Essay on The Five Pillars of Islam

The forth pillar of faith is referred to as Sawm. From sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan adult Muslim’s are expected to partake in fasting. This means they mustn’t eat, drink, smoke or have sexual intercourse within the hours of daylight. Instead one should take the time to prayer reflect or meditate. Participating in fasting Muslim’s learns the traits of self-control, sympathy and discipline. These are important qualities for all Muslims to have, as the principal belief of Al-Akhira is that we humans, despite God’s will, have the freedom of choice. This way Muslim’s are able to exercise this belief during fasting. Ramadan is the celebration of the first revelation of the Qur’an given directly through the prophet Muhammad, therefore it is a sacred time of special significance to all Muslim’s. Kutubu’llah is the name given to the principal belief in God’s revelation to humans in holy books. The breaking of the fast is a significant part of Sawm, it is the time after sunset when Muslims can enjoy their achievement in fasting. Gathering together among friends and family they may share and light meal and celebrate their self-control and strength throughout the day. This small act highlights

He died on a trading trip soon after his marriage to Aminah, leaving Muhammad fatherless at birth. Aminah, his mother, died when he was only six years old. Muhammad was taken in by his grandfather, only to have him die when Muhammad was eight years old. At this time, his uncle, Abu Talib, one of the leaders of the Quraish tribe took him and raised him. Muhammad was taught the family business and was quite successful. A wealthy widow named Khadijah arranged for Muhammad to learn her trading business, and was so impressed with his skill and appearance that she proposed marriage to him. Muhammad was twenty-five and Khadijah was forty when they married. They had six children, two boys and four girls. Both of the sons died early in life. The daughters lived to see Muhammad become the founder of Islam. Having to marry the wealthy Khadijah, Muhammad now became a gentleman and a philosopher. He would spend his hours in meditation, about the condition of the civilization he saw around himself. He had a personal mission to find "truth." During the next three years the message of Muhammad spreaded among the people of Mekkah. As a consequence, Muhammad organized a message and Islam began. At this point, Islam was weak, and many Muslims died for their faith. After Muhammad's death, Islam continued to flourish under the leadership of Muhammad's companions. The first Caliph was his father in law and longtime friend, Abu Bakr. In

Muslims, the followers of Islam, “believe that Islam is the religion of God (Allah), which he ordained for the guidance and benefit of humanity” (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2002). Members of the Islamic society choose to live life according to the Qur’an, which is the holy book of Islam. Muslims trust that the Qur’an contains God’s exact words and teachings. The tenets of Islam are known as the Five Pillars. These are five ways in which a Muslim is expected to worship Allah.

The fourth pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam is fasting during Ramadan. Ramadan is a sacred holiday in the Muslim faith. It falls in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and is a celebration of Muhammad’s first revelations from God. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. This continues until the end of the month, when a celebratory feast

The second pillar Salat, or regular prayer, ascertains Muslim's devout compliance to Allah's purpose for Muslims. Salat is a distinctive mark of believers and provides Muslims with the opportunity for direct communication with Allah. Ritualised Salat ensures that Muslims do not get to attached to material and non-essential things, thus outlining that Allah's divine intendment installs complete control and is the central figure in a Muslim's life – not the existent of secular entities and monetary dependence (testament to the Qur'anic condemnation of usury and interest - Sura 2:275). The prevention of monetary dependence is also made present through the third of the Arkan al-Islam – Zakat, or obligatory almsgiving. (Penney, 1989 pg. 14) Zakat is an act of devotion and duty, and is paid to gain Allah's favour. (Whitehead, 2004 pg. 29)

Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is known to be the founder of Islam. He is also known for Muslims to be the Holy prophet, and also he is known to be the last prophet sent by God to the humanity. Prophet Mohamed was born in Mecca, on Saudi Arabia in 570 CE. He was an orphan in his early childhood and was raised by his uncle Abu Talib. He worked as a merchant in his adulthood, and he was known to be honest. Later, at the age of 40, Angel Gabriel visited prophet Mohammed while his stay in Hira Cave and there God revealed himself to Mohammed. After 3 years, prophet Mohamed started publicly lecturing these disclosures.

