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Birth and Early Life:
When
a child is born in a Muslim family, the Azan (ritual call to
prayer) is pronounced in the right ear of the child and the Iqamah
(ritual call to initiate congregational prayer) in the left ear.
Thus the first thing a Muslim child, after coming into this world,
hears is the attestation of the belief and call to the worship of
the
Creator. Then the name to the child is given. The name to the
male child is generally given after the attributes of God, after
the names of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), after the names of other
Prophets of God, or after the names of the companions of the
Prophet and other heroes of Islamic history; while a female child
is named after the names of the mother and wives and daughters of
the Prophet of Islam, after the names of the pious Muslim women of
the days of the Prophet, or after the names of the famous Muslim
women of the history of Islam.
When
the hairs of the child are cut for the first time some charity is
given to the poor generally equal to the weight of the hairs in
silver or in its equivalent in local currency. If the family can
afford, a goat or a sheep is also slaughtered to entertain the
poor, the kin and the friends. This celebration is called Aqeeqah.
The male child is circumcised at an early age.
When
a child attains the age of 4 or 5, his studies commence. As a
first lesson, the child is made to repeat after the tutor first
five verses of chapter 96 of the Holy Qur’an which consist of
first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A feast is arranged
to celebrate the occasion. When the child starts going to school,
he is also supposed to start learning the Qur’an.
Normally at the age of seven, the child is taught how to pray and
from the age of ten parents are supposed to apply sanctions so
that the child gets accustomed to prayer. Fast is obligatory, even
as prayer, from the age of puberty. However, the parents make the
child familiar with fast gradually, starting with one or two in
first year and increasing the number in each year till by the age
of maturity the child gets accustomed to bear the strain of fast.
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Adult Life and Marriage:
As adult a Muslim is obliged to pay Zakat himself out of his
wealth provided it reaches the level which attracts this levy. He
is also obliged to perform Hajj once in his life but if earlier
the better.
Marriage is the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet and it is
obligatory to get married unless there is some valid excuse. So
when a child reaches puberty (in case of girls the age is 15 while
in case of boys the age is 16 or 18), the parents should arrange
for his or her marriage. Marriage of son or daughter is considered
a great function in which friends and relatives participate.
Bridegroom comes to the house of the bride with party of his
relatives and friends. Marriage contract is signed by the
bridegroom and the bride in the presence of witnesses. A cleric or
a priest recites formula of marriage (nikah) to which bridegroom
and bride express their consent. Dower gift (Mahr) is generally
prescribed as a part of marriage contract and the bridegroom
undertakes to pay it to the bride immediately or on demand. When
the groom takes his bride to his house, he hosts a feast (Waleema)
and entertains relatives and friends in order to celebrate his
marriage.
A
Muslim can marry a Jew or a Christian woman even if she is not
converted to Islam. But he cannot marry another non-Muslim woman
if she does not embrace Islam. However, a Muslim woman cannot
marry a non-Muslim, not even a Jew or Christian, if he does not
embrace Islam.
As an
adult person, a Muslim man and a woman, is expected, rather is
duty — bound to fulfill all his or her obligations towards God and
towards fellow humans and lead life strictly in accordance with
the teachings of Islam.
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Death:
At
the time of death a Muslim is required to pronounce at least the
first Kalima (formula of belief): “There is no God but Allah and
Muhammad is messenger of Allah”. If he fails to remember it, the
Muslims sitting around the patient are required to help the
patient by repeating it to him. The eyes of the deceased are
closed, body is placed straight with face toward heaven and hands
on the chest crossed on each other or on sides as if in the
service of prayer.
The
body of the dead person is washed and cleaned before burial, and
if not possible then dry ablution (tayammum) is sufficient. After
enshrouding the dead body in three simple sheets of white cloth,
a funeral prayer or service is convened. The grave is dug parallel
to Makkah, if possible, and after lowering the body in the grave,
the head of the dead is turned slightly to the right side so that
it faces the Kaabah. After burial, certain verses of the Holy
Qur’an or certain prayers recommended for the occasion are
recited. The graves should be simple as lavish spending on graves
is forbidden.
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Life-routine:
Besides five daily prayers, annual fasting and other compulsory
religious duties, one must make it his life routine to devote some
time daily to learn the Holy Qur’an and recite it. He should also
study Hadith and other Islamic literature to understand Islam or
at least its basic teachings. If he does not know Arabic, he
should try to learn it. If not possible, then he should try to
understand the Qur’an with the help of a good translation and
commentary.
