INTRODUCTION.

The religion of Islam is in essence the same message and guidance, which God revealed to all His Prophets prior to Muhammad (Peace be unto Him - Pbuh).
The same message was, in its Comprehensive, Complete and final form, revealed by God to Muhammad (Pbuh), the last and final Prophet.
Islam is, therefore not a new religion, it originated with the creation of man and is a continuation of the religion, revealed by God to all the Prophets (Peace be upon them all) before Muhammad (Pbuh) in the seventh century C.E.

Muslims are those who freely and willingly accept the Supreme Power of God and submit and surrender completely to Him through the acceptance and practice of the Qur’an and the Tradition (Sunnah) of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) in their daily life. Through His revelation in the Qur’an God has given mankind total guidance for all aspects of social, economic, political, moral and spiritual life.

BACKGROUND.

Islam places extreme importance on religion in the life of human beings even in today’s world of materialism. Life has a definite purpose and religion or faith helps a Muslim to understand and make sense of it.
Looking at the natural world and recognizing order and perfection in it alone should make us reflect and acknowledge the Creator and serve him.

Muslims form the highest number of population in Britain, besides Christians, who, of course, form the vast majority. There are over one billion Muslims in the world today. They live in various countries and have different languages and customs, but all are guided through life by the teachings of the Qur’an and the Tradition (Sunnah) of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).
The entire life of the Muslim is governed by the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. An important rule for day-to-day living is that everything is lawful (halal) unless it is explicitly forbidden (haram) or would lead to the occurrence of something explicitly forbidden. Good intentions do not and cannot justify unlawful or unethical conduct.
In the words of Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali “Islam took its rise not only in the seventh century of the Christian Era, but in an environment heavily influenced by Judaism and Christianity. From the very beginning there was considerable social and religious (even theological) interaction with Christianity”.

THE ESSENCE OF ISLAM

Islam specifies two essential elements for its adherents:

Faith and Practice

Faith makes human beings aware of the meaningfulness of the universe and their place in it.

Faith consists of the following in Islam:

• To believe that there is only one God, who is the Creator of all things. Who is Omnipotent and Omniscient.
• To believe in all God’s Messages (revealed books e.g. the Qur’an, the Bible, the Torah etc.)
• To believe in all God’s Prophets and Messengers who delivered the messages.
• To believe in God’s angels
• To believe that every human being will be accountable to Him alone on the Day of Judgement
• To believe in Qadar, God’s pre-knowledge of human action.

A closer look at some of these basic principles of faith is important to understand Islam.
In the words of Faruqui and Faruqui:
“The essence of Islam is Tarhid, the act of affirming Allah to be the one absolute transcendent Creator, Lord and master of all that is”.
They go on to say “Traditionally and simply expressed, ‘Tarhid is the conviction and witnessing that there is no God but God! This negative statement, brief to the utmost limits and brevity, carries the greatest and richest meanings in the whole of Islam.”
Tarhid teaches Muslims to see God not only as one but the whole of mankind as one human family.
In the words of Jabal Buaben, “There is one Creator, one World, one Revelation. Prophet hood is one, the world is one and humanity is one.
The concept of Tarhid only makes sense if the above-mentioned propositions are true, this is why in the Islamic Testimony of Faith one says, ‘There is no Deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad (Pbuh) is His Messenger’. By saying these words a Muslim totally commits himself/herself to the propositions mentioned above. This is essentially the reason why the Qur’an makes it obligatory for Muslims to believe in all prophets and messengers, because they all come from the same one God.”
Thus the Qur’an calls itself “A confirmation of what has gone before you,” meaning a reminder of what God has already revealed.
It is precisely for this reason that the Qur’an demands that all the messengers of God are to be accepted with the basic understanding that there is only one Creator or God who sent all of them and therefore their mission is essentially the same. The Qur’an emphasises the paramount importance of life hereafter for mankind. It inculcates the concept of accountability both in the private and public life of a person.

