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The Five Pillars of Islam
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When speaking about Islam, its central belief system can be broken down
into five basic principles, most commonly referred to as the “Five Pillars of Islam”.
The first and most logical principle is faith. “There is no God worthy of
worship except God and Muhammad is his messenger”, the most important
statement in the Holy Qur’an. Broken down the statement is a way for all Muslims
to profess their faith in the one true God, Allah. Muslims also place very high
importance on Muhammad being the messenger of Allah. In the Quran they make
it very clear that Muhammad was not a supernatural being, he was just a normal
human being that received revelations from Allah. Therefore, he was able to spread
the true word of God.
The second principle is mandatory prayer, spoken allowed by all Muslims
five times a day. Prayers are conducted by all Muslims at sunrise (shorook), noon
(zuhr), afternoon (asr), sunset (maghrib), and night (isha). The prayer spoken by all
Muslims is called the Adan and translates to the following:
“God is Great.
God is Great.
God is Great.
God is Great.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer!
Come to prayer!
Come to success!
Come to success!
God is Great!
God is Great!
There is none worthy of worship except God”.
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The prayer of course is spoken in Arabic, because that is the language spoken by
Muhammad, and is therefore required. There is no religious hierarchy in Islam;
priests do not lead the daily prayer. Each Mosque usually chooses a random person
who is knowledgeable in the Holy Qur’an to lead the daily prayers. Daily prayers
can be spoken anywhere, a rug is commonly placed on the ground, shoes are
removed, and the prayers spoken facing Makkah.
The third principle is called the Zakah, which basically requires all Muslims
to give a small portion of their earning to “charity”. All possessions belong to God,
and are just temporarily possessed in this lifetime. Therefore, possessions are
“purified” by setting aside a portion of one’s earning for those in need. Muhammad
said, “Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is an act of charity.” Even
those with nothing always have something to give another person in need, even an
act of kindness is giving.
The fourth principle is called Sawm, which translates into fasting. During
the time of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset abstaining from food,
drink, and sexual relations with one’s spouse. The purpose of this is for self
purification, and self restraint. Even for a short amount of time cutting out
“worldly comforts” brings focus, a greater importance of the things in life that
matter, and thus bring us all closer to God.
The final principle of the Five Pillars is the Hajj, which translates into
Pilgrimage. The journey to Mekkah which is the sacred and holiest place for all
Muslims is mandatory at least once in a lifetime. The Holy Qur’an does specify
that only those physically, and financially able to make the pilgrimage are
required. In other words, one is not breaking the “rules” if unable to take the
pilgrimage.
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After an in depth look at Islam this week I have a new born respect for the
religion. I honestly would not have a hard time fulfilling any of the Five Pillars. Of
the five I think the Hajj would be the hardest to fulfill. For the obvious reason of it
being half way across the world, but also I’m not sure that in the current day with
the war in Iraq that it would be 100% safe for an Americans to partake on this
journey. I do suppose that a true follower of Islam would not regard the danger of
the journey, as important as the true meaning of the journey.
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