The Five Pillars of Islam. Aim The aim of this session is To explore the five pillars of Islam and their impact in Muslim life and culture Back.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Aim

The aim of this session is

• To explore the five pillars of Islam and their impact in Muslim life and culture

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ObjectivesBy the end of this session, you should be able to…

• Identify the Five Pillars of Islam

• Understand the meaning and place of the Five Pillars within Islam

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Structure

Tonight’s class will be divided into three main sections…

1. Understanding the Five Pillars

2. The Shahadah & the Ritual Prayer

3. The Poor-due, the Fast of Ramadan & the Pilgrimage

Section I: Understanding the Five Pillars

‘Islam is based on Five Principles’Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (May Allah be pleased with him): Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said:

‘Islam is based on five pillars: To testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (shahada); to pray (salat); to pay the alms-tax (zakat); to perform the Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj); to fast during the month of Ramadan (sawm)’

‘Islam is based on Five Principles’

The Five Pillars are:

1. The Attestation of Faith (Shahadah)

2. The Ritual Prayer (Salat)

3. The Poor-due (Zakat)

4. The Fast of Ramadan (Saum)

5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

Tawhid in Action• As we saw in the previous session, the central

message of Islam is the Oneness of God (or tawhid in Arabic).

• Muslims are enjoined to make this Oneness a part of their everyday lives

• Tawhid is therefore a defining characteristic of the Muslim world-view and forms part of the bedrock of Muslim culture

• Historically, this concrete manifestation of tawhid has taken many forms…

• Let’s look briefly at one such example now…

Manifestations: Islamic Calligraphy

Manifestations: Islamic Calligraphy

The Purpose of Pillars• In ritual terms, the 5 Pillars are thus seen as

the means of actualising the principal of tawhid

• In other words, the 5 Pillars are designed to support the superstructure of Islam

• Therefore, any attempt to understand the diversity and richness of contemporary Muslim cultures needs to be based upon an understanding of the nature and impact of the 5 Pillars.

Section II: the Shahadah & the Ritual Prayer

Witnessing: the Shahada• Literally, shahada refers to ‘witnessing’.• It is thus used in the Quran for witnesses to

business transactions:‘That is more equitable in God’s sight, and more reliable as shahada’ (2:282)

• It is also used to describe a martyr (Shaheed)

• Here though, it refers to the acceptance of the following tenets:None has the right to worshipped except God(or La ilaha ill Allah in Arabic)

Muhammad is the Messenger of God(Muhammadur Rasul Allah)

Witnessing: the Shahada

• On a deeper level, by declaring the shahada one is said enter into true knowledge:

‘God bears witness that none has the right to be worshipped but He – and the angels and the possessors of knowledge – upholding justice; none has the right to be worshipped but He, the

Inaccessible, the Wise’ (3:18)

• Hence, the verbal affirmation of these two phrases makes one a Muslim

• In an important sense, therefore, the shahada can be seen as the gateway to Islam

Witnessing: the Shahada• The shahada’s centrality can be seen in

a number of ways…• Muslims are encouraged to repeat the

shahadah• It is whispered into the ears of a

newborn baby • It lies at the heart of the ritual prayer• It is the central feature of the call to

prayer (adhan)

The Call to Prayer• The Call to Prayer (Adhan)• This is given at mosques 5 times every day, before the

beginning of each prayer time• If you have ever visited a Muslim country, this is what you

will often hear during the early hours– ‘God is Great, God is Great!– God is Great, God is Great!– I testify that there is no God except God– I testify that there is no God except God– I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God– I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God– Come to Prayer, Come to Prayer!– Come to Success, Come to Success!– God is Great, God is Great!– There is no God but God’

• There is a slight variation in the early morning prayer• Also, this is the Sunni version of the Adhan, the Shi’a

version is slightly different again

Prayer in Islam• Prayer in Islam consists of two distinct

categories:Supplication (Du’a)

• This is a personal prayer, with no necessarily set formula (though many prophetic prayers exist) and can be said at any timeRitual Prayer: al-Salat

• Salat, by contrast, is a specific act of worship performed at specified times, usually (though not always) in congregation. Salat consists of a number of distinct acts.

