What EVERY Muslim needs to know about Islam

Introduction

The acquisition of knowledge is a noble undertaking, yet it is one which takes time, patience and hard work. An organized system of presenting information will have periodic tasks, exams and tests to determine the student's abilities and retention of the data that had been delivered during the course of academic period. 

With religion, particularly the religion of Islam, a great deal of tradition, texts and opinions are available, all of which have a level of attraction and arguments, which can lead to a great deal of confusion and outright dysfunction on a basic religious level. This is demonstrated occasionally within self-study. A person who has, on their own, studied the Japanese language, memorizing vocabulary and grammar to a point where they deem themselves as having mastered it   will often be lacking the most basic of necessary information, and when confronted, will lose credibility. While this is not intended to belittle self-study(ft.1), it is something to be cognizant of.

The title of this article is taken from the maxim coined by Muslim scholars as a teaching tool. That maxim is "The knowledge of religion that is necessary to possess" (Al Ma'loom min ad deeni bid-Daroorah). This expression is typically used in a theological sense to emphasis what Muslims are obligated to understand and believe in.

This article departs from the normative theological uses (while not denying the legitimacy of that usage) in order to focus on the more practical applications which are often neglected or even ignored, precisely because of lack of understanding their importance. 

We recognize that there is a certain level of legitimate differences of opinions, beliefs and judgement calls within the Muslim community (which shall be addressed below), so we have focused on matters that are largely deemed agreed upon (Ijmaa') by all parties. 

The Five pillars

While the five pillars are indeed well-known because of one hadeeth (ft.2), there are details that are necessary to put into place in order for these pillars to actually construct something beautiful. Four out of five of those pillars are in the practical realm, rather than theological(ft.3), and are addressed below.

(I) Salaah: daily prayers

While it is well-known that one is to face Makkah (the Qiblah), it is also necessary to be in a clean state, physically and mentally. This is known as Tahaarah!  The place of prayer should also be clean and the salaah should not be offered in a place such as a restroom. The process of ablution (Wudoo') should occur before prayers, and the state of wudoo' becomes necessary to renew after using the restroom, flatulence, deep sleep, and of course intimacy requires a full bath (ghusl) before salaah.

The necessary texts to recite in the prayers are of course Soorah Al-Faatihah-the opening chapter of the Qur'an (with a high emphasis on any other Quranic texts as well), the terms of glorification recited in the bowing (rukoo'), prostration (sajdah), the testimony of faith (tashahhud) and the pleading for the Messenger and all believers (Salaat 'alan Nabi) done in the final sitting posture. (ft.4)

For Muslim men, we also want to add that the men function as prayer leader (or Imam) in the family. We must know (and teach, particularly our sons) the above, as well as the call to prayer (adhaan), the immediate summons (Iqaamah), the number of units (rak'ahs) for each prayer(ft.5), and how to organize for communal prayer (with family and friends). These things are relatively easy. Other details come as time goes on, as needed. However, in terms of necessary knowledge regarding the salaah, the above cannot be dispensed with. (ft.6))

(II) Fasting:

Every able-bodied Muslim is expected to observe the fast from dawn (fajr) to Sunset (maghrib) during the month of Ramadan. Exemptions are made for the ill, the traveler (musaafir), menstruating women and the like.  A common misconception in the West is that the fasting period starts at sunrise (shorooq). 

The starting and ending times of the fast are very important to observe. It is also a good time to observe more prayer, charity and Qur'an reading. 

(III) Zakaat:

The Qur'an connects prayer and charity (Zakaah) in multiple places, easily observed by even a cursory glance at the scripture. Unfortunately, this pillar is unnecessarily neglected.

It should be made a priority; in the same way our monthly bills are a priority. With the emergence of the internet and automatic withdrawals, paying it should be an easy task. For more on this, see Shamsuddin Waheed: Zakaat: Reflections on its application in the Western world

(IV) Hajj pilgrimage:

This pilgrimage to Makkah, the site of the Ka'bah, is contingent upon physical and financial abilities. Many people worry about the pilgrimage rites (manaasik) years before making the intentions to actually go, yet our advice is to simply wait until it is near time to go, when the travel arrangements have been made. 

Malaysian and Indonesian pilgrims, upon getting the visa, actually go through classes in preparation of it, in a very organized fashion. Moreover, pilgrims travel in groups, and most travel agencies will have a guide in the group to help with the rites. Indeed, when I was blessed to go on the Hajj, our group had a power-point presentation preceding our entry into the pilgrimage. 

