Secret Church

Turkey and the 5 Pillars of Islam: Pillar 2

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 10:01 PM PST

Our prayer focus for Secret Church 14 is the Peoples of Turkey. Leading up the Secret Church on April 18, we'll be sharing information about the Turks and Kurds of Turkey, including their religious beliefs, their lifestyles, and their culture. Our hope is that as we learn more about who these people are, our burden to pray for them will increase, and that by the time May rolls around (a month we're challenging people to devote to prayer for the Turks and Kurds), we'll be so acquainted with them that all we'll have to do is continue praying for the people we've grown to love – people who desperately need to know the love of Jesus. Find out more at HopeforTurkey.com.

“Friday Prayers”

Pillar 2: Salat (Prayers)

What is Salat?

Five times a day the muezzin calls from the minaret of mosques all around the world to call Muslims to prayer. The Muslim call to prayer (adhan) is perhaps the most recognizable sound throughout the Muslim world. Muslims are expected to pray 5 times per day. Each of the 5 prayer times have a name and specific time of the day in which they are to be performed. Fajr is between dawn and sunrise, Zuhr is between midday and mid-afternoon, Asr is between mid-afternoon and sunset, Maghrib is just after sunset, and Isha is between nightfall and dawn. Muslims are expected to pray during these times each day either corporately in a mosque or individually at home or at work.

One of the unique characteristics of Islamic prayer is that those praying are expected to turn and face the city of Mecca. Mecca is in modern day Saudi Arabia and known as the holiest place in Islam. Muslims all around the world are expected to turn wherever they are (even in an airplane which can be interesting) 5 times per day and face Mecca when they pray. Before they pray, Muslims must ritually cleanse their hands, arms to the elbows, face, head, ears, nose, and feet to the ankles with water. This ritual cleansing process is known as wudu. Being outwardly clean before God is an essential part of Islamic prayer.

As they pray, Muslims assume special prayer positions throughout the prayer. The following steps are involved in a Muslim prayer:

Raise their hands and say in Arabic, "God is great."
Fold their hands and quote the opening of the Qur'an.
Bend over three times and says three times in Arabic, "Glorify the name of God most great."
Stands with hands to their side and says once in Arabic, "Give thanks to God."
On their knees they touch the prayer rug while saying five times in Arabic, "Glorify the name of God most high."
They sit up.
They bow down again and repeat step 5.
They stand and prepare to repeat the steps a second time.
They turn their head to the left and to the right. These steps end the series of prayers each time.

What is the significance of Salat for Muslims in Turkey?

Most sources estimate that more than 96% of the people in Turkey follow the religion of Islam. The challenge is that the level of devotion varies significantly from region to region, city to city, and person to person. Pew Religion Research suggests that 27% of the Muslims in Turkey actually pray five times per day. 15% of Muslims in Turkey claim to pray several times per day, but not all five.[1] Based on this research and my own personal experience in Turkey, it is safe to say that Muslims are practicing the prayers, but perhaps not as often as one might think. Again, this varies from person to person, but while many of the confessing Muslims in Turkey know the process and content of the prayers, chances are that they are not performing it as much as they might claim. Five times a day, the call to prayer sounds out from the minaret in cities all across Turkey, but the question is . . . do Muslims believe they are actually communing with God when they pray or are they simply going through the motions of religion?

Hear the Muslim Call to Prayer below:

[1] http://www.pewforum.org/2012/08/09/the-worlds-muslims-unity-and-diversity-2-religious-commitment/

Turkey and the 5 Pillars of Islam: Pillar 1

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:00 AM PST

“The Famous Blue Mosque”

Pillar 1: Shahada (The Witness)

What is the Shahada?

"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." This confession is the first thing whispered into the ear of a newborn Muslim baby and the last thing heard and spoken at death. This basic confession defines what it means to be Muslim. These words set Islam apart from the other monotheistic religions: Christianity and Judaism. If one desires to be Muslim, the starting point is a sincere confession of the Shahada.

At its core, Islam is a religion that demands devotion to one God, Allah. The Arabic word for God is "Allah." The word Allah was used in reference to God in Arab culture since before the birth of Muhammad in 570 AD. The Shahada begins with God. It assumes that there is one God who created all things and sustains all things. Muslims around the world strive to live a life of submission and surrender to this one God, Allah.

According to Islam, Allah sent humanity many prophets to lead them towards God. The final prophet he sent was Muhammad. Muhammad, though he was human, served as a role model and messenger from God. In their daily lives, Muslims are to emulate and follow the example set by Muhammad while he lived on the earth. The explicit mention of Muhammad as the "messenger of Allah" in the Shahada stands again in contrast to both Christianity and Judaism, who do not recognize Muhammad as a prophet sent from God.

For Muslims, the Shahada serves as a guide to life. It encapsulates both belief in Allah as the one true God and also points Muslims to Muhammad as the definitive example of what it means to be submit and surrender to God. The Shahada is a statement of both faith and practice and serves as the foundational statement for the 1.2 billion Muslims around the world.

What is the significance of the Shahada for Muslims in Turkey?

For many Muslims in Turkey today, the Shahada functions merely as a traditional saying that brings order and structure to Turkish society. The day-to-day implications of the Shahada are minimal for many Muslims in Turkey. Having been to Turkey several times the past few years, I am always surprised by the indifference expressed by Muslims towards Islam. Operation World estimates that Turkey is over 96% Muslim. In fact, the Turks proudly say that "to be Turk is to be Muslim." Yet, in reality, when it comes to Islam as a whole and the confession of the Shahada in particular, there might be a lot of intellectual ascent, but little heart felt devotion to God, Muhammad, and this confessional statement.

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