Essay for B224: Islam, by David Rowbory, 1st December 2003
1374 Words
According to Muslims, the main aim of human life is to worship God[1]. Created as God’Äôs vice-gerent over the earth, to obey him, worshipping God should be everyone’Äôs lifelong aim, rather than accumulating wealth or seeking temporary happiness. Islam claims to reveal unique and essential guidance about how to worship God properly, to ensure reward after death. Sufi teaching emphasises the individual and mystical aspects of worship, whilst more conservative Wahhabi teaching is more concerned with the community and the individual following the Shari’Äôah (law) correctly. Some emphasise the importance of prayer, and others stress worship as an attitude of the whole of one’Äôs life.
’ÄúAllah, the Almighty, created human beings to do His bidding and to obey His commands.’Äù[2] So the purpose of human life, as with Jinn (spirits), is to worship God. Usually this is understood as complete submission to him shown in obedience[3] to his commands, as revealed in the Qur’Äôan. Islam itself means ’Äòsubmission’Äô, and Muslim ’Äòone who submits’Äô (to God). There is no real division in Islam between the sacred and the secular, so worship usually is considered as covering every aspect of life. Hence the Qur’Äôan and the Hadith give clear directions on what Muslims may or may not do (what is Halal or Haram), and how they are to do it (Adab al-Islam[4]). Right belief (such as Tawhid[5]) is important, but only insofar as it leads a believer to right actions
Man’Äôs identity as God’Äôs vice-gerent (Khalifah) ’Äì his appointed ruler over the earth ’Äì is central to understanding worship and the way a Muslim should live[6]. Worship will include a ’Äòcivilising’Äô of all of society[7], and living in harmony with the natural world[8].
Islam insists that people live now remembering the Day of Judgement, and life after death. God gives guidance which if followed should ensure a reward for believers in heaven. Acts of worship now store up rewards for the later life, so that a person’Äôs devotion to God and to Islam should be more important than his wealth or fame. However, Islam is also very practical and concerned about the present, condemning the extreme of asceticism. Some verses from the Qur’Äôan are cited[9] as proof that humans should also enjoy the fruit of creation, thanking God for and making the most of his good gifts, such as 22:65 ’ÄúHave you not seen how Allah has made all that is in the earth subservient to you?’Äù and 31:20 ’ÄúSee you not how Allah has made serviceable unto you, whatever is in the sky and whatever is in the earth and has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding measure (both) seen and unseen?’Äù Islam shuns hedonism (seeking after pleasure alone), accumulation of wealth (especially at others’Äô expense), and seeking fame as aims for life. These aims focus solely on this life and indeed often become irrelevant and unsatisfying even within life on earth[10], they do not give due respect to God and make no provision for life after death. Worship is a greater purpose for life than hoarding wealth[11].
Since humans are weak and error-prone[12], Islam asserts our greatest need is guidance, that we might know exactly how to worship God. This guidance, the Qur’Äôan and the Sunnah provide in the form of many very detailed rules and also general guiding principles to be used to decide what to do in new situations[13]. The principles never change, because of the oneness of God (Tawhid), but circumstances in which people live do change. So an essential part of worship is working out an application of the revealed law (Shari’Äôah) to every situation of life.
The actual motivation for a lifetime of service to God varies. Ideologically, it is enough to state that God alone is worthy of all praise and worship as the Creator, the Most Merciful and the Giver of all good things. However, in practice, there are other more pressing motivations to conform to the Islamic ideal of worship. Certainly in discussing with Muslims of various ages at the Strathclyde University Muslim chaplaincy[14] it was clear that for some, Islamic worship provides a sense of purpose for life, for others a certainty of reward in the next life, and for others a warm sense of community.
Certainly harmonious community and family life is a very important aim for Muslims, so that the good of the individual should be sacrificed for the sake of the community. This is supposed to govern Islamic politics and economics[15]. Rewards in the next life are also recognised as a significant motivation for living in submission to God now[16]. Earning favour with God through worship now, is the best form of investment for the Day of Judgement. Most Muslims agree that Islam supplies a purpose for life which otherwise would seem fleeting and pointless, with the focus on the oneness of God and humankind’Äôs relation to him.
There is considerable variation in what is considered most valuable worship. Prayer is the most obvious form of obligatory worship, so some see it as most vital. Prayer must be made at five set times every day. Unlike Christian teaching which emphasises the content of prayer, Muslim teaching emphasises the form of prayer above all[17], with ritual washing, posture and the exact repetition of the right phrases being of greatest importance, so that the prayer conforms to God’Äôs commands in the Qur’Äôan. Otherwise it is no worship at all.