Sunnah

The term "Sunnah" in a technical sense refers to the established tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam). The term is widely used to highlight the Prophet's unique worship practices that fall outside of those deemed obligatory. For example, before offering the obligatory dhuhr prayer (which consists of four units), he would do a voluntary salaah consisting of four units. People would call these "sunnah prayers" or simply "sunnah". 

Sometimes the term is seen as synonymous with Naafil, which means voluntary, however in a technical sense this would be an incorrect application, because a person can do an action on their own volition, and it has no immediate reference to something done by the Prophet.

Sects

Between 85-90% of Muslims globally fall under the category of Sunni (Ahlus sunnah wal Jamaa'ah). In a broad sense, the appellation means that they take from the Prophet Muhammad's tradition, as conveyed through his companions and family, for legal precedence. 

15% (some estimates are as high as 20%) of Muslims belong to the Shiite community. They have a number of sub-groups, but the main difference is that they assert that they take from a select few from the Prophet's family (Ahlul Bayt) for legal and theological information. 

While there are some deep and significant differences between the two groups, it should be mentioned that both agree on the fundamentals of faith as well as most secondary points.

Schools of thought

While both sects have varying schools of thought, our focus is on the four which remain among the Sunni community. These schools, known as madh-habs (the correct Arabic plural is Madhaahib), have slightly different methodologies in evaluating and applying Islamic texts in a legal application. 

The Hanafi school dominates South East and central Asia, as well as Eastern Europe, The Shafi's in Far Asia, parts of the Arab world. The Maliki school (although founded in Madinah) commands loyalty in North and Western Africa, and Hanbali in Saudi Arabia. 

As a result of slightly different methodologies, conclusions on certain legal minutia vary. In prayers, the Shafi'ees raise their hands (raf' yadayn) at every movement of prayer, while the Hanafis do so only when initiating the prayer (Takbeeratul Ihraam).

These things should not be viewed as issues to result in division. It should also be noted that the divisions above (among the Sunni schools) are not theological. The term used for jurisprudence, for deriving texts for legal (and often ritual application) is Fiqh.

Culture

Healthy and wholistic practices are welcome in the Muslim community. The Muslim world is actually very diverse in these regards, and while Muslims have much in common as a result of the religion, we also acknowledge the richness in variety of languages, foods, history and perspective.

From an Islamic perspective, we only "reject" that which is contrary to the Qur'an and Prophetic legacy. In other words, the values and clear guidance of the religion is primary reference for us, even if the culture says something else. A good example is the caste system. It perpetuates oppression and separation. Islam teaches equality of all before God (Q 49:13), thus, we follow Islam, not the cultural attitudes. 

Conclusion

The content of this article should function as a foundation for seeing where we need to be in a religious sense. It omits many details and follow up questions/comments are always welcome.

Footnotes

(1) For thought on study, see Shamsuddin Waheed: Simple and easy study methods

(2) The narration is reported by 'Abdullah b.Umar, and is found in Bukhari and Muslim's collections, however, there are other reports with similar content.

(3) The first pillar is the shahaadah, declaring belief in the One and only God (Allah) and acknowledging that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was God's messenger. 

(4) This is also known by names such as Durood Sharif, Salaat Ibrahimiyyah etc. I explain the significance of this invocation at around minute 13 in my recent 'Eid ul Ad-haa sermon, to be found Here: Eid-ul ad-haa 2023 

(5) For the daily obligatory prayers, the units are as follows: Fajr is two rak'ahs, dhuhr is 4, as is 'Asr. Maghrib is 3, and 'Ishaa is four rak'ahs. On Fridays, if in a mosque, the dhuhr is replaced with Friday (jum'ah) prayer, itself having two rak'ahs. The daily prayers can be prayed in congregation (Jama'ah), whereas most "Sunnah" prayers-if observed- are done on an individual basis.

(6) All of the schools recognize the need for Al-Faatihah to be within the prayers, and most recognize that the addition of additional Quranic content as constituting Sunnah (and Not obligatory). With that said, the universal practice is following this structure: Al-Faatihah, followed by another Quranic text, in the first two units of the salaah. Thus, it is important for all Muslims, especially men, to have more Qur'an committed to memory. The last section of the Qur'an (Juz' 'amma) contains short chapters and are thus ideal for use in the prayers. At a minimum, I would recommend learning by heart at least the final three Quranic chapters (112-114) and rotate them in your prayers. It also has the effect of making your salaah more impactful.