Faith and works

This evening I asked Aliou if he thought it was odd the 5 fundamental pillars of the Islam faith (God is unique and Mohammed is his prophet, prayer 5 times a day, trip to Mecca, zakat or alms giving, and fasting during Ramadan) are all but one dependent on action. Doing things. Whereas for me, Christianity is more faith than action. Certainly, most of Jesus' teaching is a call to action; however, the core of the religion is intangible. I asked him if when so much of the religion is obligatory action (to be Muslim you have to practice the five tenets above) it takes away from the value. I am in Africa not going to Church, not taking communion, not studying the bible, rarely fellowshipping, but I am still Christian. My faith may even be stronger when you take all the practices away. Now it is just me and my Lord and my little light...

Aliou thinks works and practice must come before faith. He also said giving is dependent on means--Islam (interpreted by Aliou) says if you don't have the means one year, you can wait until the following year to zakat. But for me it is the opposite; a gift given beyond one's means is so much more meaningful because it is a sacrifice. We did agree genuflecting while praying is important; and that people here don't really practice fasting. They party during the nighttime and start smoking right when Ramadan is over. "You should economize the whole year," said Aliou. He continued to say, "Faith without works is nothing." Maybe Mohammed read a bit of James? Or is Allah/Yaweh/God one? In practice these faiths are incredibly different but many of the same root principles are at work--though in the end it is interpretation that matters.