Islamic Awareness Week

 

18 February, 2016.

The Editor

 

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

The Islamic Dawah Centre will be observing its Islamic Awareness Week from March 4th through to the 13th. During this time, we welcome interested persons to (visit) our masjids (places of worship) across the island, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the religion of Islam.

The religion of Islam is one of the Semitic religions, along with Judaism and Christianity. The word “Islam” means “to surrender”, or “to submit”; thus a Muslim is one who submits or surrenders him/herself to the Creator in obedience and worship. Muslims believe that all prophets and messengers are Muslims, including Abraham, Moses, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. They all submitted/surrendered to the Will of the Creator.

It is believed by many that Islam originated in Arabia with the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, a little over fourteen hundred years ago, but the viewpoint of Islamic teachings is that it was from the beginning of creation, since all creatures submit to the Creator. Thus, Islam was revived by the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

The foundation upon which the religion is built is the worship of one God, who alone deserves all forms of worship, without any partners. This is the message all the messengers and prophets brought. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Also, the belief in the Angels carrying out the orders of Allah, the belief in the Revealed Books, the belief in the Messengers, the belief in the Hereafter, and the belief in Destiny are all essential in Islam. The method of carrying out various acts of worship, such as prayer, fasting, charity and so on, may differ with each prophet and messenger, but the foundation remains the same: worship only one God, the Creator of all things.

Islam is built on five principles called pillars; and just like the pillars of a house, if one of them should fall, the entire house would collapse. Therefore, one has to have complete faith and practice in all five principles. If he or she rejects any one of these pillars, he/she has apostatized (what many Jamaicans refer to as “backsliding”). These five pillars are:

1. Ash-Shahadah. This is the declaration of faith. By taking the Shahadah, one enters into Islam and becomes a Muslim. This declaration of faith is simply the testament that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone, without any partner(s), and that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the Messenger of Allah.

2. Salaah.  This is the prayer. It is obligatory for every mature Muslim male and female to pray five times each day, at prescribed times: Fajr before dawn, Dhuhr at noon, Asr in the evening, Maghrib at sunset and Isha’a at night. There are also other voluntary prayers performed at other times throughout the day and night. All prayers must be performed in a state of purification, with proper attire and an attitude of reverence. It is done in the manner demonstrated to us by Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad, peace be upon him.

3. Zakaah. This is obligatory charity, which serves to purify one’s wealth. A small percentage of one’s surplus wealth (namely silver, gold, money, property, livestock, jewelry and annual savings) is deducted and given to the poor and needy.

4. Sawm. Fasting in the month of Ramadan. It is obligatory on every Muslim male and female to fast the days of the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic year. This fasting is a complete abstinence from food, drink and sexual relations with the spouse, from the break of dawn until sunset. This occurs every day for the 29 or 30 days of the month of Ramadan.

5. Hajj. This is the Pilgrimage: the journey to the sacred place of Makkah, the Ka’bah and the nearby areas of Mina, Arafah and Muzdalifah in Saudi Arabia. Every Muslim is required to make this journey, wealth permitting, at least once in his/her life.

Dawah is the propagation of the message of Islam, calling to it and teaching it. Thus, this Islamic Awareness Week creates a good opportunity for dawah: giving the people of Jamaica the chance to learn about the religion of Islam, with clarity and understanding, while clearing up any misconceptions.

We intend to have a series of lectures, articles and outreach activities throughout the island, visits to schools and other institutions; all with the goal of bringing about awareness of the truth about Islam, in shaa Allah (if Allah wills). We also extend a warm invitation to anyone who wishes to visit us at our place of worship, where they can learn first-hand information on how we worship.

Islamic Awareness Week is not geared towards converting non-Muslims, but instead towards creating an environment of open communication and understanding. As Muslims, we are the subject of various misconceptions, due to recent events highlighted in the media. We are Jamaicans; we are doctors, teachers, businessmen, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends and co-workers. We are normal persons who do typical day-to-day activities; we are not extremists. The religion we choose to follow does not make us any less committed to our country or families. We welcome the opportunity to bring clarity/enlightenment with regards to the peaceful religion of Islam.

Please feel free to contact us via email at salafidawahmobay@gmail.com or via telephone at 772 5783, for more information on visiting your local masjid.

Asalaamu alaikum (may peace be with you).