Understanding Islam: The Five Pillars of Islam by A.R.
Due to a general lack of Islamic knowledge in the West, I have dedicated a series of articles titled 'Understanding Islam' on the GAIGIO website to enlighten people on the basic principles of Islam. These articles shall be of interest to those unfamiliar to Islam to find it easier to understand Islamic religion and Muslim viewpoints, and they also serve to remind the Muslim people of their duty of following their religion which is at the heart of the Islamic Resistance. Our contemporary scholars have laid down easy principles which we can practice to gain the favor of Allah (God). These five pillars are the mandatory actions which a believer must perform throughout his life to keep with the covenant of Allah. Ignoring even one of these pillars is a major wrong in Islam, and should be avoided.
Shahadat
The most important and central concept in Islam is the acceptance of the Shadahat. Shahadat is the belief that 'There is no god except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' (peace be to him). Everything in Islam is based on this belief, and denying this nullifies a person as a Muslim. A Muslim should recite this phrase in Arabic many times throughout the day and in his prayers with firm belief. The first phrase ' There is no god except Allah' means that Allah is the one and only God. This belief is known as Tawheed which means the Oneness of God. It is the most important part of Islam which is repeated many times in the Quran, the Muslim holy book. Islam, more than any other religion, stresses absolute monotheism and the believe that Allah can do anything He pleases. The second phrase 'Muhammad is the Messenger of God' (peace be to him) shows us the importance of the acceptance of the last and final Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This point is further illustrated by the fact that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be to him) is the model human being for Muslims to emulate. The collections of his teachings and quotes (Sunnah) are the second highest authority after the Quran. It is a Muslim's foremost duty to obey, love, and honor Allah and the Holy Prophet (peace be to him).
Salat
After the declaration of faith, the most important action are the daily prayers (Salat). The important of the daily prayers can be illustrated on its emphasis in the Quran, and the narratives of how dutifully the Prophet Muhammad (peace be to him) practiced them. Muslims pray five times a day, each prayer has an allotated time frame where a certain prayer can be performed. For men, it is encouraged to attend congregational prayers at the nearest mosque when they are free. For women it is preferred they pray at home. Prayers are mandatory for men, however women are allowed to delay prayers if they have to do housework, care for a child, etc. A child who reaches the age of puberty is required to start his prayers. It is generally preferred if there are more people available, to pray in congregations as it increase love and brotherhood. The five daily prayers are as follows: Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. Fajr, the morning prayer, is performed when there is a clear seperation between the dark of night and light of day in the early morning about an hour before sunrise. The time frame is from the start of Fajr to Sunrise. Its performance in Rakat (prayer stages) are 2 Sunnat (Optional) and 2 Farz (Obligatory). The Zuhr prayer is performed when the sun is at its highest angle from horizon in the daytime. This is done in the mid-daytime and its time period is from the star of zuhr until the time of Asr prayer. The Rakat for Zuhr are 4 Sunnat, 4 Farz, 2 Sunnat. The Asr, later day prayer, time starts when an object's shadow equals twice its length. This time goes until the beginning of Maghrib. The Rakat for Asr are 4 Sunnat, 4 Farz, and no extra prayers afterwards. Maghrib is the prayer performed after the complete sunset, when the sun completely disappears from the western horizon. When this is observed, the prayer can be performed until the complete darkness of night, which is roughly more than half an hour after the sunset. The Rakat for Maghrib are 3 Farz, and 2 Sunnat. The time for Maghrib ahould be observed on time, it is highly undesirable to delay it. The last prayer is Isha, the night prayer. Isha starts when there is complete darkness in the sky, about an hour after sunset. The time of Isha goes until the start of Fajr, though it preferrable to pray early. The Rakat for Isha are 4 Sunnat, 4 Farz, 2 Sunnat. Another prayer, often prayed with Isha is the Witr. The Witr is the last prayer before Fajr. It is an odd number of Rakat, usually 3, with an extra Dua (supplication) in the last Rakat. This prayer is not obligatory, but it is highly encouraged and most Muslims pray this immediately after Isha. The benefit of Salat is that it keeps the remembrance of Allah in the heart of the individual, and gives great rewards to believers.