Every
act or activity in daily life should be commenced by reciting
Bismillah (with the name of God) and should be ended with
Alhamdulillah (Thank God). The conduct and manners of the Prophet
should be followed in eating, drinking, dressing, sleeping,
walking, sitting and other daily routines.
One
must make it a life routine to remember and glorify Allah
especially when going to sleep and when rising up. He should also
invoke mercy of Allah on Prophet Muhammad and recite darood (peace
and blessings) on him. Piety demands that in addition to five
daily prayers one must offer more prayers particularly Tahajjud
(mid-night) prayer. Besides paying Zakat which is compulsory tax,
one must spend as much as one can for the sake of the poor and in
the cause of God. In addition to compulsory fasting of Ramadan one
must keep optional fasts if physically he can. A Muslim is
expected to devote some of his time, energy and wealth for common
causes of Muslim Ummah and contribute towards the happiness and
progress of his Muslim brethren.
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Dress:
Islam does not prescribe any particular or specific code of dress.
It has left the matter to be decided by the individuals and
society according to weather conditions, customs, needs and
environments. However, certain fundamental rules have been laid
down for all times for the guidance of the Muslims. The dress
should not be too short or too thin but it should be proper in
order to cover private parts from nakedness. Let not the Satan
seduce the believer as he seduced Adam and Eve and tore off from
them their robe to make them see their shame. The dress should be
decent and should not display nudity, obscenity or vulgarity. The
dress should be modest and simple. It should not be very expensive
so as to give impression of extravagance and pride. The men are
discouraged to wear silk or clothes of red colour. Lengthening of
trousers beyond ankles was forbidden as it was a custom of the
Arabs of the age of Ignorance to give an air of vanity. The dress
should be very clean. The Prophet preferred clothes of white
colour or of green colour. Perfume was liked by the Prophet and he
recommended its use to the believers, men and women. Shoes must be
used and if possible socks should also be used. The dress should
be such that it should protect one from cold and heat.
One
should be decently and beautifully dressed when
one goes to mosques or on
religious and other public festivals.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) discouraged his followers to imitate other
people in matter of dress. He also forbad the men to put on dress
of women and the women to put on the dress of men. The Prophet
grew a beard and recommended the men to have it. To keep
moustaches is, however, discouraged as it was a custom of the
pagans of pre-Islamic Arabia.
All
religions prescribe that fornication and adultery are crimes but
Islam goes a little further and takes measures to diminish the
temptations. Therefore, women are required to fulfill certain
additional responsibilities in matters of dress and adornment
(make-up), particularly when they come in the presence of men or
when they come out of their homes.
The
Qur’an says:
“And
tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and
not to display their adornment except that which appears of
itself, and to draw their veils over their bosoms…. And let them
not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their
adornment…..” (24:31). The Qur’an further says: “O Prophet! Tell
thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw
their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be
better,
so that they may be recognized and not annoyed (or
molested)……” (33:59). According to a tradition, when Asma’a
(Prophet’s sister in law) came with thin clothes on her, the
Prophet said to her: “O Asma’a! when a girl attains puberty, it is
not proper that any thing on her should remain exposed except her
face and hands.” Thus these are the instructions which have been
issued by the Qur’an and the Prophet to Muslim women regarding
their dress and make-up when they come in the public.
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Food:
We
have already studied food or dietary laws of Islam. Distinction is
made by Islam between halal (lawful and hence permitted) food
items and haram (unlawful and hence forbidden) food items.
All
pure and wholesome food lawfully earned such as sea food, fruits,
vegetables, pulses, corn, meat of permitted (halal) animals
slaughtered in the name of God, is permitted (Halal) to a Muslim
except those items which have been specially declared as forbidden
(Haram) by the Qur’an and the Sunnah such as dead animals, blood,
pork, meat of animals which are not slaughtered in the name of
Allah or which are slaughtered in name of other than Allah, wine
and other intoxicants, etc. etc.
A
true and practicing Muslim strictly follows food laws of Islam. He
avoids forbidden items of food like pork and wine and takes only
those items which are allowed by Islamic code of dietary laws.
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Social and moral Life:
A
true follower of Muhammad (PBUH) acts upon all the injunctions of
Islam and follows moral and social code of conduct prescribed by
Islam in his private as well as public life. Islam does not make
any difference between private life and public life of a Muslim
and, therefore, life of a Muslim is transparent and clean in its
all dimensions.
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