The Five Pillars of Islam - Essay Example

The Five Pillars of Islam” Islamic history can be traced back to the migration or Hijrat of Prophet Muhammad to Medina and his time in Saudi Arabia till his death. It is known that after his arrival in Medina He laid the foundations of Islam in AD 632 (Tripod). During that time Prophet Muhammad established a Muslim community which was to follow certain obligations as per the foundation of Islam (Islamic Encyclopedia). The religion not only required certain moral orders but also obligated certain other things (Farah 54). Amongst these obligations five of the most prominent and important ones are the five pillars of Islam. By pillars of Islam it is meant that these five parts are the basic foundation of Islam and they should be followed by a Muslim in order to show his allegiance to Islam. These five pillars have been mentioned in the Holy book of Quran and were practiced in the time of Muhammad. The five pillars are prayer (Salat), profession of faith (Shahada), fasting (Sawm), almsgiving (Zakat) and pilgrimage (Hajj) (Ibrahim, 1997). Some of these obligations are also found in other religions such as Christianity but in Islam they are made obligatory in such a way that they draw a clear boundary in between the principles followed in Islam (Tabatabae 45). In other words the five pillars are to be followed by every Muslim living in any society. (Islamic Encyclopedia). The Profession of Faith (shahada): Islam is based on the principles of Oneness of Allah Almighty and the devotion of a Muslim to Him (Tripod). The literal meaning of the word Allah is God and this God in accordance to the teachings of Islam is the One who brought life to every race on this planet. (Islamic Encyclopedia). A Muslim by following Allah’s commandments is showing his devotion and recognition of his power. Profession faith there is a requirement in the religion of Islam. In other words it is farz (obligatory) on every Muslim. Muslim in their usual routine recite the profession of faith in the following words "I bear witness that there is no other god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet." For an individual to be a Muslim he has to have belief on this phrase.(Islamic Encyclopedia). A true Muslim would not only recite this profession but would also believe in it and know its meaning (Tripod). In the world today activities done by an individual can be criticized by his fellow members but if the individual recites the profession of faith no one can argue or challenge him for his faith (Tripod). The Five Daily Prayers The second pillar of Islam is the daily Salat that the Muslims should offer. All grown up Muslims have been bestowed with the obligation of five prayers everyday (Tripod). Before praying a Muslim should be clean enough to bow down in front of Allah. To purify himself a Muslim has to perform a cleansing act known as Wuzu. Salat is also mentioned in the Holy Quran and the way it has to be offered can be found in the Hadith. Moreover the direction while praying is also mentioned in the Holy Book of Quran (Islamic Encyclopedia). During the very first days of Islam, Muslims had to face Jerusalem while offering prayers but after a commandment from Allah, Muhammad directed the Muslims to offer prayers while facing an ancient shrine in Mecca known as Ka’aba. While praying it is necessary for a Muslim to recite scriptures from the Holy Book of Quran. Even though Quran has mentioned Salat many times it has never mentioned the exact way of offering prayers. (Islamic Encyclopedia). Prayer hence has to be offered in the way Prophet Muhammad told his Ummah (community). But after the death of Prophet Muhammad many sects in the religion of Islam arose and prayers were offered in different ways after that. Even after the formation of these sects the old ritual of five obligatory prayers is acceptable to everyone and these five prayers are to be offered according to the times prescribed. Following are the prayer timings: Morning prayers (Fajr or subh), midday (zuhr), mid-afternoon(asr), dusk (maghrib) and night (isha). The prayers offered in morning, noon and day’ end are not performed at the exact timings of sunrise or sunset but they are rather performed after that. This is to draw a clear distinction between the religion of Islam and pagans who used to worship the sun set and sun rise. Prayer is offered in a series of bowings which are called rak;as. During these rak’as a muslim bows, kneels, stands and prostrates while reciting scriptures from Quran. Rak’as has been made compulsory on the Muslims to follow and have been divided into Farz, Sunnah and Nafil. A Muslim cannot leave his Farz rak’as in any case whereas Sunnah and Nafil can be left under certain conditions. (Islamic Encyclopedia). The first Surah of the Holy Quran is recited by a Muslim while he stands in his rak’as. After every prayer a Muslims recites his profession of faith and adds the phrase "may peace, mercy, and blessings of God be with you." All over the world the practice of Adhan is used by the Muslim community to call upon its members to offer prayers in the mosque. Adhan is practiced five times a day thus calling Muslims to offer obligatory prayers five times a day. Praying in mosques is preferred in Islam so that all Muslims unite and bow in front of Allah. But in normal days congregational prayers is not obligatory whereas on Fridays, these prayers are obligated on the Muslims. Women, travelers, the sick and the ones who are attending to patients are exempted from the obligation of offering congregational prayers (Islamic Encyclopedia). The Friday prayer is led by a Muslim individual who is known to be imam. The Friday prayers are different from those