Let us now turn to the other element - Practice
“The practise and observation of duties are” in the words of Riadh El-Droubie are summarised in ‘Five Pillars’. These five pillars of practice are intended to purify the personality. To regulate human relations with God and society, and to encourage the doing of good for the sake of God alone.”

The first of these pillars, Tarhid or Shahadah (the statement of Faith) we have already dealt with in the previous section – which is bearing witness in words and deeds that there is no Deity worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad (Pbuh) is His Messenger. This should be reflected in every moment of the day in the life of a Muslim.

The second pillar is Salat: The prayer – which is mental, physical and spiritual submission to the will of God. Prayer has to be performed in a proscribed form and under certain conditions as assigned to it by the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) and it has to be acted upon at certain times of the day facing the Ka’abah, the sacred Mosque at Makka. The prayers are preceded by ablution (Wadhu).
The first compulsory prayer is between dawn and sunrise, the second one is early afternoon, the third one mid-afternoon, the fourth one is just after sunset and the fifth one is at night – usually before midnight.

Prayer times vary according to the length of the day. In the midst of daily activities, Prayer comes as a regular reminder of our relationship with God, our place in the scheme of things, our responsibilities and ultimate destination. Prayer is a regular means of purifying both the body and soul.

The third pillar is Zakat: welfare contribution.
The Arabic word Zakat means purifying. It offers the donor the inner satisfaction and reward in this world and the next. Zakat is an obligation on each and every Muslim who possesses more than he/she needs to give a specified portion (2.5% of the savings, cash or kind) for the relief of the poor and the needy. Islam teaches people that the poor and the deprived have an entitlement to the wealth of the rich. It must be understood that Zakat is neither tax nor a charity; rather it is a ‘loan’ to God.

The fourth pillar is Sawm: Fasting. Every year, for one complete lunar month, Ramadan, in the Islamic calendar – adult Muslims all over the world are required to fast from dawn to sunset. Fasting involves total abstinence during this period from food, drink, smoking and conjugal relationships. Travellers and the sick can defer fasting during Ramadan but must make up for it at a later stage.
A Muslim saint says, “Sawm develops self-control and helps us to overcome selfishness, greed, laziness and other faults. It is an annual training programme to refresh us for carrying out our duties towards Allah, the creator and Sustainer. Sawm gives us the feeling of hunger and thirst. We experience for ourselves what it is like to have an empty stomach. This develops our feeling for the poor and hungry people. Fasting teaches us to control the love of comfort”.

The fifth pillar is Hajj: Pilgrimage. It is a visit to Al-Ka’abah, the house of Allah in Makka at least once in a lifetime by those Muslims who can afford it, both physically and financially.
At this Annual International Muslim Assembly when Islamic brotherhood becomes particularly evident, barriers of language, territory, colour and race disappear – and the bond of faith becomes uppermost.

In addition to the five pillars, Islam lays down some other obligations on the Muslims. The Qur’an forbids immoral acts such as perjury or slander, consumption of the flesh of pigs, the drinking of alcohol, the practice of usury, gambling and sexual relationships outside marriage.

THE ISLAMIC CALENDAR

The Muslim calendar is a lunar one, having 12 months, which are counted from one new moon to the next. The Islamic era originates from the ‘emigration’ (hijrah) of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) from Makka to Medina in the year 622 C.E. The most important month for the Muslim is the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar year. As has been mentioned before, observance of fasting during the whole of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan is associated with the greatest of events in the history if Islam, the start of the revelation of the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) at the time forty years of age.
Amongst other significant events that occurred during this month, the most important one was the conquest of Makka. The month of Ramadan is also a month of forgiveness and charity. It is obligatory for the Muslims to pay Zakat-ul-fitr, which is a charity given, as an act of purification for every single member of the family, before the congregational prayer at the end of the period of fasting and on the day of the festival of Eid.
The observance of Ramadan may vary from country to country, from one place to another but the objective remains the same everywhere: the fulfilment of God’s commands of discipline, piety and collective worship.

