Reference no: EM132868310

Question 1: Compare one of the Five Pillars of Islam to Christianity.

• Christianity and Islam are religions that share common roots - the Abrahamic origin. Both religions have cultural similarities, even though they both differ in their belief systems and doctrines. Islam has Five Pillars of Faith: Declaration of Faith, Daily Prayer, Charitable Giving, Fast of Ramadan, and Pilgrimage to Mecca, which are the framework of the Muslim life. It is obligatory for Muslims to uphold these pillars.
• Fasting, the fourth pillar of Islam is a ritual that is observed in the month of Ramadan on the Islamic lunar calendar, and is usually a month long. The month of Ramadan is regarded as a sacred month, and fasting usually starts with sighting of the new moon. The day's fasting starts at daybreak and ends at sunset. So a Muslim would start the day's fasting with an early meal and break at sunset at a family or congregational dinner after the evening prayers. From daybreak, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse until after sunset as a way of building spiritual strength, and learning to empathize with people who do not have food to eat or are disadvantaged in life. Most times during the fasting period, people engage in charitable donation of food (presumably, food that would have been eaten, but for the fast). Even though fasting is obligatory, the sick, traveler and pregnant women are given fast-exemptions, they would make up for missed fasting days on a later date.
• On the other hand, the Christian fast is equally an act of abstaining from food for spiritual purposes but is a voluntary, personal and private matter, and does not have set parameters. Fasting is not mandated in Christianity, but it is expected of Christians to fast. Jesus advocated the privacy of fasting; "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do,... put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16 - 18). When Christians fast, it is motivated by a personal desire to draw near to God, to build Christian character, to be disciplined, and to mortify the flesh. In Christianity, believers are not coerced into fasting or placed under obligation to do so. Rather, it is an expectation, and believer engage in fasting, acts of charity, and seeking for self-discipline and spiritual growth out of own volition.