| The fundamental framework of faith in being Muslim can be traditionally expressed by five "pillars" of faith. These are: faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) for those who are able. | ||
| Faith | ||
| The first pillar is faith. The Faith of a Muslim is centered around a fundamental statement of reality in its most pure form being: "There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger". | ||
| This simple, yet powerful declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a statement which is expected to be both professed and believed by any person claiming to be a true Muslim. | ||
| Some religious scholars over the centuries have tried to qualify this simple and vital statement of faith to include the qualifier of Muhammad being the last messenger. Similar arguments and positionings are also to be found in the leading christian churches in qualifying Jesus as the last messenger. | ||
| Such qualifications seek to support both orthodoxy and consolidation of power and are unecessary distractions from the simple and pure statement of the Shahada. | ||
| Prayer | ||
| The second pillar is Prayer. Not passive once and a while unstructured prayer, but a commitment and dedication to an active relationship and direct connection with God and an involvement of God in our daily lives. | ||
| Unlike many other faiths, Muslims do not push God out of their lives for just one day a week and dramatic events of life and death. Instead Muslims embrace the understanding that our very existence, our reason for being, our purpose and respect is to recognize God in our lives every day. | ||
| This commitment, this dedicated and structured prayer is called Salat and Muslims are expected to allocate specific time throughout their day on at least five occassions to connect with God. | ||
Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life. A translation of the Call to Prayer is: God is most great. God is most great. |
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| Charity | ||
| One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.
Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital. Zakat keeps the money flowing within a society, Cairo. The Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim. ' He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.' |
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| Fast | ||
| Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.
Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of self purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth in one's spiritual life. |
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| Pilgrimage | ||
| The annual pilgrimage to Mecca - the Hajj - is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million people go to Mecca each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another. Although Mecca is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God. | ||
| The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the Ka'ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment. | ||
| In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities. | ||
| The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar. | ||
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