FESTIVALS

There are only two most important festivals in Islam, which are celebrated as acts of religious duties as stated in the five pillars of Islam. The first one is Eid-ul-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast of Ramadan, and the second one is Eid-ul-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice at the end of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makka.
Both festivals are occasions for celebration and rejoicing in God’s favour for His revelation of the Qur’an. Eid-ul-Fitr is also and occasion for thanksgiving by individuals for having the strength to complete the fast and thus to fulfil their duty, and Eid-ul-Adha is an occasion for thanksgiving by individuals for having been able to make the pilgrimage and the sacrifice. In the words of Riadh El-Droubie “Muslims on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha reaffirm their faith in the Qur’an and the Tradition, and show their willingness to surrender their own interests and worldly belongings to God.”

THE PLACE OF THE QUR’AN AND SUNNAH (TRADITION) IN ISLAM.

The Qur’an and Sunnah guide a Muslim’s life. The Qur’an is the revelation and the Sunnah is the interpretation as lived and explained by the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).
The pursuit of knowledge is therefore given a high priority in Islam. As Islam is a complete way of life, and not simply a set of rituals, and a Muslim must live in total obedience to the Creator, the development of the whole person is imperative. Education in Islam always involves moral teachings, which derive not only from human consciousness but also have a very firm religious/spiritual root, the aim being the production of a good human being.

The original and complete text of the Qur’an, which is unchanged to date, is available to everybody in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed. Translations and interpretations of the Qur’an into many languages are widely used and available.

CONCLUSION

Islam is a practical and flexible religion, which lays great emphasis on family values and responsibilities. It encourages simplicity, modesty, charity and mutual help and co-operation. It discourages miserliness, corruption, dishonesty, greed, extravagance and unnecessary waste. It dies not recognise any discrimination on the grounds of language, colour, territory, gender or class. Islam recognises the preference of one over the other only on the basis of ‘Taqira’, which is piety or obedience to God. One who obeys Allah most is considered the nobles in Islam. This obedience to Allah has to be demonstrated in public as well as private life by fulfilling all responsibilities assigned to the person to the best of his/her abilities, with total integrity, honesty and sincerity. Any deviation is sinful in the eyes of Islam.
Muslims are conscious of the inter-relatedness and inter-dependence of the human family and must therefore seek, cherish, and indeed uphold the fundamental principle of being an agent of peace in society. The Qur’an constantly calls on the believers to promote the consciousness of doing good and avoiding evil. Islam emphasises the cause of social responsibility of Muslims to all people, irrespective of their religious faith or no faith.
Muslims believe that as fallible human beings they are unwittingly (or perhaps sometimes intentionally) committing sins most of their life. They also believe that God has given them the avenue of repentance – true and sincere repentance. Probably God loves a truly repentant sinner more than one who commits no sin at all.

The true balance of an Islamic life is established by having a health fear of God as well as a sincere belief in his infinite mercy. Muslims believe that life is a test and ultimately, all human beings will be judged by God for their beliefs and actions in this world. However, in judging human beings God will be both merciful and just, and people will only be judged for what they were capable of.

Local Places of Worship:

Jamia Masjid Bilal and The Secretary
Muslim Community Centre
58 Newhampton Road West
Wolverhampton WV6 ORU
Tel: 752190

Muslim Educational Trust The Secretary
187 Lime Street
Pennfields
Wolverhampton

Madina Masjid Contact:
U K Islamic Mission
213 Newhampton Road East
Wolverhampton
WVl 4BB

Tel: 01902 711810

Islamic Society of Britain (ISB) Mr Zahid Parvez
213 Newhampton Road East
Wolverhampton
WVl 4BB

Tel: 01902 711810

Wolverhampton Mosque The Secretary
l97 Waterloo Road
Wolverhampton
WVl 4RA
Tel: 312232

Hussaini I.M. Ali (AS) Mosque The Secretary
& Shia Muslim Community and Welfare Centre
283 Newhampton Road West
Whitmore Reans
Wolverhampton WV6 0RS
Tel: 751593