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FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

OVERVIEW
"Five Pillars of Islam." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.

The Five Pillars of Islam are the five basic acts expected of all Muslims. They include the acceptance of a single
god, Allah, and of Muhammad as his prophet; the performance of prayer five times a day; the performance of a
fast during the month of Ramadan; the payment of the zakat, which is a tax for the poor; and the performance of
a pilgrimage to Mecca. The belief in one true God and his divine successor forms the cornerstone of Islam.
Muslims frequently invoke praise to Allah and Muhammad. Prayer is conducted daily at dawn, noon,
midafternoon, sunset, and nightfall, facing in the direction of Mecca. During the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar year—Ramadan—devout Muslims are to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, or engaging in
intercourse during the daytime. Every Muslim is to perform a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during his/her
lifetime. Ideally, that pilgrimage, known as the hajj, takes place during the 12th month of the Muslim calendar.
However, lesser pilgrimages, known as umrahs, are also encouraged throughout the year.

SHAHADA (declaration of faith)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/shahadah.shtml

"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger."

This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a Muslim.

When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:

• That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad is his prophet
• That they personally accept this as true
• That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life

SALAT (prayer)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/salat.shtml

Salat is the obligatory Muslim prayers, performed five times each day by Muslims. All Muslims try to do this.
Muslim children as young as seven are encouraged to pray.

Prayer sets the rhythm of the day

This prayer timetable gives Muslims the pattern of their day.
In Islamic countries, the public call to prayer from the mosques sets the rhythm of the day for the entire
population, including non-Muslims.

A universal Muslim ritual

The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day by hundreds of millions of people
all round the world.
Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world, and to all
those who have uttered the same words and made the same movements at different times in Islamic history.

Prayers of body, mind and soul

The set prayers are not just phrases to be spoken.
Prayer for a Muslim involves uniting mind, soul, and body in worship; so a Muslim carrying out these prayers
will perform a whole series of set movements that go with the words of the prayer.
Muslims make sure that they are in the right frame of mind before they pray; they put aside all everyday cares
and thoughts so that they can concentrate exclusively on God.
If a Muslim prays without the right attitude of mind, it as if they hadn't bothered to pray at all.

Muslims don't pray for God's benefit

Muslims do not pray for the benefit of Allah.
Allah does not need human prayers because he has no needs at all.
Muslims pray because God has told them that they are to do this, and because they believe that they obtain great
benefit in doing so.

Muslims pray direct to God

A Muslim prays as if standing in the presence of Allah.
In the ritual prayers each individual Muslim is in direct contact with Allah. There is no need of a priest as an
intermediary. (While there is a prayer leader in the mosque - the imam - they are not a priest, simply a person
who knows a great deal about Islam.)

Praying in the mosque

Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque.
Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realise that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the
sight of Allah.

Ritual washing
Muslims must be clean before they pray. They make sure of this by performing ritual washing, called wudhu.
Mosques have washing facilities.

ZAKAT (charity)
"Zakat." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.

One of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a tax to be paid by all Muslims once a year on various forms of
property, including cattle or other livestock, movable property, cash, and other kinds of capital. After salat, or
ritual prayer, zakat is one of the most commonly observed and cited forms of Muslim piety. The proceeds of
zakat benefit the umma, or the community of Muslims, particularly those members who do not earn an income
because of their faith or due to loss of their possessions. However, zakat differs from sadaqah, or charity. In
medieval Islam, zakat was collected by the caliphs and sultans of a given region and then redistributed among
the faithful who were in need. More recently, zakat has generally been left to the discretion of individual
Muslims.

SAWM (fasting)
"Ramadan." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.

Ramadan is a holy month and the ninth month of Al-Hijrah, the Muslim calendar, which is based on the lunar
system. It is characterized by the fasting of all adult Muslims from dawn until dusk, at which time the fast
promptly ends until the following day. The sighting of the Hilal crescent moon at the end of the month of
Shaban signifies the start of Ramadan. During the fast, all Muslims are required by decree in the Koran to deny
all food and drink, and smoking is not allowed. Before bedtime each night, special prayers from the Koran are
recited. The night between the 26th and 27th days is called the "Night of Determination." Muslims believe that
this is when the first revelation occurred to the prophet Muhammad and that it continues to be the night on
which God determines the course of the world for the coming year. The sighting of the Shawaal crescent moon
marks the end of Ramadan. The day after the end of Ramadan, Id al-Fitr (the "Fast-Breaking"), is celebrated
with special prayers and festivities.

HAJJ (pilgrimage)
"Hajj." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.

A fundamental part of Islam, hajj is the Arabic name for the pilgrimage to Mecca required of all Muslims. Both
the Koran and the teachings of the five pillars of Islam require that every free, able-bodied Muslim make a
pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca if he can afford one. Women may also make the hajj, but only if they are married
and with their husbands or accompanied by a male relative.

The hajj is a complex act of piety and can be performed only during Dhul-Hijja, the last month of the Muslim
calendar. When pilgrims reach the boundary of the holy territory around Mecca, they change into a two-piece
white garment and sandals. Until they complete the hajj, the pilgrims cannot wear other clothing or shoes, cut
their hair or nails, engage in sexual intercourse, argue, fight, or hunt. To complete the hajj, certain rituals are
performed, including traveling to other holy places, praying, and sacrificing an animal.

Pilgrimage to Mecca antedates the establishment of Islam there, and some of the activities that occur stem from
pre-Islamic worship. The word "hajj" may derive from the Semitic root h-dj, meaning "to take oneself to," or
perhaps from the Hebrew hvg, "to go around in a circle." At the hill of Al Safa in pre-Islamic times, there was
an image of the god Isaf that pilgrims used to touch, and the tradition of throwing stones is related to the
thunder god, rain, and fertility.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:

1. Please give a definition of the Five Pillars in your own words.

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2. What is the purpose of the declaration of faith?

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3. Aside from religion requirement, why do Muslims pray?

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4. Who is an imam?
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5. What is wudhu and what is its purpose?
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6. Why is the purpose of the zakat? Who does it benefit?

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7. What is forbidden during the month of Ramadan?

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8. What is the significance of the Night of Determination?

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9. What do Muslims go on the hajj?

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10. How do these acts compare to other religions you know?

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