The Islam : The Holy Of The Arab Prophet Muhammad

Explain and analyse the significance of the Five Pillars of Islam on the individual and the community making reference to the principal beliefs where relevant.

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

Describe each of the five pillars and reflect on why they are referred to as Pillars of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam are lifelong acts of worship, which includes faith, prayer, almsgiving (charity), fasting, and a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The five pillars of the Islamic faith are of tremendous importance to the Muslim culture. These five pillars are the foundation of Islamic teachings, principles and morals. One could think of the pillars just as you would think of the pillars of a building. As some buildings need pillars to remain standing, Muslims believe that the five pillars are essential to the existence and continuation of their religion. There are many aspects to the Islamic religion, but the five pillars are required for anyone who wants to acquire the title of

The rise of Islam is greatly linked with the Prophet Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be the last in a long line of prophet that includes Moses and Jesus. Because Muhammad was chosen by God to be the messenger of his teachings, Muslims strived to follow his example. Alongside the holy book, Qur’an, the teachings of Prophet (or hadith) and his descriptions of way of life (sunna) are the most important Muslim texts. Muhammad was born into a powerful Meccan tribe, known as the “Quraish”, at around 570 A.D. The Quraish were powerful as they were merchants, and made trade along the Arabia, Syria, and Yemen routes, all crossing through Mecca (METMUSEUM, 2000-2016). Mecca, at the time was worshiping two polytheistic groups, whose Gods had protected its trade. After working for a couple years as a merchant, Muhammad was hired by Khadija, a wealthy widow to make

Mohammed was born in 570 CE in Mecca, the religious capital of Islam, he is believed to be Gods chosen messenger sent to preach about revelations he received from God. Mohammed united the Arabic states to insure the teachings of the Quran would reach all people.

Muslims believe their faith is the only true faith, it was revealed to them through a long line of prophets inspired by God. To practice their faith Muslims must accept five primary obligations called five pillars of Islam. The first pillar, is the profession of faith, repetition of the statement, “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God”. The second pillar is the devotion to prayer and worship. Muslims pray five times a day while facing towards Mecca the “house of God”. Prayers are simple and personal but also done in groups. The third pillar is the obligatory religious tax it is paid by all for the benefit of the community. The fourth pillar is the month long fast each year during Ramadan from dawn to dark along with refraining from cursing, lying, and cheating. The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca at some time during your life.

All followers of Islam, who are known as Muslims, have to follow the five pillars of faith. Those include:

When Muhammad was around 30 he started visiting a cave in Mount Hira. Muhammad became the prophet of Islam at the age of 40 while on one of those journeys. He was visited by the angel Gabriel, who asked him to be the messenger of Allah. “This revolution, which continued for 23 years is known as the Quran” “ Muhammad returned from that visit telling his wife he had either gone mad or became a prophet”

The Five Pillars of Islam are five primary obligations that a Muslim must fulfill in his or her lifetime and they form the basic identity of a Muslims, their faith, beliefs and practices (The Five Pillars, 2015, para. 1). The Second Pillar of Islam is Salah (prayer) in which many Muslims around the world will turn individually and collectively to Makkah (Islam's holiest city) and offer up five daily prayers at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening (The Five Pillars, 2015, para. 3). Every Muslim when facing Makkah is not just turning to face Makkah but is actually turning towards Makkah to face the Kaba which Muslims believe is a house of worship that Abraham built with his son

Islam is a fast growing faith that was founded by the prophet MUhammad in the city of Mecca.

Islam was established long ago as a Muslim faith in the city of Medina and spread to Arabia shortly thereafter. This faith was sought to be spread throughout universally starting during the sixth century by means of the dynamic trade routes that were “stretching across Southwest Asia and North Africa to spread its faith and political empire,” (Worlds Together Worlds Apart, 320). The rise of Islamic law called “Sharia” is the foundation of Islam and serves as a guide for the Muslim world (326), this foundation helped to later establish strong Islamic dynasties.

These five pillars are Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj. A life of a Muslim revolves around these five pillars of Islam. Islamic culture represents different aspects of Islamic life, which includes wedding traditions, clothing, foods, arts and crafts etc. (Kirabaev, 2000).There are many sources of a well-defined Muslim culture. Three of them are: Local tradition , The Hadith and , The Quran.

As a religion, Islam is based on the teachings of Muhammad, embodying a sound belief in one God (Allah). Islam is an Arabic word meaning submission, surrender, and obedience (Maududi, 1). It also stands for peace. Its followers are known as Muslims or Moslems. Islam emerged in Arabia, specifically in the city of Mecca, in the seventh century C.E. (Matthews, 386). With the evolution of Islam in Mecca, Mecca is known as the center of Islam. Islam is the youngest of the major world religions with the exception of Sikhism, which is a derivative of Hindu and Muslim beliefs that appeared in India. Islam is a universal religion of monotheism. The goal of Islam is to