Ever since I was a child, I thought that being a Muslim simply meant that one had to believe in Allah, read the Quran, and memorize its verses. However, one has to understand the meanings and translations behind the Islamic texts. There's no point of reciting a prayer in a language you can't understand five times a day if you don’t know what it means. You want to understand the translation so you can apply it in everyday life, because the Quran was revealed as a guide as to how to life your life. Reading about Salah and Zakah, which are part of the five pillars of Islam, made me realize that Islam is a religion that portrays peace and unity.
The reading on Salah also helped me understand the importance of learning the meanings behind holy recitations. As a Muslim, praying five times a day is obligatory. As a result, I only simply prayed. I didn’t understand what I was reciting, rather I was just trying to get the prayer out of my way. However, what I was doing was completely wrong. For example, one of my friends asked me, what does “bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm” mean. This was something you have to have to recite before reading a surah. I was embarrassed because although I would recite it before every prayer, I did not know the meaning. Meaning and understanding what you are reciting in prayer is very important. “This is achieved in part by the recitations from the Quran which are a part of every prescribed prayer” (Haneef 53). Without understanding the recitations from
Arkhan al Islam or the five pillars of faith are the foundations of Islam which govern the everyday actions and practices of Islamic adherents around the world. These core teachings of Islam are essential in order for Muslims to be able to efficiently express and practice their beliefs. Adherents are expected to follow these pillars as it is stated in the Qur’an, believed to be the direct word of Allah, revealed through the revelation to the prophet Muhammad. The five pillars are a crucial part of Islam, therefore being perfect examples of expressions of faith, as they shape how the Islamic faith is lived out. Both Sunni and Shi’ia Muslims agree of the fundamentals of Islam, and carry out practicing these beliefs in similar yet slightly altered ways. By living out these pillars, adherents are showing full submission to Allah and will assist adherents in gaining a place in the afterlife.
Central to the Muslim belief is the importance of devotion and total submission to Allah. This is put into practice through the Five Pillars of Islam –the five obligatory duties that must be performed by all practising Muslims. These are the acts of faith, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage. Carrying out these duties creates structure in a Muslim’s life, teaching them to devote their time to Allah and not get caught up in their own secular lives. The effect the Five Pillars of Islam has on not only the individual but the community as a whole is substantial. Constantly
In the ancient world, idea of god was ever-changing and was different depending on the religion. For the Muslims, there was a sacred text called The Five Pillars of Islam that guided them through their religion to form a stronger relationship with god. The religious duties gave the Islamic disciples a unique quality and faith. Although the pillars belonged to the Muslims, many of the views were parallel to those of Judaism, which it emerged from. The beliefs within the Five Pillars of Islam were similar to the beliefs in Judaism in the aspects of faith, fasting, and pilgrimage.
Islam is not only religion, but a way of life followed by over 1 billion Muslims. Islam identifies the six articles of faith, central beliefs that every Muslim must believe in order to be a true Muslim. These include the belief in existence and unity of God, existence of angels, God’s revelation to humans in holy books, God appointing prophets to all people, resurrection and life after death, and God’s Will and human freedom of choice (Ewing, 2004, p. 1). The importance of these beliefs can be highlighted through the practical expressions of the five pillars. These include Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Saum and Hajj which are all important during Muslim life because they are used daily or have to be performed at least once. Many of the six
When describing the five pillars of the Muslim faith, it is believed that this was the main foundation of the Muslim way of life. These five pillars give a true identity when it comes to the Muslim faith and lifestyle. One of the pillars is named Salat which is translated to Prayer in the English language. Throughout the day people would have to pray and it doesn't really matter where they do it. They have to at least do it five times a day. The second pillar that I will talk about is named Zakat. Zakat would mean charity or give charity. One of the principles following this is to have the knowledge that everything belongs to God.
According to a Britannica article by Annemarie Schimmel, Muhammad is the last of a series of prophets, according to the Islam religion. He is considered the messenger of Allah who was given the words to write the Qur'an from Allah through the angel Gabriel (Schimmel, 2016).
Despite slight variations, many of the ideas of the Five Pillars of Islam, which were the foundation Islam was based upon, were similar to practices in Judaism and Christianity; these practices were used to unify members of the religion and strengthen the religious community, which lead to a more of a connection between followers and their religion, as well as creating a sense of comfort and security; thus, Islam was more of a continuation of Jewish and Christian traditions, rather than a revolutionary deviation from them. Firstly, in Islam, ritualized prayer, known as Salat, was required, along with the communal Salat al-jum’a at the Mosque on Fridays. Christians and Jews also prayed and attended a service; for Christians, that meant going
Like many other religions, the Muslim faith has experienced many changes and branches. Like Christianity, the original faith is still practiced by some, but others have started new branches with their own unique interpretation being Muslim. Despite these differences within the Muslim religion, one set of rules for moral guidance is central to all. These rules are the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars act as a moral compass for Muslims and are universally accepted as they are mentioned specifically in the Qur’an, the sacred Muslim book of God’s words as they were recited to Muhammad (Molloy, 425).
