2014 Essays

Passing on Tradition in Islam

Rashid, Hussein

An essay from the anthology Sharing the Well: A Resource Guide for Jewish-Muslim Engagement.

Although liturgical prayer is an important part of worship, worship is more than that one manifestation. Ali Shariati, in discussing the unicity of God, says that simple divisions violate our essential understanding of what tawhid means (Shariati, 82–83). Instead, when thinking of worship, we must think more broadly than liturgy. We must think of many different acts as worship. I propose looking at prayer, soundscapes, holy days, and service as everyday acts of faith that create a culture of taqwa, or God-consciousness. This culture of taqwa inculcates faithfulness in succeeding generations.