Zakat
Every independent Muslim individual is required by Islamic law to give a percentage of his/her excess wealth in charity. This charity is known as Zakat and is obligatory. The amount which must be given is 2.5 % of excess wealth. Zakat is given to the poor and needy of the community to support them. Any charity which exceeds this amount is kindness on the part of the giver, and not obligatory. Those who do not give Zakat are cursed by Allah for their selfishness and stinginess which are two bad human characteristics repeatedly condemned in the Quran. Zakat must be given some time around Ramadan before the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr. The Zakat is necessary to keep the free flow of wealth within the society from the wealthier individuals to the poor and needy.
Sawm
Fasting is prescribed for every able-bodied Muslim above the age of puberty in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Before each fast, a Muslim is required to reiterate his conviction to Allah and to recite his desire to fast only for the pleasure of Allah. Each day in the month of Ramadan, a Muslim is allowed to east before the start of the morning prayer, Fajr. The Muslim wakes up at this time a few minutes before the start of Fajr and eats a light breakfast. The fast is kept from the time of Fajr until the start of Maghrib, the after sunset prayer. The Muslim breaks his fast with a sweet date and drink, then prays his Maghrib prayer. After the Maghrib prayer, there is a meal served. His fast ends here. He is allowed to eat from the time of Maghrib to the start of Fajr, and the following day will start the next fast. Fasting has many benefits in that it teaches the Muslim to be patient, perservering, sympathetic to the poor, and strong minded. To deny food to one's self proves mastery of an individual's mind of the selfish desires of his body. This skill can also be extended to other things besides fasting, and will serve as a strength to an individual for the rest of the year. The religious benefits of fasting is, first, the most important, the pleasure of Allah, then great accumulation of good deeds, and increased motivation to do more deeds. According to Muslim tradition, a good deed in the holy month of Ramadan can be increased up to 700 times. This also applies to obligatory actions such as fasting.
Hajj
Every Muslim is required, in his lifetime, to perform a pilgrimage to the Holy Muslim city of Makkah. Makkah contains a mosque which houses a shrine called the Kaaba, the House of Allah. This shrine is the position where Muslims direct their prayers and invocations to be heard by Allah. The Holy Mosque is very important to Muslims as it is the center of the world and the most holiest, most blessed place on earth. The history of Kaaba started with the first man and prophet, Adam, who was directed by Allah to build a location for the worship of Allah. After the great flood of Prophet Noah, the Prophet Abraham built the shrine again in the same location with the help of his son Prophet Ismaeel. Since that time, it has remained a place of worship of Allah. During the month of Zul-Hijja, millions of pilgrims travel to this place to offer their obligatory Hajj. Following the various traditions of Hajj laid down by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), arriving at Miqat for preparation, making Tawaaf (circle the Kaaba) in Makkah, travel from the mountains of Safa and Marwa (as Prophet Abraham's wife Hajar did), staying at Mina, supplication on the mount of Arafah, stone at the Jamrah (avowement of hostility to the evil of the Satan Iblis), ending with final Tawaf (circling Makkah). The preparation for Hajj consists of the pronouncement of intention, wearing of pilgrim clothes (two seamless white pilgrim cloths for males, any white/light-colored dress for women), shaving of hair (for men). Many pilgrims, upon completion of Hajj, also visit Madinah and honor the Sahabah's memory, and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be to him)'s gravesite. This rigorous pilgrimage is the ultimate show of conviction of a Muslim in the faith of Allah.
Conclusion
We see just how strong and dutifully Muslims show their conviction to Allah in these five pillars, the basis of Islam and of defining one's self as a Muslim. Looking at the general adherents of other religions, we see what an extra step Muslims take for their love of Allah and their Prophet (peace be to him). Once those not familiar with Islam research Muslim behavoir, they are astounded by the high level of belief Muslims have. In closing, I have merely presented a glimpse into a Muslim's life and a small peek into a religion very few outside the Muslim world know. In the service of greater understanding, I welcome any comments and questions about this article. I hope you look forward to this series of articles 'Understanding Islam' as much as I do.