Pillars, Pilgrimage and Prayer!

The following is an extract from an email that WEC sends out each week to facilitate prayer for the nations. If you would like to receive these directly you can subscribe here and receive them by email every Sunday morning! "When man works, man works. But when man prays, God works!" Patrick Johnstone, Operation World. The emails are intended to provide us with key information that will enable the growth of an informed, sustained and persistent wave of prayer. Please join with us! Praying for the muslim world. In Islam there are five pillars: Declaration of faith Prayer Giving to the poor Fasting Pilgrimage or Hajj Hajj should be performed at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime, provided they are physically and financially able to do so. In 2012, about 3.5 million Muslims gathered in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. Of a number of rites that pilgrims perform, one is celebrating the festival of Eid al-Adha with the sacrifice of an animal. “Whoever performs Hajj to the House and does not approach his wife for sexual relations nor commits sins while performing Hajj, he will come out as sinless as a newly born child, just delivered by his mother.” (Muhammad Saalih al-Uthaimeen, alminbar.com) A muslim festival At the same time as the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia are celebrating Eid al-Adha, Muslims all over the world also offer animal sacrifices of sheep, camels, or goats. During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims commemorate the occasion when, according to the Qur'an, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Ishmael. (The Biblical account refers to Isaac). This year Eid al-Adha will fall on Tuesday 15 October, when Muslims will attend morning prayers at their local mosque and afterwards commemorate Abraham's trials by sacrificing their animal. The meat from the sacrificed animal is divided into thirds. One third is given away to the poor; another is given to friends and neighbours; and the remainder is kept for the family to eat. The significance of the sacrifice is understood in different ways. Some Muslims deny that it has anything to do with atonement or using the blood to wash away their sin, while others do view it in this way. There are lots of ‘works’ that Muslims perform with the hope of achieving acceptance into paradise. This animal sacrifice and other acts of ‘worship’ are performed out of obedience, and by obeying it is hoped that they will be accepted when the end comes. The christian gospel of grace stands in contrast to this: “For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it.”(Ephesians 2:8-9 GNB) “He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done.” (Titus 3:5 CEV) In the light of these verses, let’s pray that many Muslims will come to know the grace of God revealed in Jesus. Source: islam.about.com