through the motions that resemble those of prayer. In the Islamic faith, Rippin is however justified to classify salat as a form of Islamic rituals. This is evidenced by the specific practices that are undertaken before and during prayer. Islamic faith dictates that an individual must assume certain positions when praying. For instance, one can bow, prostrate or stand but has to face a specific direction, also known as qibla.6 The person praying must face Ka’ba and then recite the verses from the Quran with more emphasis on sura 1. In addition, the prayer must be done five times each day – at daybreak, in the noontime, in mid-afternoon at sunset, and the evening. The person praying must move from a standing position to bowing then half-sitting before fining with full prostration. These praying position sequences must be repeated two times in the morning, thrice at sunset, and finally, during the noon, evening, and afternoon prayers, the sequence must be repeated four times. In addition to the five prayers are the Friday afternoon prayer, the witr prayer, the du’a prayer, and the wird, which also adapt to the rituals as specified above.

Mosques

Another ritual related to prayer in the mosque and its design. Mosques have, for a long time acted as the main identification of Islam in an area. Each design of a mosque has a specific design. This is a ritual that must be observed when building a mosque. Every mosque must possess a minaret which is the designated place for the call to prayer. The evidence of minarets on the mosques was felt as early as the 10th century when the church called Myrelaion was converted into a Mesh Ali Pasa Mosque in Istanbul.7

Zakat and Hajj

The rituals of Zakat and Hajj have great relevance in the Islamic faith. Breaux identifies four major functions of rituals and ceremonies in a religious setup.8 Rituals have a disciplinary function. This is important because discipline is a prerequisite for a society to function. Secondly, rituals play a proprietor role in helping other people who tend to be disadvantaged. Ritual ceremonies also play the role of unifying the different members of the religion. Ritual ceremonies also play the role of revitalizing the faith of the followers of the religion by being a constant reminder of their commonality. And finally, rituals give a member a sense of belonging to the society. How do these functions reflect in the Islamic rituals of Zakat, andHajj?

A true Muslim believer must give alms also referred to as Zakat. As quoted by Rippin, Quran 3/92 states, “you will never attain piety until you spend something of what you love” (p. 105). The Quran specifies that a true Muslim must offer charity to groups of people that are deemed needy. It specifies that one should give as much as he thinks he can spare to the poor, the alms collectors, the needy, for freeing debtors, for striving to walk in God’s way and to the wayfarer. The Quran mostly emphasizes charity towards the poor, the orphans, and the widows. Furthermore, the individual giving charity should not draw attention to himself. This should be done discreetly. Considering Breaux’s arguments on the functions of a ritual, we find that Muslims’ Zakat plays a proprietor role in helping the needy in society. Also, it plays the role of unifying the members. By being assisted by a fellow Muslim, one will feel that he belongs to the Muslim society and this will strengthen the unity.

Rituals play a role in instilling discipline which on its part enables a well functioning of the society. One ritual in the Islamic faith that instills discipline in its members is the observation of sawm. The Islamic faith calls upon all adults to keep away from food and drinks from morning to sunset for the thirty days of the ninth month of the Hijri calendar. In addition, they are supposed to abstain from deliberate vomiting, sexual intercourse, and deliberate semen emission. After the thirty days of fasting are over, the Muslims celebrate the Id-al-Fitr. This is marked by celebrations and the giving of gifts. This is prescribed in the Quran in the 182nd verse of sura 2 which says “Oh you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you just as it was prescribed for those before you so that you will be God-fearing.”9 Aside from Ramadan other fasting includes Kaffara which is meant for sin atonement. This plays a role of disciplining the followers so that they can learn to fear God and also revitalizing their faith and also the role of unification.

Hajj

Pilgrimage, also known as Hajj is another Islamic ritual that plays an important role in their faith. Believers have to travel to Mecca where they stay for seven days performing certain rituals. Before the activity, Ka’ba is sanctified by being circumambulated and also performing a run between al-Safa and al-Marwa. These activities are repeated seven times each. These activities are done together with prayers. When the real pilgrimage starts, the believers begin by assembling and spending a night in Mina. The following morning, they head to Arafat where they assemble around Mount of Mercy where they undertake the ceremony called the “standing.” They then move back to Muzdalifa where the rest of the night is spent. The next morning, they go past the stone pillar while on their way back to Mina. Here, seven pebbles are thrown before they embark on the “festival of the sacrifice” where sheep, goats, camels, and other meals are prepared and enjoyed. This then gives way to shaving for men and cutting off a lock of hair by women before more stone-throwing at Satan is performed. In most cases, the pilgrims will return to Medina before returning home.10 This is one of the most unifying rituals of the Islamic religion. It unifies Muslims from all corners of the earth who visit Mecca for this cleansing ceremony. In addition to unifying the believers, the ritual also gives the spiritual revitalization as they are cleansed and also reminded of their commonality.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Islam is a religion that emphasizes orthopraxy. These ritual practices hence form a fundamental part of the religion. As mentioned, the rituals play different roles including unification, faith revitalization, discipline, and giving members a sense of belonging. This means that the rituals are an integral part of the Islamic faith.

Reference

Boyer, Pascal. “Functional Origins of Religious Concepts: Ontological and Strategic Selection in Evolved Minds. University College of Los Angeles. 2009. Web.

Breaux, Jarred. “Durkheim’s Definition of Religion, Sacred and Rituals. Helium. 2009. Web.

Hawting, Gerald. The Development of Islamic Rituals. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, 2006.

Hinde, Robert. Modes Theory: Some Theoretical Consideration. In Mind and Religion: Psychological and Cognitive Foundations of Religiosity. Harvey White and Robert McCauley. (Eds). Lanham, MD: Rowman Altamira, 2005.

Rippin, Andrew. Muslims. London: Routledge, 2001.

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