Another pair of shoes

The Islamic faith is made up of five pillars. These five pillars must be followed in order to be a strong, living part of the Islamic community. I'm not Islamic, but I would like to examine and imagine what my life would be like if I was Islamic. Here is what my day would look like if I was to try to be a believer of the Islamic faith.

I would take the following 5 Pillars and apply them to a day in my life:

1) Testimony of Faith

2) Prayer

3) Giving Zagat (support of the needy)

4) Fasting the month of Ramadan

5) Pilgrimage to Makkah

First I would wake up at dawn and pray to Allah. I would thank him for all that he had blessed me with, and I would say, " La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah." This means, "There is no God, but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the messenger of God." After this I would go about my normal morning activities. I would shower, brush my teeth and prepare a breakfast for myself. While enjoying a healthy breakfast I would pray to Allah and ask for his guidance for me during my day. I would then travel to work, my day would go on as usual, but at lunch I would again pray to Allah. In the mid-afternoon, I would again pray to Allah. It doesn't matter what I am doing, I will stop it and pray and resume what I was doing when I'm done praying.

On my way home from work I will stop by a local charity and give money to support their cause. As an Islam, I understand the importance of giving to the needy. Once I arrive home, I will prepare dinner, pray to Allah (as it is no sunset) and start preparing my voyace to Makkah. I plan on going to Makka next year during the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. As an Islam, it is my obligation to make a trip to Makkah at least once in my lifetime (if it is possible for me to do so). I eat a lot during dinner because I know that soon I will be fasting along with my fellow Islam followers during the month of Ramadan. During this time I will need to abstain from filling my life with food, drink and sexual activity.

<===== Makkah Pilgrimage

As a Christian, there are some sacrifices that must be made, but not as many as that of an Islam. I give them a lot of credit for all of their time, money and dedication that is put toward their faith. I don't know if I could honestly go through all of the above that I planned to do in a day. I think I might try to, though. I challenge you to try on the shoes of someone else. We so often get stuck in our own day to day journey and overlook the journey of others around us. So, this week, take a day to live the life of someone else...and maybe then you can have some compassion and understanding.

Thanks for reading and may God bless you this Thanksgiving!!!! Enjoy the time with your family and friends!!!! Don't forget....to try on someone else's shoes.