Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam is the term given to "the five duties incumbent on every Muslim". These duties are shahadah (profession of faith), salat (ritual prayer), zakat (alms tax), sawm (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Shahadah

The first (and most important) Pillar of Islam is the affirmation of the shahadah (شهادة, "witness"), a concise credal statement that summarizes the essentials of Muslim belief in a single line: "ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh" ("I testify that there is no god (ilah) but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"). It should be noted that Muslims of the Shi'a school append the phrase "... and Ali is the Friend of God" to the shahadah, reflecting their slightly disparate understanding of divine revelation.

This pithy faith statement functions as the foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. It is a major component of all prayers (discussed below) and, when sincerely believed and internalized, represents conversion to the Islamic faith: Ideally, it is thought to book-end the believer's life, as it should be the first thing a newborn will hear and will be recited to them at the time of death. It, perhaps more than any of the other pillars, represents the extent to which Islam is centered upon a submission to (and rededication of one's life towards) the Divine:

The shahadah must be repeated and lived until the implicit realization has penetrated to the center of [the believer's] being, until through concentration upon the truth, and virtue, the individual substance is transformed and itself made adequate to the truth.

Salat

The second pillar of Islam is salat ("prayer", "worship") the requirement to perform five daily prayers at fixed times during the day. Each salah is performed facing towards the Kabah in Mecca, the symbolic center of the faith, and consists of "a set pattern of recitations and bodily movements repeated a set number of times." Salah is intended to focus the mind on Allah; it is seen as a personal communication with the Divine, expressing the believer's gratitude and reverence. According to the Qur'an, the benefit of prayer "restrains [one] from shameful and evil deeds". While salah is compulsory, some flexibility is allowed depending on an individual's particular circumstances. For example in the case of sickness or lack of space, a worshiper can offer salah while sitting, or even lying down, and the prayer can be shortened when traveling.

The salah must be performed in the Arabic language to the best of each worshiper's ability. if he or she cannot speak Arabic, then the native language can be used, although any extra prayers (du'a) said afterwards need not be in Arabic. The lines of prayer are to be recited by heart (although beginners may use written aids), and the worshiper's body and clothing, as well as the place of prayer, must be cleansed. All prayers should be conducted within the prescribed time period (waqt) and with the appropriate number of units (raka'ah). While the prayers may be made at any point within the waqt, it is considered best to begin them as soon as possible after the call to prayer is heard.

Ritual Purity

The importance of ritual purity (tahir) to a practicing Muslim is evidenced by the Prophet’s statement that "the key to paradise is prayer [salat] and the key to prayer is purification." Indeed, if one has been defiled, they are prohibited from taking part in any ritual observances: though "purification is not a part of the ritual of worship itself," it is "preliminary to most acts of Islamic practice." The ablutions that must be performed to achieve this state of purity can be divided into two categories: wudu and ghusl. The former consists of a ritualized washing, during which the Muslim must wet a series of body parts and recite a number of Shahadas in sequence. The later is a ritualized bath whereby the entire body is washed according to a ritual formula, and with a properly pious mindset.

Zakat

Zakat ("purification"), religiously mandated alms-giving, refers to the Muslim obligation to consign a certain portion of their income to charity. This is considered to be a personal responsibility for all Muslims believers who have the financial means to do so. Further, a Muslim may also donate more as an act of voluntary charity (sadaqah), in order to achieve additional divine reward. It is important to note that attitudinal difference between the practice of zakat and the Western understanding of charity:

In Islam, the giving of alms is seen more as worship, and is the third pillar of Islam. The emphasis is not so much on the objective

or the recipient as it is on the act of giving—that is to say, on the donor. In fact, the recipient is technically God Himself, and whoever receives the alms is in theory benefiting not from the generosity of the immediate donor but from the mercy of God. The greater benefit is to the donor. It is good to give away part of one’s money, since it lessens one’s attachment to the rest. Such a donation is said to “purify” what remains. It is also, like the sala, a periodic acknowledgment of one’s duty to God.

There are two main types of zakah: first, there is the zakah al-fitr, which is a fixed amount based on the cost of food, that is paid during the month of Ramadan by the head of a family to support the destitute; second, there is the zakat on wealth, which covers money made in business, savings, income, and so on. In current usage, zakat is treated as a 2.5% levy on most valuables and savings held for a full lunar year, as long as the total value is more than a basic minimum known as nisab (3 ounces or 87.48 g of gold). As of 16 October 2006, nisab is approximately US $1,750 or an equivalent amount in any other currency.