However, others insist that the whole of life must be worship ’Äì a life of prayer alone is not acceptable to God because as God’Äôs vice-gerent, humankind has been created to work. Indeed, many view the whole of life as a struggle (Jihad) for faithful living, inwardly and individually as well as in the community. So worship may be expressed in teaching Islam and exhorting others to submit to God, including ’Äòmissionary work’Äô (Dawah). Sarwar reveals some of his own motivation and understanding of Dawah worship, in his preface to the 4th edition of his educational work for children as he hopes the book’Äôs success may be ’Äòa source of my salvation on the Day of Judgement’Äô[18].
Islam teaches that marriage is "half of religion’Äù[19], the cornerstone of the whole Muslim life. Marriage and disciplined child-rearing is a vital aim. However, it is most important that both husband and wife are Muslim, so that marriage does not ’Äúconflict with the purpose of life (seeking Allah’Äôs pleasure)’Äù[20] ’Äì that is, worship. Children must above all honour father and mother: the prophet is often quoted as saying ’ÄúParadise lies at the feet of your mothers.’Äù[21]
Most discussion so far has discussed the aim of life from a Sunni, Wahhabi perspective, emphasising actions and adherence to the law. Sufi and Shiite mystical teaching is often concerned more with seeking ’Äòhigher knowledge’Äô, ecstatic experiences and a greater realisation of God’Äôs nature[22]. Some even talk about kind of close relationship with God[23]. However, as with many mystical traditions, teaching varies quite widely. Also people from different cultures place different emphases so that worship of God may become more individualist in Western Muslims than Asian or African Muslims who see worship in community terms.
The traditional view, accepted by the overwhelming majority of Muslims, is that worship of God is the aim and purpose of human life. We were created by God to serve him, and so a fulfilled life for a Muslim appears to be one where worship of God is evident throughout, as detailed obedience to his every command. A Muslim should be married and conduct his or her family well, working for rewards in the hereafter, living in harmony with his relatives and neighbours. He must be modest, charitable and cooperative[24]. He must keep and if possible exceed the five pillars of prayer, fasting (in Ramadan), alms-giving, pilgrimmage (Hajj) and (perhaps most importantly) declaring one’Äôs faith. A fulfilled life is one lived in wholehearted struggle (Jihad) for right living until death, loving God, Muhammad and the faith more than a son. The Muslim submits to God and denies present pleasures, seeking tangible and physical future rewards from God at the Day of Judgement, reckoning current sacrifices worthwhile in the perspective of eternity.
Al-Kaysi, M I Morals & Manners in Islam: A Guide to Islamic Adab, Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1986/1994
Baldick, J Mystical Islam: An Introduction, London: I B Tauris & Co, 1989
Goldsmith, M Islam and Christian Witness, Sevenoaks: Hodder and Stoughton, 1982
Ruqayyah Waris Maqsood, The Muslim Marriage Guide, The Quilliam Press, 1995
Sarwar, G Islam: Beliefs and teachings, London: The Muslim Educational Trust, 1989
Anon Man’Äôs Vice-gerency, Islamic-world.net Online: http://islamic-world.net/khalifah/mans_vicegerency.htm
[1] For the purposes of this essay, I consider God and Allah to be synonymous terms referring to the supreme Creator of the universe, however many Muslims prefer the Arabic term as the proper name of God (G Sarwar, Islam: Beliefs and teachings, 13)
[2] G Sarwar, Islam: Beliefs and teachings, 15
[3] G Sarwar, 13
[4] Marwan Ibrahim Al-Kaysi, Morals & Manners in Islam: A Guide to Islamic Adab, 13ff
[5] G Sarwar, 22
[6] Islamic-world.net Man’Äôs Vice-gerency, Online: http://islamic-world.net/khalifah/mans_vicegerency.htm, paragraph 1
[7] M I Al-Kaysi, 13, 20ff
[8] G Sarwar, 13 and M I Al-Kaysi, 61
[9] G Sarwar, 21
[10] Islamic Education Foundation, Islam and the Aim of life brochure, Online: http://www.islamland.org/broch1/eb038.htm
[11] G Sarwar, 173
[12] M Goldsmith, Islam and Christian Witness, 45
[13] M I Al-Kaysi, 15
[14] Relatively informal discussions held Thursday 27th November 2003
[15] G Sarwar, 173
[16] Ramadan
Hadiths (which include comments on rewards for deeds done outside of Ramadan).
Online: http://www.jannah.org/ramadan/ramadanhadiths.html
Especially the Hadith Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah,
[17] Class teaching by I Glaser, 24th October 2003
[18] G Sarwar, 9
[19] Ruqayyah Waris Maqsood, The Muslim Marriage Guide, introduction
[20] G Sarwar, 166
[21] G Sarwar, 166
[22] J Baldick, Mystical Islam: An Introduction, 2ff
[23] From discussion with Christian workers in Muslim contexts, Friday 28th November 2003
[24] G Sarwar, 175