Five Pillars Of Islam

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Five Pillars of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam are ethical sources of Islamic moral teaching that establish the pathway to Allah. The Five Pillars specify patterns for worship as well as, detailed prescriptions for social conduct, to bring remembrance of God into every aspect of daily life and practical ethics into the fabric of society (Fisher, 2005). These are five duties that make up the Five Pillars in which Muslims show submission to God. The first pillar is believing and professing the unity of God and the messengership of Muhammad. There is no God, but God and Muhammad is the “Messenger of God”. Muslims are also required to tell others of Islam so they will have the information needed to make an intelligent choice, the use of coercion is ruled out ( Fisher, 2005). The second pillar is the performance of a continual round of prayers. Five times a day Muslims are expected to face Mecca and go through a ritual of prayer in words and action, which signifies their submission to Allah. Muslims are encouraged to be in constant prayer to see their lives more objectively. Praying is also expected to purify the heart, develop the mind and conscience, comfort the soul, encourage the good and suppress the evil in a person, and awaken in the believer the innate sense of higher morality and higher aspirations (Fisher, 2005). The third pillar is Zakat (almsgiving or charity). An important principle of Islam is that all thing belong to God and that wealth is held by human beings in trust. At the end of the year, Muslims are required to donate at least two and a half percent of their accumulated wealth to needy Muslims (Fisher, 2005). The fourth pillar is fasting. During Ramadan, a month in the Islamic calendar, able-bodied Muslims fast for the entire month. They refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse. Fasting is expected to allow the body
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