Practicing Muslims?

[fschmidt]

Do you pray at least 3 times per day and not eat during daytime during Ramadan?

I am asking this because this seems like the minimum that a practicing Muslim would do. I am curious what percentage of Muslims actually practice this minimum.

[Delete.]

So, who would be classified as a "non-practicing Muslim"? Someone who doesn't pray, or fast for Ramadan? Because this is considered kufr, not being a "non-practicing Muslim". I don't understand this concept of "practicing Muslim".

[Cherub786]

Do you pray at least 3 times per day and not eat during daytime during Ramadan?

I am asking this because this seems like the minimum that a practicing Muslim would do. I am curious what percentage of Muslims actually practice this minimum.

Actually the minimum would be to pray Five times a day (not three).
Also, I doubt that a poll on a random internet discussion board can give you an accurate sense of what percentage of Muslims are practicing.

[greenhill]

Confusing isn't it?

I would take it that the Shahahda is the where it is at.. You become a muslim with that. Without the shahada, nothing of your good deeds counts (and if you are a muslim, it still counts for nothing if the intention isn't right, like doing stuff for recognition etc)… Still the bad deeds will count..

So, at a guess, come Judgment Day, you will be asked why you ignored the obligation? Tough one to answer as while you claim to believe, the actions does not follow..

[fschmidt]

So, who would be classified as a "non-practicing Muslim"? Someone who doesn't pray, or fast for Ramadan? Because this is considered kufr, not being a "non-practicing Muslim". I don't understand this concept of "practicing Muslim".

My understanding is that anyone who says the Shahadah is Muslim. So if they say the Shahadah and don't pray or fast for Ramadan, then I would call them a "non-practicing Muslim". Isn't this a fair term? I looked up "kufr" which seems to mean unbeliever. Since we can't read minds, how can we judge this? But we can judge what a person does.

[fschmidt]

Actually the minimum would be to pray Five times a day (not three).

Apparently Quranists say 3 and I don't want to get into debate about Islam, so I thought "at least 3" covers all forms of Islam.

Also, I doubt that a poll on a random internet discussion board can give you an accurate sense of what percentage of Muslims are practicing.

Do you have a better suggestion?

[Cherub786]

Apparently Quranists say 3 and I don't want to get into debate about Islam, so I thought "at least 3" covers all forms of Islam.


Do you have a better suggestion?

Qur’anists who hold there to be 3 prayers instead of 5 do not even represent 0.1 % of the Muslim community.

I have no suggestion for you because I fail to understand what is motivating you to want to know how many Muslims are “practicing” in the first place?

[Delete.]

My understanding is that anyone who says the Shahadah is Muslim. So if they say the Shahadah and don't pray or fast for Ramadan, then I would call them a "non-practicing Muslim". Isn't this fair term? I looked up "kufr" which seems to mean unbeliever. Since we can't read minds, how can we judge this? But we can judge what a person does.

Kufr means disbelief, yes. This term "non-practicing Muslim" is a new term, I guess it would be the nicer way to say Munafiq. Munafiqeen are hypocrites, those who say the Shahadah yet they don't obey Allah in His Commands. We have to still consider them as Muslim since they uttered with their tongue La ilaha illAllah Muhammadur RasoolAllah, and we don't know their heart, only Allah does. But like you said, we judge what a person does. Someone who says "I'm a Muslim, just non-practicing" yet they openly disobey Allah, and they aren't even striving, they just don't care at all, is not a "non-practicing Muslim". Allah knows best.

And this is different than someone who is still striving to pray, to fast, to obey Allah, yet they sin and they make mistakes and they aren't doing everything that Islam prescribes, but they are still striving, they repent, they constantly try. This isn't a "non-practicing Muslim". This is a Muslim, whether they pray five times or not, as long as they are repentful and striving.

Abandoning the prayer is not being a "non-practicing Muslim", abandoning the prayer is kufr. The Messenger of Allah, salaAllahu alayhi wa salam said: "The difference between us and them is Salat (prayer). Whoever neglects it is a kaafir (disbeliever)." It has a Sahih (authentic) isnaad. And the Sahabah believed that a Muslim who has neglected the prayer is a kaafir too.

Actually some major scholars have commented on the issue of neglecting the prayer, out of laziness or anything else without a valid reason.. If you are interested.

So, I still don't understand the term "non-practicing Muslim".

Allah knows best.

[fschmidt]

I have no suggestion for you because I fail to understand what is motivating you to want to know how many Muslims are “practicing” in the first place?

I am interested to know how Islam compares to other religions in terms of taking practice seriously. For example, modern Christianity doesn't take practice seriously at all. Only obscure groups in Christianity like the traditional Anabaptists take practices seriously. In Judaism, Orthodox Judaism takes practice seriously while Reform and Conservative Judaism do not. So I would like to see how Islam compares.

[Cherub786]

I am interested to know how Islam compares to other religions in terms of taking practice seriously. For example, modern Christianity doesn't take practice seriously at all. Only obscure groups in Christianity like the traditional Anabaptists take practices seriously. In Judaism, Orthodox Judaism takes practice seriously while Reform and Conservative Judaism do not. So I would like to see how Islam compares.

Well I can tell you that relative to other religious communities such as Christians, Muslims are much more observant. There are significantly higher attendance rates at Mosques. Muslims engage in more acts of worship than Christians. Also, you have to consider the fact that Islam is a religion that is more about practice, whereas Christianity has very few practices in it, Christianity is mostly focused on dogma.

