Friday, 9 August 2019

MY UNDERSTANDING OF FAITH IN ALLAH AND ZAKAT OF THE ISLAMIC RELIGION


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.



[1] Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
[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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