Just as a building requires the support of pillars for
stability, the true believer also needs to hold on to the pillars of his or her
religion to build, maintain, and improve their relation with God, Allah Almighty. An authentic narration of the Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, states: “Islam is built upon five [pillars]: The
testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammad is the Messenger of
Allah; establishing regular prayer (salat);
paying obligatory charity (zakat); performing
the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj); and
fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm).”[1][2]
This hadith, or prophetic
narration, clearly states that Islam consists of five pillars, which are:
1. Shahada, or the
testimony of faith (stating your belief)
2. Salat, or prayer
3. Zakat, or obligatory
charity
4. Sawm, which is
fasting, and
5.
Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Makkah
Let's look at each one of these pillars in a little more
detail.
1. The Shahada (the testimony of faith)
The shahada is the
first and foremost pillar of Islam. It involves proclaiming one's belief in the
oneness of God, and belief that Muhammad is his final prophet and messenger. One
cannot enter Islam until he or she accepts and believes that Allah is the One, Sovereign
Creator, Controller and Provider for the entire universe, and that the Prophet
Mohammad (peace be upon him) is the messenger of Allah.
Allah says in the Quran:
“He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can
He have children when He has no wife? He created all things and He is the
All-Knower of everything.
Such is Allah, your Lord! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the
right to be worshipped but He), the Creator of all things. So worship Him
(Alone), and He is the Wakeel (Trustee, Disposer of affairs or Guardian) over
all things.”[Quran, chapter 6, verses 101 & 102]
And about the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), Allah
says:
“Say (O Mohammad to mankind): ‘If you love Allah, then
follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, and follow the Quran and the
Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Quran, chapter 3, verse 31] [3] [4]
2. Salat (prayer)
The second pillar of Islam is salat. These are the obligatory prayers that every Muslim, man or
woman, must perform five times a day.
The daily prayers are:
-
Fajr: the early morning prayer that is performed before dawn
-
Zuhr: the midday prayer which is performed just before noon
-
Asr: the afternoon prayer
-
Maghrib: the sunset prayer,
and
-
Esha: the night prayer
In Quran, Allah says:
"Guard strictly (the five obligatory) salat (the prayers), especially the
middle salat (i.e. the best prayer,
i.e. the Asr prayer) and stand before
Allah with obedience [and do not speak to others during the salat." [Quran, chapter 2, verse 238]
Anyone who is careless about his or her salat or abandons their prayers on purpose has no place in Islam.
Whoever deliberately misses his or her prayers risks falling into disbelief.
Allah also says in the Quran:
"(And remain always) turning in repentance to Him (only,
i.e. Allah), and be afraid and dutiful to Him; and perform salah (prayers) and be not of Al-Mushrikoon
(the polytheists, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah)." [Quran,
chapter 30, verse 31] [5]
3. Zakat (obligatory charity)
Zakat literally means purification and growth. Sharing a portion of
your wealth with the needy and deserving people of the community enables a believer
to purify his or her wealth and faith.
Every Muslim who possesses a certain amount of money (whether in the
form of gold, silver, or income-generating property) has to pay zakat annually in the amount of 2.5% of
all of his or her total monetary value (excluding items that are in personal
use such as the car you use and the house you live in). [6]
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And perform salat
and give zakat, and whatever of good
(deeds that Allah loves) you send forth for yourselves before you, you shall
find it with Allah. Certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what you do." [Quran,
chapter 2, verse 110] [7]
4. Sawm (fasting)
Sawm, the fourth
pillar of Islam, is fasting during the month of Ramadan, which is the 9th
month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims refrain from food and water while
they are fasting and try harder to follow prescribed religious rituals during Ramadan
with the objective of drawing nearer to Allah and increasing in piety.
However,
the sick, the elderly, menstruating, pregnant or nursing women, children who
have not yet reached the age of puberty, and people who are travelling are
permitted to not fast and to make up for it at a later time during the year.
After Ramadan, Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, which is an annual festival, on the first of Shawwal, the 10th month of
the Islamic lunar calendar. [8]
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: “Every action of
the son of Adam is multiplied, each good deed receiving a tenfold to seven
hundredfold reward. Allah said, ‘Except for fasting, for it is done for Me, and
I will give a reward for it, for he (the child of Adam) gives up (his or her)
desire and food for My sake.’" (Narrated by Muslim, in the Book of Fasting)
[9]
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)
Hajj is the pilgrimage
to Makkah, about which Allah says:
"And Hajj (the pilgrimage to Makkah) to the
House (the holy Ka‘bah in Makkah) is
a duty that mankind owes to Allah - those who can afford the expenses (for
one’s conveyance, provision and residence) of the journey; and whoever
disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj
(pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allah], then Allah stands
not in need of any of the ‘Aalameen
(mankind, jinn and all that exists)." [Quran, chapter 3, verse 97] [10]
Hajj is obligatory
for believers to perform at least once in their lifetime if they are
financially and physically able to perform it. Hajj is performed between the 8th and 12th (or
in some cases the 13th) of Dhul-Hijjah,
the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, every year. At the end
of the Hajj, Muslims all over the
world celebrate Eid-al-Adha, which is
the second of two annual festivals celebrated by Muslims around the world. [11]
References:
[11] https://www.whyislam.org/islamicteachings/the-five-pillars-of-islam/
