What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
The five pillars of Islam are the basic foundation for a Muslim’s life.
Shahadah: Shahadah means testimony of faith. Every Muslim is required to believe in this. The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah.” This saying means “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” The first part, “There is no true god but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God has neither partner nor son. This testimony of faith is called the Shahadah, a simple formula which should be said with conviction in order to convert to Islam. The testimony of faith is the most important pillar of Islam.
Salah: A Muslim is required to pray five times a day. Prayers are performed at dawn called Fajr, noon called Dhuhr, mid-afternoon called Asr, sunset called Maghrib, and night called Isa. A Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories, or universities. We have no compulsion that the prayer must be performed only in the Masjids. The only Pre-requisite condition is to Wudu. Arabic wuḍū‘ means ‘purity, cleanliness’, from waḍu’a ‘be pure or clean’. Therefore., Wudu is a ritual purification before religious obligations in Islam. A muslim is required to purify himself every Prayer. I would also like to add that ” Islam is the religion of Cleanliness”. The another important condition for prayer is facing the Kabah, the house of Allah. A Muslim through his prayer is directly speaking to his Lord, The Creator. We have no intermediaries. As Such, A Muslim speaks and shares all his concern to the One who is Pure, All-Aware and Free from every Defects. Nobody can help us, help us and remove our pain except the One who Created everything including us.
Zakah: In Arabic, zakah means purification, growth and blessing. Paying zakah is meant to remind Muslims to be appreciative of the blessings that Allah (swt) has bestowed upon them, and to help empower those who have less. All things belong to Allah, and therefore wealth is held by human beings as trust. Giving Zakah means ‘giving a specified percentage on certain properties to certain classes of needy people, every year. Our possession are purified by setting aside a small portion for those in need. Like, the pruning of plants, this setting aside balance encourages new growth which is much better then what it was. Islam apart from Zakah, which is obligatory, also encourages every muslim to give voluntary charities to those needy. Allah, the Best of the Provider; the Best Appreciator and Bestower of Gifts reward a muslim when he or she takes some penny, even if it is one penny and give it as a charity. This voluntary Charity is called Sadaqa. Islam even rewards a Muslim, when he smiles at his fellow brother.
Abu Dhar reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“Your smile to your brother is a sadaqah (charitable act) for you. Your commanding the right and forbidding the wrong is a sadaqah. Your guiding a man in the land of misguidance is a sadaqah for you. Your seeing (showing the way) for a man with bad eyesight is a sadaqah for you. Your removing a stone or thorn or bone from the road is a sadaqah for you. Your emptying your bucket of water into your brother’s (empty) bucket is a sadaqah for you.” [Trimidhi]
Saum:Saum means fasting. It is obligatory in Islam for every Muslim who have reached the age of puberty to fast in the Month of Ramadhan. Islamic calender is a lunar calender, which has twelve months. Muslims all over the world sight the crescent and find out the beginning of every month. Sighting of the new moon is also important to celebrate the major religious festivals like Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha. Each month can have 29 or 30 days depending on the visibility of the moon. Ramadhan is the 9th month of islamic calender. Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. Although, fasting has a many health benefits, the main goal behind a Muslim’s Fasting is to fulfill the commands of his Rabb (Lord) and to please to Him and seek His reward.
Note: There is a also a big wisdom behind Muslims following the lunar calender. First of all, it is command of Allah. But, Allah is All-Wise and All-Aware and His Knowledge cannot be compared to any beings. Every year Muslims all over the world fast but you must know unlike other religions for instance, Christmas is celebrated falls only on winters. But fasting it falls on every season, a muslim all over the world experience different seasons while fasting, one year summer, the other year winter and so on, so forth. This is not the only wisdom but as I told you before for every command of Allah there are many wisdoms which are unknown and unaware by us, as our knowledge is very limited than our Creator.
Hajj: Hajj is the pilgrimage to the house of Allah(swt), i.e. Kabah in Makkah. The annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. About two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Male pilgrims wear special simple clothes which strip away distinctions of class and culture so that all stand equal before God. Everyone is equal infront of Allah(swt), there is no distinction between the rich and the poor, the black and the white. We are creations of Allah and we are equal. The end of the Hajj is marked by a festival, Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers.
Allah Knows Best!
