The Islamic religion is guided by the 5 pillars of Islam that are indispensable and must be followed to lead responsible lives. First of all, the Shahadah (Faith) and Salat (prayer) will be discussed in this paper. Secondly, the influence of Moses on the Jewish religion will also be discussed.
Islam
The Muslim faith is built on the belief that only one true God (Allah) exists, and Mohammad served as his prophet (Zarabozo 2). An individual must willingly say the Shahadah three times before a witness in order to be considered a Muslim. Furthermore, the individual must fully understand the meaning of the profession and accept the truth by their heart.
Every single day, Muslims repeat the utterance as a way of showing their never failing faith in God and his prophet Mohammad. According to the Islam religion, the testimony of faith is considered the most important among the five pillars because of the profession. The requirements for this practice remain the same for all genders and allow women and men to relate well in the entire Islamic religion.
In order to meet the requirements of the practice, there are nine principal conditions that should be understood by the Muslim faithful. “Knowledge, certainty, acceptance, submission and compliance, truthfulness, sincerity, love, rejecting any other worship, and following the shahadah to the last day form the nine conditions” (Zarabozo 1-5).
Prophet Mohammad encouraged people to believe his message that only Allah should be worshipped in order to enter paradise (Zarabozo 1). Furthermore, the Koran encourages Muslims to submit themselves to Allah in order to ask for repentance and live holy lives (Zarabozo 3).
The Salat requires that all Muslim faithful make prayers five times daily that have quotes from the Koran (Islamicity 7). “As reported in the Koran, prayers should be made at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and in the evening in order to be considered complete” (Islamicity 7).
Prayers increase solidarity and growth in faith because it allows direct communication with God. In connection to that, the Koran mentions that it is respectful to make prayers with a clean heart, mind and body; hence, the faithful should wash themselves in water before making prayers.
On the contrary, there exist variations in the practice depending on gender and purpose of the prayers. For instance, it is a common practice for a woman to pray behind a man so that prayers remain valid. Moreover, women lack the authority to lead men in prayers or even sermon for exceptional prayers like rain and eclipse prayers. The Islamic religion considers prayers powerful and compares the holy life of Prophet Mohammad to his devotion in prayer. Additionally, the revelation of God is considered linked to his commitment in prayer.
Judaism
According to relevant sources, Prophet Moses introduced the religion of Judaism more than 1600 years before Christ. Judaism, as a religion, was mainly defined by the Mosaic laws passed to the Israelites through Moses (Brumfield 7). The laws and various practices were observed by the early Jews in order to remain clean, undefiled, and holy before God. Judaism and Islam religions share several similarities such as the belief in only one true God and commitment to prayer for nourishment of the soul (Brumfield 2).
However, there are several practices that define Judaism and differentiate it from the Islamic religion. Judaism still exists among contemporary Jews as depicted in several of their practices including adherence to Mosaic laws. For instance, modern Jews respect the ten commandments of God and adhere to strict dietary laws that were established in the early times. The laws are based on the five books of Moses (Torah) that are authoritative and give direction on living a holy life (Brumfield 5).
As such, Mosaic laws have been carried across several generations into the modern world. According to the laws and teachings of Moses, Jews were required to keep clean, pray, and conduct rituals. Jews were connected to God and their forefathers like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by observing the laws. In the modern setting, Jews are connected to the sacred life though various ways such as adhering observing the Sabbath, practicing birth rituals and observing strict dietary laws established by Moses (Brumfield 5).
For example, Jews never take unclean meat such as pork; however, all meat taken must be drained of blood. Additionally, birth initiation rituals like child naming and circumcision rites creates a connection to the sacred lives. The laws and practices initiated by Moses are still practiced; hence, confirms the strong impact left by Moses on Judaism.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Islam and Judaism imposed absolute faith on followers through the connection their respective prophets. As such, the impact established several centuries ago still remains vivid in the lives of their succeeding generations.
Works Cited
Brumfield, Barry. “Religion: Judaism.” Israelsmessiah.com. Israelsmessiah.com, 2011. Web.
Zarabozo, Jamaal al-Din. “Declaration of Faith: Shahadah.” Quranandscience.com. Quranandscience.com, 2010. Web.
Islamicity. “Understanding Islam and Muslims.” Islamicity.com. Islamicity.com, 2011. Web.