Islam_in_Focus_text

1. Purity and Cleanliness
It is an Islamic injunction that before offering the Prayer
the Muslim must perform an ablution, unless he has done
one earlier and kept it valid. This obligatory ablution is
sometimes partial, sometimes complete, depending on his or
her condition. Now, if we remember that a Muslim has to of-
fer at least five obligatory Prayers every day in pure heart
and mind, in clean body and clothes, on pure ground and in-
tention - we can very well realize the vital effect and benefi-
cial results of this single act for man (cf. Qur'an, 4:43, 5:7).
2. Diet
To maintain a pure heart and a sound mind, to nourish an
aspiring soul and a clean healthy body, special attention
should be given to the diet on which man lives. And this is
exactly what Islam does. Some superficial or self-deceived
persons may imagine that food and drinking stuff has no di-
rect or important effect on the general condition of the per-
son who fills his stomach regularly. But this is certainly not
the viewpoint of Islam which takes the matter in a most seri-
ous way. The general principle of Islam in this respect is
this: Ali the things which are pure in themselves and good
for man are lawful for diet as long as they are taken in mod-
erate quantities. And all the things which are impure and bad
©