Muslims greet each other with the phrase, “As-Salamu Alaykum,” meaning “peace be upon you.” Our visit to the Islamic Society of Augusta has been my most favorite one so far. Mjad Sabke, the imam, had a really refreshing sense of humor while possessing a lot of wisdom and insight. He is from Lebanon but has been living in the United States since the 1980s. It was very evident that he is proud of his roots and is very devoted to his religion.
He explained about the Five Pillars of Islam and went into much detail for each one. The first one is the belief in one god and that the prophet, Muhammad, is the messenger. Muslims must pray five times a day; in the morning before sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night. Next, Muslims must pay charity out of their savings and not their income whenever it is possible. Lastly, they must perform a pilgrimage (hajj) once a year at Mecca. As for the beliefs of Islam, they believe in the oneness of God and that he is watching over them, the existence of prophets and messengers, and revelations. Also, they believe that everything that happens is a result of God because he is the one in control. Muslims also believe that there is a judgment day where they will be put on trial so that their actions can be judged.
One part of the presentation that really stood out to me was the part about relationships. Sabke explained that differences are good and that there is nothing wrong with disagreements. Having disagreements are normal and even the best relationships must have them. The best community is where people share commonalities yet they respect differences amongst themselves. Each of us has our own methodologies but we still have the ability to join together as a community. This statement had a lot of significance to me because I have always had the same mindset. Many people believe that disagreements are not good when it comes to relationships, but they actually strengthen relationships. The fact that one person can get along with another despite their differences really says something.
Word Count: 357
No comments:
Post a Comment