The Islamic faith began with the call of one man. His name was Muhammad and in 610 A.D the angel Gabriel appeared to him in the city of Mecca. Gabriel told Muhammad that God had commissioned him to be his last prophet an event known as the Night of Power. From here Muhammad began preaching to peoples in an effort to fulfill his mission of summiting them fully to God. His call to monotheism and anti materialistic teachings was rejected in Mecca as the people were accustomed to the worship of many gods and based their lives around possession and sales of goods. Muhammad then moved north were his following grew and he eventually build and army of people seeking a more fulfilling lifestyle. He pinned this army against Mecca who submitted peacefully and the masses came to adopt Islam. As Muhammad's death came in 632 A.D. the majority of Arabia had come to accept Islamic beliefs and practices and all of his revelations were combined to construct Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an. But, Muhammad’s death was not

Mohammed was born in 570 AD in Mecca, Arabia. When he was a young boy, his parents died, and his uncle raised him as a trader and camel driver. He gained the reputation of an honest, hard-working man in his business. As a result, he provided services for a prominent upper-class entrepreneur. Eventually, he married a wealthy businesswoman. After his marriage, he spent his time thinking about philosophy, religion, and prayer. The people living in Mecca worshiped idols they had fashioned with their hands. He thought this approach to religion was futile. Christianity and the Jewish religion intrigued him because they worshiped one God. All his thoughts confused him. He spent more of his time alone meditating and praying that one of the gods would reveal the true religion to him. One day, when he was meditating in a cave, he saw a vision of the angel Gabriel. The angel told him that Allah, the god he had been looking for, had appointed him as a messenger to his people.

Due to much media in the world often times when a person hears the word Islam, their mind will go straight to the Twin Towers attack attack on 9/11 and group them all together with the blame (Mavani, 2010, p.95). However, anyone who knows people associated with the Islam religion know that is not the truth. Islam is often called the religion of peace and all they want to do is to please God in everything they do. The goal of Islam is to live your life as an act of worship and the way to attain this goal is through the Five Pillars of Faith and ultimately through God. The Five Pillars of Faith include faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. By following these Five Pillars, Islams believe the all knowing God will judge them

Muhammad was born in Mecca, but tragically he had a very hard childhood. He was orphaned at the age of six and his grandfather and uncle took him in. Muhammad had to work from a very young age, leaving no time for a normal childhood filled with leisure time. He finally had some economic stability when he married a wealthy widow named Theodora, and took advantage of his newfound leisure time to meditate on religion in a cave near Mecca. It was here that the angel Gabriel spoke to him, and he started his journey on being one of the most influential religious leaders in the world. Muhammad had to flee Mecca with his followers to Medina as a result of his teachings, but returned a few short years later to capture the city. He and his followers eventually built up a great empire, spreading their faith throughout the world. Two of the major pillars of their faith, Islam, are Shahadah and Hajj. Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam, and it is the Islamic creed which states that Allah is the one and only god and that Muhammad is the last and greatest of his prophets.

“There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” This simple statement is spoken aloud five times daily by the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. It is the statement that establishes Islam as a monotheistic religion, identifies Mohammed as the final prophet of God [Allah], and is the first of the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are required activities that provide Muslims with a foundation for practicing their religion. In addition to professing their faith, a Muslim must also pray five times daily in the direction of Mecca, pay an annual tithe, observe Ramadan, and participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the origin of the five pillars and describe each along with how they are observed by Muslims.

The phrase pictured above is repeated and known to Muslims as a declaration of faith. This is the Shahadah.

Back in 570 Islam was founded in an Arabian City known as Mecca. Muhammad, being the founder of this monotheistic faith was treated like trash when he would try to express his religious feelings. Islam has grown over time not only religiously but architecturally and artistically and in music.

Prophet Muhammad PBUH was also known as Muhammad Ibn Abd’Allah meaning “Muhammad the son of Abd’Allah”. Because mostly in some Arabian cultures, one is either surnamed by the clan or tribe or region one come from or one’s name attached to that of one’s parents mostly a father’s name. Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca situated in Saudi Arabia in 570 CE and died June 8, 632 CE at age 62 in Medina also a city in Saudi Arabia. Muslims all over the world regarded prophet Muhammad as the real source of Islam a very well monotheistic religion that has in its verses and chapters a story about almost all the prophets and messengers that came before him. Qur’an is also very highly regarded scripture from which many Muslims used and uses to this day as a source of

Five Pillars of Islam. These pillars, Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Siyam, and Hajj represent the core values of the Islamic faith and a set of commandments that all Muslims