Everything about The Five Pillars Of Islam totally explained
The
Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic: أركان الإسلام) is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every
Muslim. These duties are
Shahadah (profession of faith),
Salah (ritual prayer),
Zakah (alms tax),
Sawm (fasting during
Ramadan), and
Hajj (pilgrimage to
Mecca).These five practices are essential to
Sunni Islam.
Shi'a Muslims subscribe to eight ritual practices which substantially overlap with the Five Pillars.
Twelvers have five
fundamental beliefs which relates to
Aqidah.
The concept of five pillars is taken from the
Hadith collections, notably those of
Sahih Al-Bukhari and
Sahih Muslim. The
Qur'an doesn't speak of five pillars, although one can find in it scattered references to their associated practices.
The five pillars
Shahadah
The Shahadah (
Arabic: ) is the basic creed or tenet of Islam (Submission):
"", or "I testify that there's no
god (ilah) but
Allah, and I testify that
Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah". As the most important pillar, this testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Ideally, it's the first words a newborn will hear, and children are taught as soon as they're able to understand it and it'll be recited when they die. Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed. Technically the Shi'a don't consider the
Shahadah to be a separate pillar, but connect it to the
beliefs.
Salah
Salah (Prayer) is performed facing towards the
Kaaba in
Mecca. Salah is intended to focus the mind on Allah; it's seen as a personal communication with Allah, expressing gratitude and worship. According to the Qur'an, the benefit of prayer "restrains [one] from shameful and evil deeds".
Salah is compulsory but some flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on the circumstances. For example, in the case of sickness or a lack of space, a worshipper can offer
salah while sitting, or even lying down, and the prayer can be shortened when travelling. Zakah consists of spending a fixed portion of one's wealth for the benefit of the
poor or needy, including
slaves, debtors and travellers. A muslim may also donate more as an act of voluntary charity (
sadaqah), in order to achieve additional divine reward.
There are two main types of zakah. First, there's the zakah on traffic, which is a fixed amount based on the cost of food that's paid during the month of
Ramadan by the head of a family for himself and his dependents. Second, there's the zakah on wealth, which covers money made in business, savings, income, and so on. In current usage zakah is treated as a 2.5% levy on most valuables and savings held for a full
lunar year, as long as the total value is more than a basic minimum known as
nisab (three
ounces or 87.48g of gold). As of
16 October 2006, nisab is approximately
US$1,750 or an equivalent amount in any other currency. Many Shi'ites are expected to pay an additional amount in the form of a
khums tax, which they consider to be a separate ritual practice.
Sawm
Three types of fasting (
Sawm) are recognized by the Qur'an: Ritual fasting, fasting as compensation or repentance, and ascetic fasting.
Ritual fasting is an obligatory act during the month of
Ramadan Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and
sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk during this month, and are to be especially mindful of other sins. During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, harsh language, gossip and to try to get along with each other better than normal. In addition, all obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided.
Fasting during Ramadan isn't obligatory for several groups for whom it would be excessively problematic. These include pre-pubescent children, those with a
medical condition such as
diabetes,
elderly people, and
pregnant or
breastfeeding women. Observing fasts isn't permitted for menstruating women. Other individuals for whom it's considered acceptable not to fast are those in combat and travellers. Missing fasts usually must be made up soon afterwards, although the exact requirements vary according to circumstance.
Many Muslims break their fast with a
date because it's claimed Muhammed broke
his fast with a date.
Hajj
The
Hajj is a pilgrimage that occurs during the
Islamic month of
Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of
Mecca and derives from an ancient Arab practice. Every
able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it. When the pilgrim is around ten kilometers from Mecca, he must dress in
Ihram clothing, which consists of two white sheets. The main rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the
Kaaba, touching the
Black Stone, traveling seven times between
Mount Safa and
Mount Marwah, and symbolically
stoning the Devil in
Mina.
Shia viewpoint
According to
Shia Twelvers doctrine, what is referred to as pillars by Sunni Islam are called the practices or secondary principles (Firoo e Din). There are three additional practices. The first is
jihad, which is also important to the Sunni, but not considered a pillar. There is an ongoing debate in the West about the true meaning of this pillar. The second is
Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf, the "Enjoining to Do Good", which calls for every Muslim to live a virtuous life and to encourage others to do the same. The third is
Nahi-Anil-Munkar, the "Exhortation to Desist from Evil", which tells Muslims to refrain from vice and from evil actions and to encourage others to do the same.
Shi'a
Ismaili Seven Pillars of Islam, including the
Nizari,
Druze, and
Mustaali have three doctrines that are not included in the
Sunni Five Pillars of Islam:
Walayah,
Taharah and
Jihad. This would raise the total to eight, but the Bohra Ismailis don't include
Shahadah, lowering it to seven. The Shahadah is a prominent part of other Ismaili traditions, with the added inclusion of "
Alīyun Ameerul Mo'min wali Allah (علي ولي الله("Ali, the Master of Believers, is the friend of God")", at the end of the standard shahadah as recited by the rest of the Muslim Ummah. .
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