Prayer policies between the Christian and Muslim Essay

The Christian and Muslim religions have long argued their religious differences. On the surface, both religions possess similarities. Both religions advocate the worship of a singular God. Both impose obligations and duties on their believers as a means of becoming and staying as an advocate of the religion. Both use prayer as a means of communicating with God. However, when the prayer policies of each religion are contrasted, the differences between the two systems of beliefs can be easily identified—in their concept of prayer, the form of prayer and the rituals that come with it, and the intention of the prayer. A primary distinction in the prayer policies of both religions is their understanding of the concept of â€Å"prayer. † The Muslim religion, or Islam, understands prayer as that which involves a series of very specific rituals. The Islamic principle of salat, which is commonly used to understand the Muslim concept of prayer, signifies a rigid set of prayers that Muslims are expected to perform five times daily (â€Å"Salat: Daily Prayers†). On the other hand, Christians view prayer in a broader sense, in that they see it as a form of mental and emotional attitude. Therefore, their prayer is not limited to a prescribed form. For the Christians, there is no right and wrong way of praying (â€Å"Muslims Ask, Christians Answer†). A glimpse at the form of rituals each religion observes in praying best illustrate this point. In the Muslim religion, ablutions and washing are required before praying. This is in keeping with the belief that only those who are considered to have been purified can communicate with God. A prayer leader known as the Muezzin calls the Muslim faithful to prayer from a portion of a mosque called a Minaret. After calling the faithful to prayer, only the prescribed prayers should be recited. During prayer, proper clothing, as well as the calculated gestures of kneeling and bowing, is imperative. Otherwise, the prayers said are regarded as void, and the believer is required to repeat the entire prayer from the beginning to the end (â€Å"Salat: Daily Prayers†). On the other hand, the Christian religion does not prescribe either form or amount of prayer. No ablutions or washing rituals are needed before a Christian may validly pray to God. Christian texts such as the Holy Bible, offer suggested passages and prayers, but do not require strict compliance. The religion focuses mainly on the believer’s sincerity and not necessarily his words (Schirrmacher 2). Thus, Christians can use various forms of prayer such as dance, music, whether accompanied or not by lyrics, meditation, or through the use of artistic skills such as painting or sculpture. Another distinction in the prayer policies of both religions is the purpose of prayer. Although both Muslim and Christian prayer invokes the aid of an Almighty being, their prayers aim to bring about different goals. The believers of Allah (i. e. , the term Muslims use to call their God), through all their gestures and prayers, intend to manifest their submission with all humility as a servant, both to his Lord, and to his community (Spengler). Thus, intimate names of God cannot be invoked. Muslim believers regard Allah as solely the Creator and cannot be considered as on equal level with the products of His creation (Schirrmacher 2). Christians, on the other hand, aim to commemorate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice through the Eucharist (Spengler). Through prayer, Christians intend to express the intimacy of their relationship with God. Hence, they can address God as â€Å"Father† or â€Å"Abba. † These distinctions in prayer – their concept of prayer, their rituals in praying, and their goals of prayer—illustrate the differentiate prayer policies between the Christian and Muslim religions. While these distinctions set both religions apart, they both worship only one God. They also impose duties and obligations on their believers. Finally, they use prayer to communicate with God. Works Cited â€Å"Salat: Daily Prayers.† BBC Religion and Ethics – Islam. 09 March 2006. 27 February 2008 â€Å"Muslims Ask, Christians Answer. † 27 February 2008. Schirrmacher, Christine. â€Å"Christian and Muslim Prayer. † World Evangelicals: 1-4. World Evangelical Alliance. 27 February 2008. Spengler, Oswald. â€Å"Does Islam have a prayer? † Asia Times. 18 May 2004. 27 February 2008 .