In Islam one lives their belief and a true believer must be seen to put that belief into action. A Muslim may worship in public or private. Regardless, there are five ways in which a Muslim must worship Allah. The Five Pillars of Islam support the faith of a Muslim and are essential to spiritual development. These Five Pillars are actions which a Muslim has to perform and are given via the Hadith (a major source of Islamic Law): Shahadah (declaration of faith) Salah (compulsory prayers five times a day) Zakah (annual welfare contributions) Sawm (fasting during Ramadan) Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
The five basic acts in Islam, Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj are the foundation of the life of Muslims and is a primary obligation that one must fulfill in their lifetime to be in full submission to Allah. These core beliefs which express the faith of Islamic adherents are based on beliefs, sacred texts, ethics and rituals. Beliefs are essential within a religion in order to make ethical decisions. Shahada, also known as Declaration of Faith, is the first of the five Pillars of Islam and is a statement of both ritual and worship. This Islamic creed is the profession of faith and trust, in which Muslims bear witness to the oneness of God and profess that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
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”.
Checkpoint: Five Pillars of Islam The central beliefs of Islam include an oneness of God and humanity, Prophethood, human relationship with the divine, the unseen life, and the last judgment. These beliefs are further extended and explained through the “Five Pillars”. The “Five Pillars” provide instructions for rituals and ways to live. These instructions enable the Muslim people to live their lives in a fashion that brings them closer to God (Fisher, 2005). The first pillar is believing and professing the unity of God and the messengership of Muhammad.
These are mandatory to every Muslim at all times, unless the individual is unable to perform them due to sickness or age. All in all, it is safe to say that commitment in no joke is Islam. The very first of the five pillars as Emerick states “helps Muslims to remind themselves about the reality of God in their lives” (Emerick 118). The Shahadah, the practice in which an individual declares his faith in God and confesses that Muhammad is the messenger of God. The statement “I declare there is no god except God, and I declare that Muhammad is the messenger of God"(Qu ‘ran 3:191) is to be said with pure sincerity and great commitment.
Analyse the Muslim understanding of Tawhid and how it is expressed in the Five Pillars Tawhid is a key principle belief in the religion of Islam which can be put into practise through the five pillars of faith. Although there are two different denominations or Islam, Sunni and Shi’a, Tawhid is the central monotheistic belief that there is only one God, Allah. The belief of Tawhid is lived out in the everyday life of Muslims through each of the five pillars of faith, Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj, all acts of worship which show obedience and submission to Allah. Through these expressions of faith, the Islamic community, Umma, is able to connect to Allah closely and more deeply and truly live out the key beliefs of Islam in their everyday lives. ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet’, is the declaration of faith stated in the Shahada.
The Five Pillars of Islam HUM/130 May 6, 2011 Tanya Gardner The Five Pillars of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam make up the central beliefs of the Islamic faith. These pillars help to shape Muslim society. The Islam doctrine teaches that Muslims who live according to the Five Pillars of Islam, stay within the Islam faith, and sincerely repent of their sins, will make it to paradise or jannah (Slick, 1995-2010). The Islamic religion is monotheistic, so it is not surprising that the center of the Five Pillars of the Islamic faith is the total belief that there is only one God (Shahada). The four other pillars include, fasting (Saum), prayer (Salat), and pilgrimage (Hajj), alms-giving or charity (Zakat), Shahada is a declaration that is made by followers of the Islamic faith, which says, “there is no true God except Allah,” and also says that, “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
The Five Pillars of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam form the moral framework for the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, fasting during the month of Ramadan, giving to the needy, and the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime. These acts are considered pillars because they are the very foundation to which Islam is built upon. The first pillar, Shahada, is the confession that Allah is the one and only true God and that there is no other god before Allah. The Shahada also states that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and is recognized as the true and greatest prophet of Allah; it was through Muhammad that Allah conveyed the last and final revelation (Slick, 2010).
Revelation god revealed his will and law to humanity through the Quran. Salvation Is life after death and judgment day will result in eternal reward or punishment Depending on god’s mercy. In Islam there were many prophets who guided the people to the right paths and the last prophet was Muhammad (P.B.U.H) there is only one Sacred book in Islam and that is the Quran. In the Quran God tells us what is haram forbidden and halal unforbidden. God tells us how we should live our daily lives.
Islam vs. Hinduism Islam is believed to have originated in the deserts of Arabia because of native traditions. Muslims believe in one God, Allah. Allah is regarded as the true God and there is nobody superior to him. Allah has no gender or plural to show the superiority and uniqueness of Allah, a concept referred to as monotheism. In Islam, all individuals are created in the likeness of Allah, thus all humans are depicted to be equal (Husain, 2002).