And whatever good you send forth for your souls, you will find it with Allah, better and greater in reward. -Qur'an 73:20
A Short Glimpse of Our Class Trip to ISCV:
The Five Pillars of Islam
Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion, which follows the teachings of the Qur’an, or the Koran. Followers of Islam are called Muslims, and they believe the purpose of existence is to serve God. It is based on five pillars:
journey of Muhammad (Hajj) As-Salamu Alaykum This is a greeting meeting peace be upon you. The response to this should be the phrase Wa Alaykum Salam, meaning peace also be upon you. |
Reflections on Jumma Prayers At ISCV
As a student at Saint Anne's Belfield School, I partake in an intensive program of my choice in the three weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas break. This year I participated in the World Religion Intensive program, in which the class went on many field trips to different religious centers. Specifically, we visited the Islamic Society of Central Virginia for Jumma Prayers, coincidentally two weeks after the San Bernardino attack. The moment we walked into the Mosque, I could tell there was a strong sense of community in the room. As the service started, instead of ignoring the terrible events that had happened in California, the Khutbah was opened by telling the community that the events in California were unacceptable and did not reflect the way the majority of Muslims behave. The community expressed how mortified they were that the whole Muslim community could be affected by the actions of a few people who went against Islamic traditions, but all the while they felt the need to keep apologizing for actions they didn’t perform. It is a disgrace to this country that politicians are using the Muslim Community as a pawn in their political games. The people we met at the mosque were all accomplished members of the community, for example pre-med students at UVA. It is not fair to attribute the acts of a few people to a whole group. I could not have gotten this perspective of the Muslim Community if I had not attended the prayer service. I highly encourage everyone to seek out the truth of this religion instead of just believing what is said on the news. |
Link to ISCV Website:
http://www.charlottesvillemasjid.com/
Photo sources:
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/islamic-society-charlottesville?select=gXd2bKGKCDgH6e3S9yp1hw
http://famvin.org/en/tag/islam/
Music source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18_NgbGFUfo
http://www.charlottesvillemasjid.com/
Photo sources:
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/islamic-society-charlottesville?select=gXd2bKGKCDgH6e3S9yp1hw
http://famvin.org/en/tag/islam/
Music source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18_NgbGFUfo