Social Teachings of Islam

Social Teachings of Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religion followed predominantly by those living in the Middle East and northern parts of Africa. The Arabic word “islam”, or “surrender” in English, encompasses what all Muslims are expected to do--surrender to Allah and his will. The teachings of Allah through Muhammad are known as the Qur’an. To Muslims, these teachings are a way of life that reaches past being a moral code for the individual and into the social aspects of their society. The Five Pillars of Islam is the basis of every Muslim’s life. The Five Pillars is a set of five practices that every Muslim takes a part in. The first is recognizing that there is no god but Allah. Muslims are also expected to give 2.5% of their total wealth annually to those in need. Another Pillar is daily prayer or salat. Muslims pray to Allah five times daily facing Mecca, which is considered to be the holiest place in the Islamic world. Fasting from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan is included in the Five Pillars of Islam as well. The final Pillar is pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj. On this hajj, a Muslim, who is now called a hajii, performs several acts that are symbolic to acts performed by Abraham. This pilgrimage is to be made at least once in a Muslim’s life as long as they are physically and financially able to do so. One of the primary social issues of Islam regards gender. In Islam, men have authority over women simply because Allah created it that way. In return for being the superior gender, males are expected to support women financially. Although the male is considered to be above the female, both genders are seen as equal in the eyes of Allah. The Qur’an gave women many rights that they did not have in the time period that it was written. The Qur’an outlawed female infanticide, allowed for female inheritance, and gave women divorce rights. Along with gender roles come marriage expectations. A woman is to be obedient to her husband; those who are

Cited: Novak, Phillip. The World’s Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World’s Religions. [San Francisco, Calif.]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994. Print