ISLAM - A SIMPLE FAITH

"It is not true that Muslims are some alien species who can only live in their own special habitat."

It is very common for Muslims to say that Islam is not just a religion, it is a way of life. By this they mean that it is not something to which one applies oneself in a part-time or half-hearted manner, but is rather something that occupies the whole of one's life. In particular, they say this in order to contrast Islam to the all-too-common "church-on-Sunday" style of Christianity whereby Christians don't give a thought to religion for six days of the week and then go to church on Sunday to absolve their sins and make a token gesture of worship. Islam is not like that. It requires a fuller committment and daily, not weekly, devotion.

But at the same time there is no need to over-emphasize the fact that Islam is a "way of life" to the point where it seems like a monastic vocation. Sometimes Muslims will insist that Islam is a "way of life" as a way of saying that it is incompatible with a normal, everyday Western lifestyle, as if Islam is alien, all-consuming and strange. This is not true. It is not true that Muslims are some alien species who can only live in their own special habitat. And it is not true that Islam is so demanding that it is a totally different "way of life" than that enjoyed by everyone else. The fact that Islam is more than a once-a-week affair is not a reason to create obstacles and barriers between Muslims and non-Muslims or an excuse for exclusionism.

In fact, Islam is a simple religion. It is easy to practice and easy to integrate with a modern, Western lifestyle. It is no more difficult to be a good Muslim in the contemporary Western world than it is to be a member of a dedicated minority Christian denomination - a Jehovah's Witness, a Seventh Day Adventist, a Mormon. The level of commitment needed is similar. And just as members of such Christian denominations can be fully integrated, active members of society, so too can Muslims. The requirements of the Muslim faith are not so onerous that Muslims cannot adapt to modern Western life. Like Jehovah's Witnesses or Seventh Day Adventists or Mormons Muslims have their own distinct beliefs and practices but there is no reason why they cannot enjoy such beliefs and practices in any society where tolerance and pluralism prevails.

 
The following is an account of the distinct practices of Islam that constitute the Muslim "way of life", the things that distinguish Muslims from others:

1. Daily prayer

Muslims are required to maintain a regime of daily prayer. There are five prayer times a day but, if necessary, these can be collapsed into three times, morning, noon and night. Where possible, Muslims like to pray together rather than alone. The rules for women are less demanding: they are exempt from prayer when menstruating and on other specified occasions.

2. Friday mosque

Muslims are required to attend mosque on Fridays for the noon prayer. This is when the local Muslim community gathers for congregational devotion and to hear a short sermon. Attendance is compulsory for men but not for women. Friday is not a holiday or a "sabbath". After mosque, Muslims return to work or to their other duties.

3. Abstinence from alcohol

Like many Protestant Christian denominations Islam shuns the drinking of alcohol. To be a practicing Muslim one must forgo drinking hard liquor.

4. Abstinence from pork

Like Jews, Muslims do not eat pork. To be a practicing Muslim one must forgo eating swine flesh, pork, bacon, and other pork products.

5. Abstinence from gambling.

Muslims do not indulge in gambling. Gambling is regarded as wasteful and sinful.

5. Refraining from immodesty

Like other religions Islam insists upon observing rules of modesty and sexual restraint. Islam teaches that sexual relations between men and women belong in the context of marriage. Muslims refrain from immodest behaviour, bad language, pornography, provocative clothing, fornication, adultery, homosexuality and other forms of immorality and avoid things that lead to immorality. Sex is not regarded as dirty and celebacy is not regarded as an ideal. Contraception is permitted and the enjoyment of sex within marriage is regarded as a positive good.

6. Fasting Ramadan

One of the major obligations for Muslims is to fast during the lunar month of Ramadan. Fasting is an important Muslim practice. Pious Muslims fast regularly on a voluntary basis, but during Ramadan it is compulsory. During every day of Ramadan Muslims forgo food and drink from sunrise to sunset. There are exemptions for menstruating and pregnant women, the very old and very young and for the sick.

7. Paying the zakat

Charity is an obligation in Islam. At the end of the fast of Ramadan it is compulsory for Muslims to donate a portion of their annual income to the poor. Pious Muslims will donate money to the poor throughout the year on top of the compulsory poor-tax (zakat).

8. Pilgrimage

All Muslims aspire to travel to Mecca to complete the rites of pilgrimage. It is obligatory once in one's lifetime for those who are able-bodied and who can afford it.

It will be seen from the above that, in practice, the Muslim life is not altogether different to many forms of Protestant Christianity. Islam espouses basic "family values" and a clean, moral life in which worship of God is central.

There are, of course, degrees of piety in Islam as in other faiths. Some Muslims hold to stricter interpretations of the rules of the religion than do others. This is no different than in other faiths. Some Jews think it is sufficent to avoid pork and other prohibited meats. Stricter Jews insist on eating certified "kosher" foods only. Similarly, in Islam, some Muslims think it is sufficent to avoid forbidden foods (pork) but others go further and insist on certified "halal" foods which are guaranteed to not be contaminated with forbidden ingredients.

Muslims also maintain their own distinctive codes of etiquette and piety. For example, they remove their shoes at the door of their houses, they exchange a greeting of peace (in Arabic) when they meet, they eat with their right hand and they don't keep dogs as pets. (As in Judaism, Hinduism and many other cultures, dogs are regarded as unclean. They can be kept as work animals but are not seen as "man's best friend".) None of these things mean that Muslims cannot function as full citizens in the context of Western societies. In all of these things they are little different than Jews who also maintain their own customs but are at the same time functioning members of society.

Certainly there are Muslims living in the West who insist on making their lives as difficult as possible - just as there are ultra-orthodox Jews and ultra-exclusive Christians - but the great majority of Muslims are moderate by persuasian and simply want to live their lives as both good citizens and good Muslims. Islam is, and always has been, an adaptable, flexible, simple faith. In any free, tolerant society Muslims can easily adapt their religion to the prevailing norms without in any way compromising the essentials of their beliefs.

Today, nearly one third of the Muslim Ummah lives outside of the traditional "Muslim world" , many of them in so-called "Western" or "Christian" lands. It is from these Muslims that - God willing - renewal will come.

Intelligence is only beautiful when it does not destroy faith, and faith is only beautiful when it is not opposed to intelligence.

- Frithjof Schuon

 

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