of the normal days although both are offered in congregation. In Friday prayers sermons are offered before the prayers start and these sermons are necessary to be heard. On normal days these sermons are not recited. Moreover in Friday prayers two rak’as are also exempted because of the sermons whereas in normal days no such exemption is given (Tripod). The cleansing act of Wuzu depends upon the state of affairs that an individual is going through. An individual may require a bath or only the act of Wuzu as per his requirements. In the act of Wuzu the person only has to wash his face, mouth, hands and feet. As mentioned above Farz are not the only rak’as offered by Muslims but Sunnah and Nafil are also offered. Nafil are also known as bonus prayers as they can be offered at any place at any time without any obligation. Leaving these Nafils will not lead to the punishment of the individual. Nafils are also offered in the time of night and show the devotion of a Muslim towards Allah. Almsgiving The third pillar of Islam is almsgiving or Zakat. Almsgiving refers to a religious obligation of Muslims to show their devotion to the almighty Allah. Like other pillars of Islam, this pillar also carries great importance not only for the individual blocks of the society but also for the society as a whole. The alms are given off to help the poor and the needy ones of the society. This pillar is also considered as a way for Muslims to purify their wealth and achieve salvation. Like other obligations, the Quran also emphasizes on almsgiving. The Sunnah of Prophet (P.B.U.H) also demonstrates Muslims about the requirements to achieve almsgiving according to Islamic rules. This charity is usually provided to orphans, widows, and the poor as stated in the Quran. The distinction between Zakat and general charity (sadqa) is also described in the Qurán. Zakat is a distinct concept which is a mandatory levy on the income, lands and some other possessions of all financially able Muslims (Islamic Encyclopedia). The qurán places more emphasis on paying Zakat annually and places a clear line of disctinction between these two concepts. The way to provide this charity and the deserving people of this charity is also clearly explained in this Holy book. In particular, Muslims are directed to use the amount separated with an intention to pay Zakat on the needy and the poor, on those who are in charge of Zakat, on those whom endeavor to convert non Muslims to Islam, pilgrims, to buy the freedom of those who are indebted, to pay a ransom for the captives, and to develop the course of Islam (Tripod). The two major sources of information for the Muslims about Islam and religious practices are Quran (the Holy book) and Sunnah (the lifestyle and course of Prophet Mohammed PBUH). The Qurán leaves this information about the precise fraction of property or income that is to be paid out as Zakat on the practice of Prophet (PBUH). The reason for not providing a fixed amount on the sources is the fact that value of money changes with time. Islam is a complete religion which does not only incorporate present issues but also provides instructions for the future. The directions as revealed in the Qurán and by Muhammad (PBUH) were not only applicable to the earlier years of Islam but are still valid and complete for present and future generations. Muslim legal experts and scholars have been trying to give details about those traditions and practices and convert those fractions according to the current condition. For instance, 2.5 percent (one-fortieth) of the wealth accumulated or sustained during the year (including financial and material belongings) is to be paid at the year end, while a tenth of the crop or tree harvest is to be paid at harvest time. Farm animals, camels, and horses are subject to a more complex system of Zakat depending on the animals under consideration, their number, age, and conditions. Although the traditional zakat statements do not cover trade, various Muslim governments have been imposing commercial taxes by throughout history. In the modern era, where people are more motivated to accumulate money and have strong materialistic approach, this concept of Islam helps them in reducing their lust for money and provides them with a feeling to help the needy selflessly. Fasting Fasting- also known as sawm is the fourth pillar of Islam. The Quranic teachings cover many instances where Muslims are ordered to follow this Islamic ritual practice. Sawm refers to fasting and is obligatory for Muslims during the whole 9th month of the Islamic lunar year called as Ramadan. For Muslims, this month is a blessing and is considered as sacred because the Quran has been revealed during Ramadan (Islamic Encyclopedia). Customarily, Muslims start this month by sighting the new moon. Msulims are prohibited from eating, drinking and sex while fasting. The fast refers to abstaining from these practices daybreak till. The flexibility of Islamic principles let the sick, travelers and menstruating women from fasting but obliges them to fast for the missed ones at a later date. The beauty of Islam is the moral values that lie behind each of its principles. Like other principles, Sawm or fasting also brings benefits for the individual and the society as a whole. Careful interpretations and teachings of Islam reveal that fast brings spiritual and physical discipline, help the well-to-do in realizing the adversities of the deprived and encourages an environment of mutual care, brotherhood and sympathy (Tripod). The month of Ramadan is considered as a blessing. Traditionally, Muslims involve in more religious activities in this month by praying more, reciting Qur’an, paying charity (Sadaqa) and providing food to the needy (Islamic Encyclopedia). At the end of the month, Muslims celebrate a Holy festival called ‘Eid al-fitr. This event lasts for three days and Muslims tend to wear new clothes and greet each other to wish Eid. Muslims can fast any time throughout the year as a reimbursement for those days when they could not fast due to illness or other reasons acceptable under Islamic principles. Muslims also carry out voluntary fasts to show their devotion to God and achieve spiritual discipline at various times of the year. Nonetheless, these voluntary fasts are not obligatory unless left out in the month of Ramadan (Tripod). Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj): The fifth pillar of Islam places an obligation on the financially and physically sound parts of the Muslim society to perform the Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in the whole life. (Tripod). The history of this practice is found in the Arabs before Islam came into being. However, this practice was promoted by Islam from the very beginning and is still popular among the Muslims. The pilgrimage to Mecca has a distinct importance than all other pilgrimages. The time to perform Hajj is the 12th month of the Islamic lunar year (i.e. Dhu-al-Hijja). The pilgrimage to Mecca, according to the Islamic laws, involves a series of rituals to be performed in the course of a few days. (Tripod). All the practices and rituals are performed in Mecca and its surrounding environs because pilgrimage to Mecca is due to the existence of Kaaba in that holy place. Kaaba is also known as the House of God (Tripod). The Islamic history exposes that Ka’aba was built by Ibrahim the Prophet (Abraham as referred by the Hebrew and Christian Bibles) on the command by God. The Qur’an provides detailed information about the customs and practices that are to be performed during this Holy event. Most of the practices during the pilgrimage are the recurrence of the rituals performed by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail during the period of building Kaaba (Islamic Encyclopedia). There is a black stone placed in one corner of the Kaaba (Islamic Encyclopedia). Some scholars of Islam argue that it was placed there by Prophet Ibrahim while others believe that Adam (the first man) placed it there (Tripod). Ritual sanitization is performed by all pilgrims as they reach the city of Mecca for Hajj. All men and women are obligated to put on white gowns (called Ehra’am) and men are also obligated to shave their heads (Islamic Encyclopedia). The reason and logic behind putting on the white plain gown is to show the equality among the people. Regardless of their financial, legal, cultural or social status, all the Muslims who perform Hajj are obligated to wear this simple and common dress (Yağmur, & Zülfe, 2007). The pilgrims are not allowed to wear any sort of Jewelry, perfumes etc. during the occasion. Furthermore they are not allowed to have sex and hunting during it (Tripod). After purification ritual, all Muslims go around the Ka’aba 7 times in circles, run between the two hills with historical importance (i.e. al-Safa and al-Marwa) and perform other prayers and invocations. This pilgrimage ritual is the reenactment of the historical event when Hajra (mother of Prophet Ismail) was running from one hill to the other in search of water for her son. After these Pilgrimage opening rituals, the Hajj continues from the seventh day for the next three days. Pilgrims start their Pilgrimage obligation by sanitization followed by devotion at the Kaaba mosque. All the pilgrims are then directed to gather at a hill outside Mecca (i.e. Mina) and spend a night praying and performing traditional religious customs (Tripod). The next day, they move towards the land of Arafat and perform a series of prayers and religious traditions from noon to sunset (Tripod). The pilgrims then head towards Muzdalifa (halfway between Mina and Arafat) to spend night. The next morning they proceed to Mina and stop at the stone pillar that symbolizes Satan. All the pilgrims cast seven pebbles to the stone pillar to show their hatred and disregard for Satan (Islamic Encyclopedia). The last Pilgrimage ritual is the slaughter of an animal, either a goat, cow, sheep, or camel. The history of this Islamic ritual lies in the command of God to Ibrahim to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail. The affirmation of Ibrahim regardless of the love he had for his son resulted in the intervention of God through His Angel. The kindness of God and devotion of Ibrahim towards God led him to slaughter a sheep instead (Tripod). (According to the Christian Bibles and Hebrew, Abraham was called to sacrifice his son Isaac.) The meat that is acquired by this ritual sacrifice is mostly distributed among the poor. However, it is not prohibited to use it for personal needs (Tripod). The ritual sacrifice ends the Pilgrimage and marks the beginning of the sacrifice festival known as id al-adha. The two major festivals of Muslims which are celebrated by Muslims around the world are id al-adha (at the end of pilgrimage) and ‘id al-fitr (at the end of the month of Ramadan) (Tripod). It has also been observed that most of the Muslims visit Medina, where Prophet Mohammed’s tomb is located, before they leave the holy city. Umrah is the concept that indicates the pilgrimage to Mecca any time of the year except the time mentioned for the obligatory Hajj (Tripod). Umrah is also considered as a highly appreciated and important event, however, it does not waive Muslims from the obligation of performing Pilgrimage (Hajj). Many Muslims perform Umrah before or after the obligatory Hajj. 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