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The true observance of the Ramadan fast, the third pillar, as a solemn reminder of the deprived lives of the poor and hungry, is very difficult nowadays. Children, travellers and the physically ailing are exempted from the fast. Many of those who do observe it overcompensate for the deprivation of the daylight hours by indulgence during the hours of darkness, if they can afford to.
Ramadan has become a time of jollification, with children permitted to stay up until all hours, joining "the fasters" in enjoying special Ramadan dishes, especially sweet preparations. The less fortunate, who do not need to be reminded of the deprivation of the poor, lose weight during Ramadan and become testy and short-tempered: the more fortunate "fasters" suffer from sleepiness and even a gain in weight. Ramadan is not the time to try to get any serious work done in Muslim countries.
The Haj, the fourth pillar, is much more truly observed. The pilgrimage should be undertaken only by those who can afford it and whose domestic obligations have been fulfilled. The Haj, which this writer has been privileged to witness, is essentially Islamic in two ways.
It is visible proof of the existence of the Muslim umma, the community of the faithful, which is now worldwide. It is visible proof, too, that membership of the umma of Islam cuts across the barriers of race and colour.
Above all, during the Haj there is a renewal of the inward spirituality of the pilgrim's faith in a way that is singularly free, open and spontaneous. This is expressed in the pilgrim's cry, "Labayk, alla-huma, Iabayk", "Here I am, O Lord, here I am".
The most important ritual, the half-day of individual prayer and meditation during "the standing at Arafat", facing the rocky knoll of that name, from where Muhammed preached his last sermon, emphasizes the direct, face-to-face, relationship of the Muslims with God. The fifth pillar, the payment of zakat, a form of property tax, was firmly insisted on by the Prophet.
The components of the essential core of Islam--the Koran and the five pillars--are thus few. They could quite easily dominate the spiritual life of the believers. But do they? Because the Koran is the word of God, and was revealed in an Arabic of miraculous splendour, there has been a strong sentiment against translating it into other languages. This, plus the fact that the majority of the world's 1 billion Muslims are illiterate, means that most Muslims cannot be really familiar with their holy text, though Koranic recitations on radio and television have helped to fill this gap in knowledge. The five daily prayers, spaced out through the day and night, are too onerous a duty for most Muslims.
However, because Muslims can, and do, pray anywhere, on a roadside, in a factory or an aeroplane, prayer comes easily to them. The turning towards Mecca for the prayer, and the knowledge that every praying Muslim turns in that direction, is a constant and powerful reminder of the unity of the umma.
There must be very few Muslims who, at some time in their lives, have not observed, with whatever limitations, the Ramadan fast. There must be just as few, even the most skeptical, who have not wished to perform the Haj: And, as the growing numbers of pilgrims indicate, 2m at last count, more and more Muslims are making the pilgrimage. While the average Muslim, in a personal way, is charitable enough, he does not pay zakat if he can possibly help it. Which is why President Zia ul Haq's government in Pakistan, in correct Islamic fashion, imposed it compulsorily and deducts it at source. Of all the Muslim governments, only Iran's and Pakistan's do this.
Some non-Muslim scholars, especially anthropologists, observing how the core of Islam has been coated by layers of local custom, belief and superstition, have argued that there is no such thing as Islam, or at least no one Islam but rather many Islams. But even if there is such a thing as Moroccan Islam or Indonesian Islam, there is also, underlying them, a common Islamic foundation provided by such events as the daily prayers, the Haj and the strong sense of solidarity in and with the Muslim umma.
Nevertheless, because the spiritual core of Islam is so stripped down, with the believer face-to-face with a God who is transcendental, this became a factor of weakness as well as of strength. The weakness arises because of the all-too-human need for a mediator between the human and the divine. Islam is almost too severely monotheistic. The Shias have accepted the mediating Imam, which the Sunnis, 90% of all Muslims, do not. But even the Sunnis have had to accept mediatory practices such as the worship of saints and memberships of tarikas, or religious brotherhoods. Some of these are Sufi and mystical, others are more mundane, and resemble Masonic lodges or even Rotary clubs.
Though the brotherhoods are omnipresent across the Islamic world, they are also Islam's best-kept secret. This back-sliding from Koranic Islam is, in practice, an inescapable and essential part of day-to-day popular Islam. Fortunately, in Islam today, besides the militants with their insistence on non-essentials, there are revivalists trying to produce good Muslims by emphasizing the inward spiritual qualities of the faith.
The Tabligh movement, easily the largest and single most important group in the Islamic world, began in India, but now has a global following. Its guiding principles are the profession of faith, knowledge and remembrance of God, kindness and respect for fellow-Muslims, sincerity of intention, and giving time and energy to spreading the faith. So long as such movements exist, and attract millions of Muslims, essential Islam remains alive and well.
(article accompanied by photograph of people praying, captioned:
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