• It is this kind of prayer that we will explore here.

The Ritual Prayer• If the shahada is the first fundamental pillar, the

ritual prayer is arguably of even greater significance.

• The Prophet (pbuh) is said to have described salat as the ‘centrepole’ of Islam, suggesting the image of the main pole of a tent.

• The Quran commands the performance of the ritual prayer more than any other activity.

• Such is its emphasis that images of the congregational prayer have come to represent Islam.

The Ritual Prayer• Literally, the word salat means ‘to pray’ or ‘to bless’ and is used

in a variety of ways in the Quran:• God and the Angels perform salat:

– ‘It is He who performs the salat over you, and His angels, that He may bring you forth from the darknesses into the light’ (33:43)

• All of creation performs salat, by virtue of their innate submission to the Divine Will:– ‘Have you not seen that everyone in the Heavens and the earth

glorifies God and birds spreading their wings? Each one knows its salat and its glorification’ (24:41)

• As we saw previously, Muhammad did not conceive of his faith as new but as a continuation of past revelations.

• Thus, past prophets and communities are also believed to have been commanded to observe the ritual prayer by God:– ‘And We delivered [Abraham], and Lot … And We revealed to them

the doing of good deeds and the performance of the salat’ (21:71-73)

The Ritual Prayer Described• The ritual prayer is of central significance in

Islam• Its structure attempts to remind Muslims of the

Oneness and centrality of God.• A means of purification• The Prophet is reported to have said:

– ‘If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day would you notice any dirt on him? ... That is the example of the five prayers with which God annuls evil deeds’ (Bukhari 4:330)

• Prayer is obligatory for all sane Muslims, male and female, from puberty onwards.

The Ritual Prayer Described• There are 5 required prayers each day, with set times:• Fajr (‘the dawn prayer’): occurs before the sun rises• Zuhr (approx. ‘the noon prayer’): occurs just after the sun

has passed from directly overhead• Asr (‘the late afternoon prayer’): occurs as the sun begins to

decline into the west• Maghrib (‘the sunset prayer’): occurs just after the sun has

disappeared beneath the horizon• Isha (‘the night prayer’): occurs once true night has fallen• Prayer times themselves aim to reflect tawhid…• Marking shifts from one phase of the day to another• Prayer is actually forbidden as sun rises, moves and sets• God is responsible for the cycles of day and night

The Ritual Prayer Described• To pray, a state of ritual purity (wudu) is required, which can be

acquired through a set formula of ablution• Simplified Stages of the Prayer…

• Standing: the opening chapter (surah al-fatihah) of the Quran is recited, along with a second portion (which can vary greatly in length)

• Bowing: the supplication ‘Glory to my Lord, the Tremendous’ is said 3 times

• Prostration: whilst touching the nose and forehead to the ground, the supplication ‘Glory to my Lord, the Most High’ is repeated 3 times

• This is arguably the most important phase of the prayer• Aims to symbolise complete submission to God’s will• Along with a second prostration, this completes one prayer cycle

(rak’at)• Different prayers are made of different numbers of cycles• After the final prostration, the prayer concludes with a sitting in which

the shahada is said and blessings are invoked upon the Prophet• The taslim: this is the final act and it consists of saying ‘peace be upon

you’ to the right and left

Questions

?

Section III: the Remaining Pillars

Islam & Society: the Poor-due• Zakat (the ‘poor-due’) is mentioned next to

almost every reference to prayer, underlining its significance.

• Zakat literally means ‘purification’• In this sense, it literally refers to the purification

of one’s wealth through the giving of charity• Zakat is a compulsory tax of 2.5% on surplus

wealth• Payable on a wide range of property and wealth• Zakat is used to provide for the certain

categories of people, such as the poor and needy, to help those in debt, to free captives and to help travellers, amongst other things (9:60).

Islam & Society: the Poor-due• Zakat thus attempts to convey the idea

that, because wealth comes ultimately from God, a portion of it should be used to help the less fortunate.

