THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
The students are expected to be able to read comprehensively while
understanding some rules of word order and passive voice then they
can apply it in the correct sentences.
A. Guidance questions
1. Do you know five pillars of Islam?
2. What are they?
3. Have you applied all five pillars of Islam?
4. If yes, which one haven‘t you applied?
Islamic faith is built on five ‘Pillars‘. The irreducible Pillar is a state of faith,
a belief in the only one (oneness) Allah. Branching from this belief (which is
volitional and could be described as an action) are four other activities of
faith, each of which is a vital part of Islam. The ritualistic Pillars are well
known to the non-Muslim world, the frequency of their being carried out
ranging from daily to at least once in a lifetime.
The first Pillar: Shahadad (witnessing)
Shahadad is a state of faith and reflects a genuine belief in Allah and testifies
his oneness and, consequently, the rejection of any other deity. Of the Five
Pillars, this is the one that encompasses all others, the tip of the pyramid.
Adherence to the other four is irrelevant without this fundamental belief.
The second Pillar: Salah (prayer)
Salah is the verbal testification that there is no God but one God and that
Mohammed is His messenger. It is a ritual prayer that occupies a key
position for two reasons: first because it is the distinctive mark of the
believer, and second because it precludes, in theory, an individual from all
sorts of sin and temptation by providing him with direct communion with his
Creator five times a day, and allows him access to correct behavior.
Regarding Allah, the Quran states: =You alone we worship and You alone
we turn to for help. Guide us to the straight path‘(1:5,6).
The third Pillar: Zakat (poor-dues)
Zakat (poor-dues) is an important pillar of Islam. In the Quran, Salah and
Zakat are generally mentioned together. Like Salah, Zakat is a
manifestation of faith that affirms that God is the sole owner of everything in
the universe, and that what men possess is merely entrusted to them. God
ultimately makes trustees of His believers. This is illustrated by the verse:
=Believe in Allah and His messenger and spend of that which He made you
trustees‘(57:7). In this respect, Zakat is an act of devotion which, like prayer,
brings the believer nearer to his Lord.
Aside from its spiritual significance, Zakat is, in practice, a means of
redistribution of wealth in a manner that narrows the gap between classes
and groups, thereby contributing to social stability. Muslims believe that the
practice of giving alms to the poor purges the souls of the rich of selfishness
and the souls of the poor of envy and resentment against society. Zakat is
therefore not always a personal act of worship. Where it is not given freely it
can, if necessary, be exacted by force.
The fourth Pillar: Seyam ( fasting)
Seyam (fasting during the daytime during the month of Ramadan) is a wellknown
pillar
of Islam. The main function of fasting is to make the Muslim
pure =from within‘, just as the other aspects of the Shari‘a make him pure
=from without‘. Muslims hold that by fasting, and engaging in the spiritual
purity fasting brings, they are able to respond to what is true and good and
shun what is false and evil. This principle is outlined in the Quranic verse:
‘O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for
those before you, that may gain piety‘(2:183). In a well-authenticated
tradition, the Prophet reported Allah as saying (of the Muslim): ‘He
suspends eating, drinking, and gratification of his sexual passion for my
sake.‘
The fifth Pillar: Al-Hajj (the pilgrimage)
Every year on the ninth day of Zou al-Haja there is a pilgrimage to Mount
Arafat and Mecca. It is the duty of each Muslim to take part in this
pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime, provided he is financially and
physically able. It is a very important pillar of Islam, and displays a unity
unique to the religion. Muslims from all corners of the world, wearing the
same dress (to signify equality regardless of wealth, colour, language, etc.)
respond to the call of Hajj in one voice and language: ‘Labbaikah allahumma
labbaik! [Here I am at your service, O Lord!]. ‘Muslims performing the Hajj
are required to exercise strict self-discipline and control, not least because
Mecca is a holy place where sacred things are revered. Even the life of
plants and birds is made inviolable so that all elements are in harmony: =And
he that venerates the sacred things of God, it shall be better for him with his
Lord‘ (22:30). The pilgrimage is in response to the call made by the Prophet
Abraham (the Father of the Prophets) on this day (Khorshid, 2004).
B. Helping Phrases
The irreducible Pillar :
are well known :
the rejection of any other deity :
Adherence to the other four :
fundamental belief. :
the verbal testification :
the distinctive mark of the believer :
direct communion :
the sole owner of everything :
an act of devotion :
spiritual significance :
the practice of giving alms :
are revered :
C. Comprehension Précis
1. What built Islamic faith?
2. What are the well-known of five pillars? mention orderly?
3. What for is syahadah?
4. Why should we pray (sholat)?
5. What are the spiritual significances of zakat?
6. What are the functions of fasting?
7. What is the last Islamic pillar of building Islam?
8. When is it is conducted?
9. Where should the Muslims do pilgrimage?
10. What are the functions of pilgrimage based on the passage?