In the Muslim world religious activities occupy a lot more time of ordinary people relative to Christians.

However, relative to Muslims of earlier generations, the Muslims today in the 21^st century are practicing Islam to a much reduced degree.

[muslim brother]

shaykh saleem dhorat from leicester once said this in batley

few muslims pray all 5 salah and few are practicing anyway
from those few,few then focus on the internal spiritual condition
but are content with the physical worship
from the even few now who focus on spirituality




from tasawwuf..
one of the dangers of being "practicing" is self righteousness and pride.
so after practicing/worshipping one must then start another effort of removing all the spiritual diseases which is more difficult than physical practice.

do we truly realise who is at fault for our pitiful condition

[azc]

^Sadly, most of us are careless of spiritual diseases..

[azc]

Do you pray at least 3 times per day and not eat during daytime during Ramadan? I am asking this because this seems like the minimum that a practicing Muslim would do. I am curious what percentage of Muslims actually practice this minimum.

hope, most of us are practicing Muslims

[M.I.A.]

i had a guy walk in and ask for an empty box..

he said he wanted to put cake in it as a gift.

ironically i work in a cake shop.

...he proceeded to tell me about how religious i am, praying 5 times a day.

i stopped him and said i dont pray.

he said jew mid sentence and walked out..

box in hand.

i dont pray on the regular just yet, i dont think my faith could handle it.

[noraina]

Wa alaykum assalam,

It's interesting really. I've been asked before 'Are you practising' or 'Are you religious'. And we often hear of people categorising themselves or others into the neat little slots of 'practising' or 'not practising'. But, the truth is, there is no neat little slot.

A Muslim shouldn't be practising or non-practising. We should just be 'Muslim', at least that is what I think. Categorising can end up leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy - where someone who is non-practising thinks it is okay to be non-practising. Or a practising Muslim thinks they are a 'better' Muslim because they are practising.

This isn't directed at anyone by the way, lol, just me thinking aloud.

[M.I.A.]

quran 107 is a good one..

although it can go this way and that several times depending of your interpretation of it.

[fschmidt]

Wa alaykum assalam,

It's interesting really. I've been asked before 'Are you practising' or 'Are you religious'. And we often hear of people categorising themselves or others into the neat little slots of 'practising' or 'not practising'. But, the truth is, there is no neat little slot.

A Muslim shouldn't be practising or non-practising. We should just be 'Muslim', at least that is what I think. Categorising can end up leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy - where someone who is non-practising thinks it is okay to be non-practising. Or a practising Muslim thinks they are a 'better' Muslim because they are practising.

This isn't directed at anyone by the way, lol, just me thinking aloud.

I think categorizing people is important. If I choose a business partner or an employee, I want to categorize them as trustworthy or untrustworthy. So my thinking is, if a person can't be trusted to fulfill their religious obligations to God, why would I trust them to fulfill their obligations to me? Isn't this a reasonable approach?

[Search]

(In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

Do you pray at least 3 times per day and not eat during daytime during Ramadan?


I am asking this because this seems like the minimum that a practicing Muslim would do. I am curious what percentage of Muslims actually practice this minimum.

Personally, yes, I follow all the mandates of Islam. However, I do know that many Muslims don't. Practice is important in Islam and to Islam. That said, I think all types of theists in our world are now starting to lose their religiosity except by name in terms of adherence to a specific religion. While Muslims might still be more religious perhaps than Christians or Jews in specific ways, I think most adherents of all religions are moving unfortunately towards hedonism, materialism, secularism to the nth degree that it is not spiritually healthy for any persons religiously-inclined of any religion whether they are struggling to practice or not.

Of course, having said all that, you have to allow for the fact that people probably who are on this discussion board probably are more practicing than other laity of the same religion.

Take care.

Best Wishes,

[noraina]

I think categorizing people is important. If I choose a business partner or an employee, I want to categorize them as trustworthy or untrustworthy. So my thinking is, if a person can't be trusted to fulfill their religious obligations to God, why would I trust them to fulfill their obligations to me? Isn't this a reasonable approach?

True,

I just think it's ironic in that actions which are actually fardh (prayer, fasting, not drinking alcohol ect) are overlooked by some Muslims, who then justify it by calling themselves 'non-practising'. When actually these actions are what constitutes a Muslim's way of life - they should basically be a part of us.

We do kinda automatically categorise people, it's just when that categorisation is used as an excuse by others, and they seem to blame it on a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Search]

(In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

I think categorizing people is important. If I choose a business partner or an employee, I want to categorize them as trustworthy or untrustworthy. So my thinking is, if a person can't be trusted to fulfill their religious obligations to God, why would I trust them to fulfill their obligations to me? Isn't this a reasonable approach?

To be honest, I'm not sure how sound an approach this is. You have to realize that there may be some Muslim laypersons that are not practicing and realize it and therefore don't have an ego specific to themselves and so are probably more considerate than religious Muslim laypersons who are always in danger of falling prey to their ego and becoming arrogant to the point wherein their actions and words are self-righteous and inconsiderate of others as they're forgetful that they themselves were at one time not guided except with the grace and mercy of God.

Also, I am wary of people labeling themselves or having labels define them. To me, character is the most important and the fruit of good character is good words and good actions. A person may not be "religious" in the ritualistic sense but still might be considered "righteous" because Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Righteousness (birr) is good character.” (Saheeh Muslim: 2553).

Hope that makes sense.