The Prophet (SAW) said, "The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord (Allah) in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one.” |
Practices of Muslims
There are many considerations one must take when embarking on the journey towards pleasing Allah (SWT) once you convert to Islam. Basically all of the actions Muslims carry-out are and should be done in accordance with the Shari'ah. Many people might tense up when they hear this word "shariah"; I assure you, if you have this idea that it is something very evil and hard-lined or even associated with terrorism, you have the wrong idea. Shari'ah, which is identified as "Islamic religious law", encompasses rules for good Islamic behavior and is sourced from guidelines outlined in the Qur'an and Hadith.
See below for links to specific Islamic practices
The purpose of Islamic laws is protection of individuals' basic human rights, right to life, property, political and religious freedom and protecting the rights of women and minorities. In the West, we have moral and ethical rules, rules for polite behavior, guidelines for proper interactions with our fellow human beings, as well as laws governing legal aspects of human activities; in Islam, these are all included under the umbrella of shari'ah, which should be seen as a code of behavior. It is not and should not be associated with some of the extreme actions taken by zealots in our current times. And the fact that shari'ah law is condemned and vilified (currently we see this in American legislation), proves it is widely misunderstood.
The shari'ah is based primarily on the Qur’an and the Hadith. For those situations that are not covered by these sources, there are Muslim scholars who carefully evaluate the situation and apply Islamic principles to it to arrive at a judgment. These judgements would be called a "fatwa," which is basically an (learned) opinion and can and do vary from one scholar to another depending on the school of thought.
One of the great benefits of having the established rules of Shari'ah in place is that Muslims can rely on them as a guide in their lives, encouraging them to do good and also curbing undesirable acts and habits. Another benefit in having Islamic law is that the consequences of undesirable actions are known in many cases, which serves as a deterrent to take part in them. This enables Muslims to further structure their lives, by having fear in Allah SWT and the Day of Judgement where we will be held account for their good and bad deeds.
See FAQ's
There is much written on various topics pertaining to practices of Muslims; In the links below, I have highlighted the more essential practices (these are in addition to adherence to the Five Pillars, of course), as well as various other customs which are important to know and which new Muslim converts may be incognizant of.