• Although only those with sufficient excess wealth are expected to pay the Zakat, it is considered to be an essential pillar of Islam.

• This is because of God’s insistent command that it be paid and also because of its cohesive social quality.

Calculating Zakat• Zakat is calculated according to excess

wealth above a set limit for one year

• In contemporary Britain, the limit currently stands at approximately £1,000 of excess wealth

• ‘Excess wealth’ does not include necessities such as food, clothing, housing, etc.

• A Muslim who has over this limit (nisab) is required to pay 2.5% of their excess wealth

The Fast of Ramadan• The Quran declares:

‘O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous’ (2:183)

• The purpose of fasting is thus to develop the quality of righteousness.

• The Quran defines righteousness in the following manner:– ‘Righteousness is not that you turn your faces to the east or the

west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in God, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of the love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakat; [those who] fulfil their promise when they make one; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship…’ (2:177)

• It is also an attempt to help Muslims understand, in a direct physical sense, the hardship of hunger and thirst, so that they may empathise with those less fortunate than themselves.

Ramadan• Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic

calendar• Because the calendar is a lunar one, the

timing of Ramadan shifts backwards by about 10 days each year.

• Ramadan thus falls in different months in different years.

• Although the fast itself is a trial, Muslims look forward to Ramadan, as it is a time for reflection, re-dedicating the self and for getting together with the family

Fasting• The fast itself commences before the beginning of

the dawn prayer and ends at sunset • Those who are ill, on a journey or pregnant must

make up their fasts later• During the fast, food, drink and sexual intercourse

are forbidden• On a deeper level, the fast is also about trying to

overcome your lower desires, in order to purify yourself

• Thus, lying, swearing and other such things are also forbidden

After the Fast• Once the fast has ended, families usually visit

one another for meals• Special prayers are also said in mosques during

Ramadan, in which the entire Quran is recited.• Individuals are also encouraged to read the

Quran and pray as much as possible themselves.

• Ramadan ends once the new moon has been sighted and Eid (or ‘festival’) begins.

• Eid al-fitr is a festival commemorating the end of Ramadan and is accompanied by a special prayer and also often by special meals.

Questions

?

Pilgrimage to the House• The fifth pillar of Islam is the Hajj, or the

pilgrimage to the Ka’aba in Mecca• The Ka’aba is seen by Islam as the first temple

established on earth for the worship of God.• According to the Quran, Abraham and Ishmael

laid the foundations of the Ka’aba and initiated the hajj.

• Muhammad is thus not seen as its originator, but rather as its reviver.

• This is an important distinction, as the Hajj was also observed by the Meccan opponents of Muhammad

The Hajj• The hajj itself takes place in the 12th month of the Islamic

calendar (dhu’l hijjah, or the month of hajj)• As the fifth pillar, the hajj in a sense represents the final

concrete expression of Islam. • That is, it has traditionally been seen as marking the end of

one phase of life and the beginnings of another• This is perhaps easier to understand when we realise that it

is only with the recent arrival of air travel that travelling vast distances has become a reality available to most people.

• The hajj has therefore traditionally been seen as a preparation for death; before setting off, the pilgrim has to ensure their affairs are put in order, as they may not return.

• This is also why someone returning from the pilgrimage is accorded a certain prestige, being honoured with the term hajji or hajjah

The Rituals of Hajj

• Although it is beyond our scope to look at the rituals of hajj in detail here, a few observations are in order.

• Each of the rituals is designed to focus the mind directly on God and to link the individual with Islam’s sacred history.

• There is a circumambulation of the Ka’aba (known as the Bait Allah, or ‘House of God’), as well as a ritual running between the hills of Safa’ and Marwa, amongst other things

The Rituals of Hajj• The culmination of the Hajj• Finally, sheep and goats are sacrificed and their

meat given to the poor and needy.• This act is also performed by Muslims throughout

the world and marks the second Eid (or festival), that of Eid al-Adha (‘the feast of sacrifice’)

• You can find out more about the hajj at: • http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/H/hajj/inde

x.html

• Video diaries and virtual tours are available

The Hajj in Pictures

© 2006 Abdur Rahman