They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the
needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are
able.
There
is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger.
This declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which
all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is la
ilaha illa Llah - 'there is no god except God'; ilaha (god)
can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God -
wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa Llah: 'except God', the
source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun
rasulu'Llah: 'Muhammad is the messenger of God.' A message of
guidance has come through a man like ourselves.
Salat
is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a
day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God.
There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the
prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran, chosen by the
congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Quran, and are
said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication
can be offered in one's own language.
Prayers are said at
dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the
rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in
a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices,
factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the
centrality of prayers in daily life.
One
of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to
God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.
The word zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are
purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the
pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.
Each Muslim
calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most purposes this
involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital.
A pious person may
also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably
in secret. Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary charity' it
has a wider meaning. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a
cheerful face is charity.'
The
Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim. '
He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied:
'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something
out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not
able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.'
The Companions further asked 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet
said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions said 'What if he
lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing
evil. That is also charity.
Every
year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until
sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations.
Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are pregnant
or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of
days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they
must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and
to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.
Although the fast
is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method
of self purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even
for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go
hungry as well as growth in one's spiritual life.
The
annual pilgrimage to Makkah - the Hajj - is an obligation only for those
who are physically and financially able to perform
it. Nevertheless, about
two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe
providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one
another. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj
begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not
solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in
winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away
distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
The rites of the
Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the Ka'ba seven
times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as
did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together on
the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what
is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.
In previous
centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however, Saudi
Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern transport, and the
most up-to-date health facilities.
The close of the
Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with
prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This,
and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the
main festivals of the Muslim calendar
The surgery to implant a AbioCor
artificial heart is extremely delicate. Not only are the surgeons
cutting off and extracting the natural heart's right and left
ventricles, but they are also placing a foreign object into the
patient's chest. The patient must be placed on, and later removed
from, a heart-lung machine. The surgery requires hundreds of stitches,
to properly secure the heart to artificial ventricles, and grafts
to connect the AbioCor to remaining parts of the natural heart.
Grafts are a kind of synthetic tissue used to connect the artificial
device to the patient's natural tissue.
Surgeons implanting the AbioCor heart
Due to the complexity
of the surgery, there are lots of medical personnel on-hand during
the operation. The surgery on July 2, 2001, which was the first of
its kind in the world, included a team of the two lead surgeons, 14
nurses, perfusionists, anesthesiologists and other support staff.
Here is the
procedure, as described by University of Louisville surgeon
Robert Dowling:
Surgeons implant
the energy-transfer coil in the abdomen.
The breast bone
is opened and the patient is placed on a heart-lung machine.
Surgeons remove
the right and left ventricles of the native heart. They leave in
the right and left atria, the aorta and the pulmonary artery.
This part of the surgery alone takes two to three hours.
Atrial cuffs are
sewn to the native heart's right and left atria.
A plastic model
is placed in the chest to determine the proper placement and fit
of the heart in the patient.
Grafts are cut to
an appropriate length and sewn to the aorta and pulmonary
artery.
The AbioCor is
placed in the chest. Surgeons use "quick connects" --
sort of like lit
