Islam As It Is
The Five Pillars of Islam
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recite repeatedly: “I am at your service Lord, here I
am:” this being the perfect expression of Islamic
intention.
One of Islam’s major goals is that mankind should
live in remembrance of that Day when all will be
assembled before God. The gathering of the
pilgrims on the plain of Arafat is a visible reminder
of this crucial moment in the after-life.
Islam sincerely wishes that man should be free of
the clutches of the Devil and that they should
continually chase the Evil One away.
The casting of pebbles at the stone devils
Rami al-
Jamar
gives pilgrims the opportunity to go through
the physical motions of a symbolic fight against
evil. Islam desires too, that the believer should
adhere to the covenant he has made with God, even
if this entails the sacrifice of his property or even his
life. At Mina, therefore, during the rites of
pilgrimage, the pilgrims sacrifice an animal, thus
showing themselves ready to make whatever
sacrifices are demanded of them. It is also a
requirement of Islam that people should patiently
endure the inconveniences they have to suffer on
