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Five Pillars of Islam
1) Kalimah Tayyibah - The profession of faith in Allah (Shahadah) - the
declaration that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that
Muhammad is his messenger.
2) Prayer (Salaat) - establishing of the five daily Prayers.
3) The paying of alms (Zakat) - which is generally 2.5% of the total savings
for a rich man working in trade or industry, and 10% or 20% of the annual
produce for agriculturists. This money or produce is distributed among the
poor.
4) Fasting (Sawm) - refraining from eating, drinking or satisfying other needs
from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic
lunar calendar.
5) The Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) - this is done during the month of Zul
Hijjah, and is compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do
it. If the Muslim is in ill health or in debt, he or she is not required to
perform Hajj.
The five pillars are intended to increase ones faith and make a person
"better". If they do not have this impact on a person, then they are practiced
in vain.
Detailed Descriptions About the Five Pillars
of Islam
Number One
Shahadah (Kalimah Tayyibah), the profession of faith in Allah
According to the Qur'an, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his
Prophet". This declaration of faith is called the shahadah, a simple formula
which all of the faithful Muslims pronounce daily. Intrinsic in this action is
the acknowledgment of Prophet Muhammad (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam)
Number Two
Salāt, prayer
Muslims are obliged to perform ritual prayers, or Salāt, five times a day:
Between dawn and sunrise (Fajr)
After midday (Zuhr)
Midway between midday and sunset (Asr)
Right after sunset (Maghrib)
Approximately one hour after sunset (Isha'a)
A Muslim may offer extra optional prayers.
On Fridays, congregational prayer (Jumu'ah) is held at midday. A Muslim may
pray almost anywhere, such as in a place of work or a school. It is also a
requirement for a Muslim to face Mecca during prayer.
Before prayer is the ritual of ablution (Wudhu), a ceremonial cleansing with
water. The parts cleansed include face, arms, head (wiping the hair), and the feet up to
the ankles. If the cleansing was done properly, the Muslim is considered to
have wudhu, which means that he or she has cleansed him or herself from the
physical manifestations of sin in a lasting fashion that extends between
prayers. In other words, unless the Muslim does something to remove this
cleanliness, the cleansing would not need to be repeated before the next
prayer. It is recommended to do wudhu before each prayer for various reasons
such as forgetfulness and extra rewards.
The salat must be performed in the Arabic language (even if the person neither
speaks nor understands Arabic; the prayers are to be recited with the tongue,
silently so as not to disturb others), and include praises to Allah, the
Shahadah, a plea for forgiveness and various blessings, Chapter one (Al Fatihah)
and one or more other parts of the Qur'an (from memory) and an optional prayer
of one's own. The entire session includes standing upright, bowing down,
kneeling and prostrating oneself. The session ends with looking right and left
to say "Peace be unto you, and on you be peace" in Arabic to the believers
sitting with you and to the angels sitting on each persons right and left
shoulders.
Number Three
Sawm, fasting
Observance of the sawm (fasting), or siyam, involves abstinence from eating,
drinking, smoking, sexual intercourse, unruly thoughts, and other forms of
worldly pleasure. This fasting is ordained in the Qur'an, and is observed by
devout Muslims throughout the daylight hours of the 29 or 30 days of the lunar
month of Ramadan. There are some exceptions, for example for children,
pregnant women and sick Muslims. The children do not have to fast until
puberty, but most start fasting earlier due to religious zeal.
Number Four
Zakāh, the Paying of Alms
A major principle of Islam is the belief that all things belong to Allah and
that wealth is only held by human beings in trust. The word Zakāh means both
purification and growth. Each Muslim calculates his or her own Zakāh
individually, and for most purposes this involves the payment each year of two
and a half percent of one's capital in excess of one's basic needs. A Muslim
may also donate an additional amount as an act of voluntary charity (sadaqah),
in order to achieve additional divine reward.
Zakat is calculated on the basis of an amount in excess of what remains, after
the needs of the family have been met.
Number Five
Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca
All Muslims that have the financial and physical means to perform hajj are
required to do so at least once in their lifetimes. The pilgrimage to Mecca
can only be performed during the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. Given only about
two million people are allowed by Saudi Arabia to perform hajj each year and
that there are currently over a billion Muslims, it is impossible for every
Muslim to complete the hajj even if every Muslim performed it only once in his
or her lifetime. |
