5 PILLARS OF ISLAM
Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with
him, relates that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said: "Islam is based on five articles:
1. To bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allah and that
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.
2. To observe Prayer (Salat).
3. To Pay Zakat (Alms giving)
4. To perform the Pilgrimage to the House of Allah (Hajj).
5. To Observe fasting during Ramadhan." (Bukhari)
Abdullah ibn Amr bin Aas, may Allah be pleased with them, relates that the Holy
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A Muslim is one against whose tongue and hands other Muslims are secure,
and an Emigrant is one who departs from what Allah has forbidden."
(Bukhari)
Shahadah
Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)
A Muslim expresses his/her faith (Iman) in the following words:
Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-Lahu Wahdahu la Sharika Lahu wa-ash-hadu anna
Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu
The English translation of the Shahadah is as follows:
" I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the
One, without any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and
His Messenger."
The declaration of faith consists of two distinct parts, i.e., the absolute
belief in the Unity of Allah (God) and the belief in the Holy Prophet Muhammad
as a mortal human being and the Messenger of Allah.
Islam's fundamental belief is the Unity of God. All other beliefs hang on this
belief. Therefore the acknowledgement and 'bearing witness' of this is the key
to the Muslim faith. Unless this is observed one cannot be a Muslim. A Muslim
accepts Allah as the only God, and only Master, Lord and Ruler with no partner
sharing in any way His Being, Powers and Attributes. He is One; He is Unique; He
is not the father of any one, nor He has or had any father. He is Almighty and
Self-Sustaining. He is there forever, and will be there forever.
A Muslim believes in Allah as the Ruler and must not disobey Him. In fact
everything that exists in the universe obeys Him. He is the Fashioner of all the
Universes that may exist.
The belief in the Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace) as the servant and
Messenger of Allah completes one’s faith. The Holy Prophet was the greatest of
all the Prophets of Allah, yet he was only a human being with no share in
Divinity. This is a very important belief that keeps Muslims from associating
partners with Allah. This part of the Declaration of Faith where reinforces the
first part of Allah being the only Supreme Being with no partners also
establishes the absolute authority of the Holy Prophet as the Messenger of
Allah, who must be obeyed as well in all the matters of faith. The Holy Prophet
is the last prophet who brought us the last Book (the Holy Quran) to be
followed. He lived among his people for a long time and his life is documented
in utmost detail. He lead his followers by example. The way he lived his life
and admonished his followers to live their lives is called Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet. The second part of the Declaration of Faith makes obeying and following
the advice of the Prophet Muhammad equally important to the belief in absolute
Unity of Allah. This declaration make one to completely submit to the Will of
Allah and that is why one who declares this belief is called a Muslim - one who
completely submits to the will of Allah.
Salat
Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a most important constituent of
the faith. It is prayer of a very high level. The Holy Quran repeatedly enjoins
the offering of salat and indeed declares it to be a fundamental trait of a
believer. The benefits of salat are countless. The Holy Quran says:
"And enjoin Prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not
for provision; it is We that provide for thee. And the end is for the
righteous".
Salat strengthens man's spiritual faculties. It is the best way to form a
relationship with one's Creator. It purifies one's spirit, and through it,
constant remembrance of Allah delivers one of the self that incites to evil.
God created man to worship Him and salat is the most excellent kind of worship.
The Holy Quran also says:
"Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and observe
Prayer. Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil, and
remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue. And Allah knows what you
do." (29:46)
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that he heard the Holy
Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, say:
"Tell me if one of you had a stream running at his door and he should take
a bath in it five times every day would any dirt be left upon him? He was
answered: No dirt would be left on him. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be
on him) observed: This is the case of the five prayers. Allah wipes out all
faults in consequence of them." (Bukhari)
As for the punishment of not observing the salat, all matters of reward and
punishment rest solely with Allah.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that he heard the Holy Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Giving up prayer is tantamount to disbelief and associating partners with
Allah." (Muslim)
Five Daily Prayers
Salat, the obligatory Muslim prayer, is said at appointed time fixed in relation
to the sun's position. The time of Fajr, the morning prayer begins at dawn and
ends just before sunrise. The time of Zuhr, the midday prayer, begins after the
sun has crossed the zenith point and has begun to decline. The Asr prayer is
said when the sun has further advanced in decline, in the late afternoon. The
time of the Maghrib prayer begins immediately after sunset. It lasts till dusk.
