NAME: MUOGBO MICHAEL
MATRIC NO.: SSPP/THEO/18/0734
COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM
LECTURER: DR.
WOLE ABBAS
TOPIC: MY UNDERSTANDING OF FAITH IN ALLAH AND ZAKAT
OF THE ISLAMIC RELIGION
INTRODUCTION
Every
Muslim ought to know and understand the five pillars of Islam, because the
religious life of a Muslim revolves around them. They are the essence and the
foundation of a Muslim’s entire life. They are the basic knowledge a typical
Muslim ought to have.
MY UNDERSTANDING OF BELIEF IN ALLAH
CALLED FAITH (IMAM)
Faith
is the first principle in all religions. The Imam encapsulates the whole and
especially the most basic and primary purpose and obligation of a Muslim. It is
a necessary condition for one to believe, irrespective of what religion he or
she belongs to. The Islamic belief in Allah is in no way different from the
Christian belief in God. Imam, which is the belief or faith in Allah, is a
necessary and primary condition for one to be a Muslim. The doctrine about God
in the Qur’an is rigorously monotheistic: God is one and unique; he has no
partner and no equal.
With
my interactions with Islamic religion, my understanding of Imam is a total and
unconditional belief in the supremacy of Allah, his existence and his power,
irrespective of the fact that Allah is invisible. Faith in Allah is the first
foundation of Islam. Allah is the name Muslims use for the supreme and unique
God, who created and rules everything. The heart of faith for all Muslims is
belief in Allah and obedience to His will. Faith in Allah presupposes unity
with him.
However,
there are six major articles of faith in the Islamic religion. These articles
include: belief in the existence of God, Belief in angels, belief in the
prophets, belief in the holy books, belief in the Day of Judgment and belief in
destiny.
·
Belief in the existence of God: the existence of
God is evident in our environment, All Muslims believe that God is one alone:
There is only one God, God has no children, no parents, and no partners, God
was not created by a being, There are no equal, superior, or lesser Gods.
·
Belief in angels: this is also a requirement of
faith in the Islamic religion. Angels are believed in Islam to be spiritual
beings created by Allah to obey him and carry out his will; they are messengers
of Allah. They are different from human beings; neither male nor female, but
they are more than human beings in number. It is believed in Islam that
everybody has two angels to him or her. They are principal arch angels which
include: Jibril who is in charge of divine messages, Asrail who is in charge of
death, Israfil who bows the trumpet when the end comes, Mikail who is in charge
of rain, Munkar and Nakir who awaits the dead in the grave, Ridwan who is in
charge of Paradise, and Malik who is in charge of hell.
·
Belief in the prophets: the prophets are to be
believed and revered by all Muslims. This is because Allah raised them by
himself, to send messages and warnings to the people through them. Thus they
are human being through whom Allah sends his words to the people. Some of the
prophets include: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, Daud, and Mohammad. No distinction
is to be made among these prophets and all of them are to be believed. Mohammad
is believed in Islam to be the greatest and the seal of all the prophets.
·
Belief in the holy books: Muslims believe that
Allah revealed His laws in stages to mankind through His prophets. The
different prophets were sent with different books e.g. Ibrahim was sent with
Suhf, Moses was sent with Tawrat, Isa was sent with Injil, Daud was sent with
Sabur, and Mohammad was sent with Qur’an. The messages of the whole books sent
through the different prophets were culminated in the Qur’an.
·
Belief in the Day of Judgment: this is one of
the most emphasized beliefs in the Qur’an. This belief emphasizes the fact that
human beings are mortals and will die someday and are accountable to Allah. It
is taught in Islam that physical death is not the end of man’s existence, but
an entrance to a higher form of life which brings one closer to Allah depending
on how one has lived this life. On the Day of Judgment, each soul will be
rewarded according to what it earned.
·
Belief in destiny: this is a belief on the
primary purpose of one’s life. The primary aim of everyone’s life is to worship
Allah. This is because worship is a necessary and primary allegiance a Muslim
owes to Allah.
THE INSTITUTION OF ZAKAT IN ISLAM AND ITS
BENEFITS
Everything in
this universe belongs to Allah, including the wealth that most people have a
hard time giving out a portion for charity. According to the Encarta
dictionary, Zakat is an Islamic tax for charity; a tax that goes to charity,
obligatory for all Muslims, se traditionally at 2.5 percent of somebody’s
annual income and capital.[1]
Zakat is a
religious obligation of the Islamic religion which involves arms giving. Thus,
Zakat is the most prominent concept in the Islamic tradition commanding and authorizing
practices of giving in voluntariness. It is one of the most important pillars
of Islam. It is mandatory for every Muslim who is financially stable and it is
seen as an act of worship which directly benefits the less privileged Muslims.
This is to ensure the distribution of wealth.
Zakat is an
Arabic word meaning purification and growth. It has a very deeply ingrained
religious, personal and social humanitarian value. This act helps to prevent
the hoarding of wealth and promotes solidarity and unity amongst Muslims. Zakat
payment is 2.5 percent on annual savings that are measurable and 20 percent of
a treasure (Bassam Imam, Islam in brief p.
28). This is only required of adults whose income and wealth are up to the
level of the minimum net worth of an individual which obligates him or her to
pay zakat. It is levied on five categories of property: food grains; fruit;
camels, cattle, sheep, and goats; gold and silver; and movable goods and is
payable each year after one year's possession.[2]
The Zakat is
the third pillar of Islam; it aims at moderation in order to make sure that the
needs of the less privileged Muslims are met. However there are sets of people
to whom the zakat is tended, these people can be referred to as the beneficiaries of Zakat. They include:
·
The poor: these are the ones living in and below
the poverty line and are in need.
·
The needy: (the unemployed, sacked),
·
The newly converted,
·
Those in bondage,
·
Those in debts,
·
Wayfarers (stranded travelers),
·
Those in the cause of Allah.
·
For obtaining the freedom of those who are
captives or enslaved.
Zakat as an Islamic institution
is not a voluntary charity but an obligation. However, after the breakup of
Muslim religio-political power, payment of zakat became a matter of voluntary
charity dependent on individual conscience. In the modern Muslim world it has
been left up to the individual, except in some countries (such as Saudi Arabia)
where the Shariah (Islamic law) is strictly maintained.[3]
BENEFITS OF ZAKAT
·
It makes one reach the rank of the perfect believer.
·
It is one of the causes of entering Paradise.
·
It makes the Islamic society a single family in
which the strong helps the weak and the rich helps the poor.
·
It expands the breast with assurance and
gladdens the heart.
·
It is proof of the truthfulness of the faith of
he who gives Zakat.
·
It prevents financial crimes such as robbery and
stealing.
·
It makes the rest of one's wealth religiously
and legally pure.
[2] zakat."
Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference
Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.
[3] "Islam."
Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference
Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.
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