Sawm

Muslims traditionally break their fasts in Ramadan with dates (like those offered by this date seller in Kuwait City), as was the practice (Sunnah) of Muhammad.

The fourth Pillar of Islam, sawm ("fasting") is divided into three types by the Qur'an: ritual fasting (2:183-187), fasting as compensation or repentance (2:196) and ascetic fasting (33:35).

Ritual fasting is an obligatory act during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse throughout the day. They are also expected to be especially mindful of other sins. The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness to Allah, to express their gratitude to and dependence on him, to atone for their past sins, and to remind themselves of their responsibilities to the needy. During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, harsh language, and gossip.

Fasting during Ramadan is not obligatory to individuals in several groups for whom it would be excessively problematic. These include pre-pubescent children, those with a medical conditions such as diabetes, elderly people, and menstruating, pregnant or breastfeeding women. Other individuals for whom it is considered acceptable not to fast are those in combat and travelers who intended to spend fewer than five days away from home. However, any fasting that was missed for a non-permanent reason is usually expected to be made up soon afterwards, although the exact requirements vary according to circumstance:

O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint, (Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (With hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent (Qur'an 2:183-184).

Hajj

The hajj to the Kaaba in Mecca is an important practice in Islam.

The Hajj ("greater pilgrimage") When the pilgrim is around ten kilometers from Mecca, he must dress in Ihram clothing, which consists of two white sheets. Rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina, among others.

The pilgrim, or the hajji, is honored in his or her community. For some, this is an incentive to perform the Hajj. Islamic teachers say that the Hajj should be an expression of devotion to Allah, not a means to gain social standing. The believer should be self-aware and examine his or her intentions in performing the pilgrimage. This should lead to constant striving for self-improvement.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Books and journals

• Brockopp, Jonathan and Tamara Sonn, Jacob Neusner (2000). Judaism and Islam in Practice: A Sourcebook. Routledge. ISBN 0415216737. 
• Delcambre, Anne-Marie (2005). Inside Islam, 3rd, Marquette University Press. ISBN 1423733460. 
• Denny, Frederick Mathewson (1994). An Introduction to Islam. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0023285206.
• Esposito, John (1998). Islam: The Straight Path, 3rd, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195112344. 
• Farah, Caesar (1994). Islam: Beliefs and Observances, 5th, Barron's Educational Series. ISBN 978-0812018530. 
• Goldschmidt, Jr., Arthur and Lawrence Davidson (2005). A Concise History of the Middle East, 8th, Westview Press. ISBN 978-0813342757. 
• Hedayetullah, Muhammad (2006). Dynamics of Islam: An Exposition. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1553698425. 
• Kobeisy, Ahmed Nezar (2004). Counseling American Muslims: Understanding the Faith and Helping the People. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0313324727. 
• Levy, Reuben (1957). The Social Structure of Islam. UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521091824. 
• Reinhart, A. Kevin (Aug. 1990). "Impurity / No Danger." History of Religions Vol. 30. 1-26.
• Rippin, Andrew (2003). Muslims: Vol. 2, The Contemporary Period: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203396537. 
• Ridgeon, Lloyd (2003). Major World Religions, 1st, RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 978-0415297967. 
• Ruthven, Malise (1997). Islam : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0585111219. 
• Sedgwick, Mark J. (2006). Islam & Muslims : A Guide to Diverse Experience in a Modern. Intercultural Press. ISBN 142378717X. 
• Tabatabae, Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn and R. Campbell (translator) (2002). Islamic teachings: An Overview and a Glance at the Life of the Holy Prophet of Islam. Green Gold. ISBN 0-922817-00-6. 

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

• "Encyclopedia of Christianity". (1st edition). (2001). Ed. Erwin Fahlbusch, William Geoffrey Bromiley. Eerdmans Publishing Company, and Brill. ISBN 0-8028-2414-5.
• "Encyclopaedia of Islam Online".. Ed. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912.
• "Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals". (1st edition). (2004). Ed. Salamone Frank. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415941808.
• "The New Encyclopedia of Islam". (Revised edition). (2001). Ed. Glassé, Cyril. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 0759101892.
• "Oxford Dictionary of Islam Online".. Ed. John L. Esposito, editor in chief. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195125584.

See also

• Ten Commandments

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