The Isha prayer can be said after dusk has finally disappeared, giving way to
darkness of the night.
Fajr Zuhr Asr Maghrib Isha'
Saum
Along with salat, another important form of worship is fasting. It is obligatory
for each Muslim, apart from some exemptions, to fast in the month of Ramadhan.
During the hours of fasting, food and drink and conjugal relations between
husband and wife are forbidden. It is enjoined that during fasting one should
pay attention to remembrance of God and study the Holy Quran in abundance. One
should try to curtail one's worldly pastimes as much as possible during
Ramadhan, and to be particularly inclined towards charity and alms giving.
Human life is dependent on food and drink and the continuation of the human race
depends on the marital relationship. While fasting one refrains from them both,
as if bearing witness to God that for His pleasure man gives up the factors
(temporarily) upon which his very existence depends. The various other benefits
of fasting are that man gets to exercise sacrificing physical comfort and to
endure hunger and thirst. Fasting creates a sense of equality between the rich
and the poor. By developing an appreciation of hunger and thirst, it makes the
well-off think of the needs of the poor and impresses a feeling of compassion in
their hearts. It makes them appreciate, through the practicality of it, the
state a human being endures when hungry and thirsty. Ramadhan is a most
effective and excellent means of spiritual development for mankind.
Zakat
Zakat (Alms giving) is a part of devotion enjoined upon Muslims by the Holy
Quran. It is a means where the well-off pay a set amount of their wealth. Zakat
means to purify oneself. It is obligatory on Muslims to pay a little percentage
of their accumulated wealth towards Zakat, which is used for the benefit of the
needy and the poor. Zakat is not levied on one's property that is in personal
use, rather on the assets which have a means of increasing and which are surplus
to one's needs. It is a means of social justice and order. It teaches sympathy
of the highest order.
Hajj
Hajj is the fifth Pillar of Islam and another form of worship. It is an annual
pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca which each adult Muslim, who can afford
it, has to perform once in life time. Apart from the financial aspect, the
ability to afford the pilgrimage also means that one is able to travel and
perform the Hajj in peace.
Muslims perform Hajj in order to visit for themselves the holy sites where their
faith started. More importantly it is a pilgrimage to the Ka'aba, which we
believe is the first place of worship ever built on this earth, Muslims thus
refer to it as House of God. The ceremony of Hajj is also symbolic of the Unity
of God; all Muslims gather from four corners of the earth in one spot at an
appointed time and worship God. There are no difficulties to perform Hajj apart
from the obvious financial commitment in order to travel to Mecca. That is the
reason why, strictly speaking, Hajj is only obligatory to those who have
fulfilled all their worldly needs and have no pressing commitments left and
indeed can afford the passage to Mecca.
It is a Muslim belief that God is everywhere and He answers those who truly seek
Him. In this respect indeed going to a particular place to seek the pleasure and
nearness to God is not the issue. However, it is the physical presence of being
in the holiest of the holy places for the Muslim faith and indeed the
congregational worship with millions of other fellow Muslims that leaves an
indelible mark on the spiritual life of a person. It is a most supreme form of
worship and is most desirable to God.
During Hajj, the person who intends to perform it is required to travel to Mecca
during the prescribed days and observe all the rites and ceremonies. During Hajj
Muslims from all corners of the world gather in Mecca and perform the rites of
Hajj and thus strengthen the bond of Muslim unity.
During Hajj each place brings to mind some event of the blessed life of the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings on him). It refreshes the memory of the supreme
sacrifices made by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings on him) for the sake of
Islam.