History of Islam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Islam - Assignment Example The origin of Islam is credited to Mohammad. He experienced an angelic visitation from Archangel Gabriel. The angel handed him the Quran and recited the first verses of Surah XCVI2. The pillars of Islam are: Shaddah, Salat, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj3. They signify the things Muslims believe in as Commanded by Allah. The five pillars of Islam provide a framework on how Muslims should act. The pillars were summarized in the hadith of angel Gabriel. Shahada is an Islamic creed and a testimony of faith. The Shahada is the most important pillar as it should be known to any Muslim convert. Salat is the daily Muslim prayer. Muslims pray five times a day. Zakat is the pillar that emphasizes on giving to the needy. Sawm is the pillar which emphasizes on fasting on the holy month of Ramadan. In this month Muslims abstain from food, drinks and sexual relations. The fifth pillar is the hajj. Hajj is the pilgrimage journey to Mecca. Performing the hajj is usually a compulsory activity at least once i n a lifetime to people who are physically fit. Salat is the most significant worship. It originated from the Quran, Salat Al-Fajr 24:58, Salat Al-Isha 24:58 and Al-Salat Al-Wusta 2384. Muslims believe praying five times a day can clean all the sins of a person. At the beginning, Salat was performed three times a day. The Quran specifies three positions of performing Salat. These are standing, bowing and prostrating. Salat is the formal procedure of worship to Muslims. It has prescribed procedure, conditions and the time to be practiced. In the holy Quran, Salat is performed while standing bowing and prostrating. During the prayer Muslims are required to wash themselves before praying, an activity known as Wuddu. The main importance of Salat is to act as a person’s communicator to God. During Salat one is able to communicate more intimately with God5. It is also during Salat that Muslims have a form al way of remembering Allah. It is during Salat that Muslims give thanks to Go d for all their possessions and blessings and also pray for other needs. Salat also helps a Muslim to refrain from the social ills and moral deviancy6. Sahih Bukhari collection of hadith says that Mohammed considered salat as the best deed. According to prophet Mohamed, Allah does not listen to the cries of a person while talking but listens to person’s cries while praying. He continued and said that mercy always drops on a person’s head while praying. Salat is usually practiced at dawn, noon, afternoon, evening and night time. Adhan refers to calling of Muslims to prayer. It comprises of words that envelop the fundamentals of faith, worship and Islamic rituals. As affirmed in Bukhari, Muslims went to Madinah at prearranged time for prayer. Umar planned appointing a man to call out for prayer by recite the words of Adhan.7 It is recited from the minaret so that it can be heard from a distance, and melodiously to titivate their voice for it8. Salah is one of the pillars of Islam and prayer is the best form of worship. Every Muslim should endeavor to earn Pleasure of Allah. According to Surah 51:56, â€Å"I have created Jinns and men that they may serve me,† Adhan calls persons to prayer and proper relations. This has an effect on the performance of Salah. Adhan is a procedure in which Muslims are called to mandatory prayer. It is done five times a day to call Muslims to perform the Salat. Adhan is performed by the muezzin. Adhan is also done to

Leadership Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Leadership Assessment - Essay Example Leader’s focus remains on the people and importantly on ways to inspire them to face new challenges and to perform in any state of affairs. Not to panic at any rate is the most indispensable quality of a leader. Every leader has the quality of maintaining the confidence level up and to assure followers that the whole thing is going to be fine. To be humorous and comical with the employees is an additional great quality that differentiates some leaders from others. According to a study, females have more leadership capabilities than males. Traditionally leadership tasks were associated with men only but over a period of time women are increasingly getting involved in the leadership jobs (Eagly & Johannesen?Schmidt, 2001). LEADERSHIP STYLE There are many styles of the leaders which are being followed but three major leadership styles are commonly used in organizations. These common leadership styles are as follows (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & Van Engen, 2003): Autocratic, also known as ‘authoritarian’ Participative also known as ‘democratic’ Delegative also known as ‘laissez-fair’ Authoritarian (Autocratic): Example of expression for the above style is, â€Å"I want both of you to. . ... . .† In this style, there is a leader and one or more employees are collectively involved in making of the decision (deciding what to do & how to do). This style is a mark of potency to work in a team and not a sign of weakness of leader. This authority is bring into play when knowledge or information of others employees can prove valuable contribution. By using this authority, a benefit of mutual understanding allows every other member of the organization to participate for the betterment of decisions (Sosik & Godshalk, 2000). Delegative (Laissez Faire): Example of expression for the above style is, , â€Å"You two take care of the problem while I go. . .† This style allows the employees to make their contribution and take decisions. The style is used when the employees have enough knowledge about the situation and know what to do and in what manner the work is to be done. Leader’s complete trust on the capability of employees and intentions to develop decision m aking capability in employees results in leader to adopt this style. Leaders increasingly use this style in the current professional world (Sosik & Godshalk, 2000). My manager in the current organization has adopted the combination of the three styles. The collective feature of all three defined style have had significant positive impact on my attitude towards works as well as entire organization. With participative decision making our managers enabled us to work in team and incorporating the best of suggestions for the task completion. This participative style adoption was ordered by leader using his autocratic powers. Hence, the manager enabled all employees including me to make decisions with responsibilities