Islam is defined as, “the monotheistic religion based on the doctrine of submission to God and of Muhammad as the last chief and prophet of God”(Dictionary 720). There are multiple practices included in the religion of Islam, similar to any other religion. Compared to Christianity or Judaism, when one follows Islam, one must follow The Five Pillars of Islam and the rules and circumstances of the worshipping practices. In addition, depending on the branch one is apart of, they may have to follow laws enforced by different prophets as well. One’s lifestyle will change because when following Islamic faith, their religious life is their main priority. Meaning, a Muslim makes the commitment to the practices one-hundred
When it comes to the various religious movements in existence, one common point which they tend to have certain theological tenets which define such a religion. Within Christianity, this can be seen with the doctrines espoused by the Apostles Creed while in the Bahai faith it can be seen in the core ideas of unity. This general concept is also found in Islam where Islamic theology is largely based upon the notion of the five pillars which plays an important part in the lives of adherents. Such pillars include bearing witness, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage each of which expected for the faithful Muslim to practice in his life since they provide the framework towards practical Islam. Thus examining the five pillars will allow one
The five pillars of Islam are the five fundamental acts in Islam that are believed to be mandatory by Muslims all around the world. The fifth pillar of Islam is the Hajj, which is a required annual pilgrimage for all Muslims financially and physically healthy enough to make the trip. The Muslims make the trip in the last month of the lunar calendar and they go to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to see the Kaaba built by Abraham. With the Hajj being one of the largest gatherings of people in the world, Saudi Arabia's economy benefits greatly from all of the spendings of the people taking the pilgrimage. The economy benefits due to sheer amount of Muslims taking the trip, it is estimated that around 2 million Muslims travelled to Mecca in 2015 for
Religions do not spread just because of one reason. In order for a religion to thrive, many factors must help it spread throughout the world. In Islam specifically there were a multitude of factors for the success. The main goal for the religion is not to spread, but rather to form political ruling over non-Muslim territory. The reason for this goal is to influence the citizens within that civilization to convert to Muslim. Muhammad, one of the Muslim prophets, helped expand Islam by spreading the beliefs. He did not see himself superior to anybody else; therefore it was easier for people to connect with him. He helped wealthier people understand their duty to help the poor, and made it clear that if one were to break any Muslim rules, the consequence was Hell. The main influences for citizens to become Muslim were because the religion embraced and catered to all people and the non-Muslims were required to pay taxes.
undertook a migration to Medina. The Islam community identifies this as Muhammad’s flight to Medina and is considered the beginning of the Muslim calendar, but I see it more as his escape to Medina. They were planning on assassinating him how could this be considered something that was supposed to happen? What would have happened if there was not a plot in place to assassinate him and he didn’t have to escape to Medina? If that had occurred then I feel that the religion of Islam would have had a hard time surviving. First off the Muslim calendar probably would have never been created since it is tied into when Muhammad fled Mecca. Then the fourth pillar of fasting is never created either because it is tied into the Muslim lunar calendar, which would have never started if Muhammad did not have to leave Mecca. So the whole reasoning behind the fourth pillar of Islam in my opinion is all due to Muhammad being able to escape in the middle of the night because they were going to assassinate him. The Prophet was, however, so conscious of the public deposits that on the eve of the migration to Madinah and when Allah the Almighty informed him about the plot hatched by the leaders of the Quraysh to kill him, he asked his trusted follower and cousin, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, to sleep in his bed and hand over all the deposits to their rightful owners. Of course every Muslim is going to say it was all Allah’s plan but how could this plan include hurting other people whether they
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger” (Five Pillars of Islam). This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith. When a Muslim recites this they proclaim Allah is the only God and Muhammad is the prophet, they personally believe this is true, and they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life (Five Pillars of Islam). This is known as the Shahadah. To become a Muslim, an individual must recite this saying three times in front of one witness, loud, with sincerity, and full understanding. The Shahadah is written on the flag of Saudi Arabia, the state that contains Islam’s holiest places (Five Pillars of Islam). The Salat is the second pillar and it consists of performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day (Five Pillars of Islam).
perform the Hajj and I am taking Ihram for it. Make it easy for me and