Islam is a way of life and total submission to thewill of Allah. It is a religion embarked-upon based on conviction and it promotes knowledge and research, it speaks against backwardness, hatred and vicious tendencies. It is so dynamic that it can operate within any other system. It can operate under oppressors and it allows others to operate when it is governing a state. When under non-Islamic authority, it does no! constitute a threat to such state, and when solely in control of a state, it spells out the rights and duties of the minorities.It has to be established abinitio that Islam is not merely a religion consisting of rituals restricted to a place of worship but a complete way of life that bothers itself not only with its votaries' relationship with Allah alone but also with fellow human being being and other beings. For example, the gates of paradise were opened, and Allah's forgiveness and appreciation of Allah was bestowed upon a man who g ive water to a dog overcome with thirst. Muslim and others narrate that Abu Hurauiah (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH.) said: ''While a man was walking he became very thirsty due to the intense heat of the day. To his relief he found a well into which he quickly climbed down to get some water. After he had satisfied his thirst and come back out of the well he found a dog so thirsty that it was eating the earth in an attempt to quench its thirst. He said to himself: 'Thirst has overwhelmed this dog to the same extent that it had done me.' So he re- entered the well, filled his slipper and held it with his teeth until he got to the top o f the well, where he immediately gave it to the dog to drink from. Allah (the exalted) thanked the man for what he has done and forgave him. One of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH.) said: 'Is there reward to be gained from being, compassionate to the animals'' The Prophet (PBUH.) said: 'In every living being there is a reward to be gained''If Islam has sanctioned compassion towards animals and in this case a non likeable animal like dog, definitely it has sanctioned compassion to any human be that person a believer or not.Islam has also established the five pillars to train its adherents on way of achieving this perfect relationship. The first pillar establishes in a believer the consciousness that it is only Allah who is constant, Almighty, the Omniscient, the all Powerful and the Controller of all Wills and occurrences. It further establishes the messengership of Muhammad as the vehicle'through which the knowledge of the unique essence of Allah is perfected through communication to the human race thus completing the line of the chain of the Prophets of Allah that had been sent from the time of Prophet Adam (as).The second pillar establishes direct communication between the Muslims and Allah through which they submit themselves at least five times a day in complete obeisance to Him, stating the act that He is the Sustainer of all the worlds, Secondarily it also-creates a social bond among the Muslims such that creates in them induction for their socio-political life.When the Mu'adhin echoes, 'The prayer is commencing (qad qaamat salat), the masses line up behind the Imam in one straight line as if they were one solid wall.Nobody bows .before the Imam does ,and no one prostrates before him. In every little movement the masses are obliged to follow the Imam and not to surpass him in any way. This is the best that any democracy has to offer - everyone united, orderly and well organized.However, the Imam does not act as he pleases. On the contrary, he himself is bound by the instructions and constitution of the prayer. If he divert or make a mistake in a recitation or an action, it is behoves the young boy, the old man and the women who pray behind him to correct his short-comings. It is their right to remind him, correct him and guide him to the right path during their prayer. Moreover, it is obligatory on the Imam, whoever he shall be, to bow down to the truth, and correct his mistake in the light of their instructions. There is nothing in any organized democracy that is better than the virtues we have just cited in the induction given by our congregational prayer.Zakah as a pillar of Islam has as its objective as the policy of eradication of poverty. It is also a process of Purification of wealth. It can technically be defined as 'a specific rate taken at a specific time from a specific amount at a specific level and expended on specific areas.' Wherever Zakah is dynamically organized as directed by Islam, poverty would distance itself from the Muslims. A good example was when Umar b. Abdul Aziz because the Ummayad khalifah in Syria, he organized the system of Zakah as dictated by Islam and two years thereafter poverty was completely eradicated in Damacus, more people were paying Zakah there and the fund was rechanneled to other cities and areas of needs. All other economic principles of Islam have the same spirit with Zakah. Sawm as a pillar of Islam it is instituted to perfect the consciousness of Allah in the believers. It is a month of a refreshers course that encourages the Muslims to increase in acts of worship, kindness and generousity beside abstinence from food, drink and sexual cohabitation from dawn to dusk. All the good qualities of the Muslims are best displayed during this season. The lesson therein is for Muslims to inculcate these qualities and display them also outside the month of Ramadan.The fifth pillar is Hajj, where with a very large congregation Muslims are able to serve their Lord-Allah together. Accommodating one another and socializing together in the permissible way of Islam.All these pillars are to include the teachings of peace and harmonious co existence in the Muslims. They are to assist the Muslims to be able to submit to the laws of Allah in all endeavours and wherever they may be. The Shariah- the laws of Allah are so dynamic that they are well fashioned out in such manners that they will not give the Muslims any hardship yet the Muslims know that these laws must be obeyed to the best of their abilities, when it becomes difficult for them to do so, they keep hope alive to follow it at any given opportunity. When Muslims foundd themselves in a State not using the laws of Allah, they patiently persevere but ensure that their rights to worship of Allah are not infringed upon. They embark on the worship of Allah in such a way that those in authority will notice no effrontery in them but a sincere desire to worship their Creator. A very good example could be found in the case of some thirty Muslim horsemen being led by a French officer, Henry de Castro through the desert in Algeria during the French occupation of the place.Dr Adetona is a lecturer at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo.
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