Myths Rituals and Symbols in Islam

Myths, rituals, and symbols are very important in the Islamic religion. One of the most important myths is the Isra and Mi'raj, which are the two parts of a Night Journey that Muslims believe the prophet Muhammad took in one night around the year 621. It is considered a physical and spiritual journey. It is written in Sura 17 of the Koran and the Hadith, which are supplemental writings about the life of Muhammad. In this journey, Muhammad travels on the steed Buraq to the farthest mosque where he leads other prophets in prayer. After that he ascends to heaven where he speaks to God, where he is given instructions to take back to the faithful regarding the details of prayer. One of the most important symbols to Muslims is the Koran, also spelled Qur'an. The Koran is Islam's holy book. It contains Allah's final revelation and how each Muslim should live their life. The original language of the Koran is Arabic and has been translated into many different languages. It contains 23 years of Revelations dating for 610 C.E. to 632 C.E. and has 114 Chapters. The message in the Koran was given to the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet Muhammad was the final messenger of Allah; therefore the Koran is the last message that Allah sent to Muslims. In their daily lives, Muslims recite passages from the Koran during prayers. The most important rituals of the Islamic religion are their laws or the five pillars of faith. In Islam, faith and good deeds go hand in hand. There is a testimony of faith. This is simply declaring that there is no God but Allah and that his messenger was Muhammad. When Muslims declare this statement, they are testifying to the unity of Allah and the message of the prophet and that Muhammad was a messenger of Allah and all the prophets before him existed like Jesus. A person becomes a Muslim when proclaiming this statement with a pure heart and certainty of faith. The second pillar is that of prayer. Prayer is the most official act of worship. It is the connection between Allah and his people. It is believed that one can gather strength, guidance, and peace of mind through prayer. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day, before dawn, noon, afternoon, after sunset, and in the evening. Muslims rise, cleanse with water, and present themselves for daily prayer. An important symbols in Islam is the Ka'aba, which is an ancient shrine that is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslims believe it is the holiest place on earth. When Muslims pray, they face towards the Ka’aaba. Even before Islam it was an important shrine. It had statues and idols inside it, since people then worshipped local gods. These idols were thrown out when Muhammad returned to Mecca after exile in Medina. Another important symbol in Islam is the Dome of the Rock. It is located at the visual center of a platform known as the Temple Mount. It was constructed on the site of the Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. In 637 CE, Jerusalem surrendered to the Rashidun Caliphate during the Muslim conquest of Syria. The location of the Dome of the Rock was established as the site of the Islamic miracle of the Isra and Miraj by Caliph Omar ibn al Khattab, and therefore holds very much significance for Muslims.