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The 5 Pillars of Islam
By Alan Hood | August 22, 2007
The central beliefs of Islam center on first the belief that there were many profits and that Mohammad was the last of the profits and he was given the words of God as the Quran. Like the Ten Commandments Islam has as written set of rules that should govern the lives of every Muslim. In Islam these guidelines are called the Five Pillars of Islam. The one thing that I truly love about every religion is that they set forth guidelines by which all people should live, if every person would just take them more seriously and follow the guidelines the world would be safer, happier, and nicer place to live.
The first pillar deals with the sanctity of there only being one god and the finality of Muhammad being the last Prophet. Obviously this is a key ingredient of the religion; if it were not included then the religion would not truly exist.
The second pillar establishes the need for daily prayer. I believe this may be one of the most important aspects to any religion and not just Islam. When your god is close to your heart and in you mind at all times you are more likely to act in accordance of the religion.
The third pillar brings the plight of all people to the front of the religion. It states that a good Muslim will do almsgiving and have concern for the needy. If this pillar were followed more closely we would have much less suffering in the world today.
The fourth pillar deals with the purification of the body through fasting. This is also an important part of the religion because it forces the follower to think carefully about the second and third pillars. I am sure that Allah was establishing the other pillars through the use of this pillar, and not wanting his followers to make extreme sacrifice in his name.
The fifth pillar makes it clear that all followers of Islam should make a pilgrimage to Mecca during their lifetime. I am not sure what the purpose of this pillar really is other than just keeping the religion on the peoples mind. If the person hasn’t made the pilgrimage then they will be thinking about doing so, or if the have they will recount the memories of being in the holiest place of their religion.
Without question the third pillar would be the easiest to fulfill as it is the moral obligation of every world citizen to take care of their fellow man. Muhammad gave the Followers many outs of the third pillar if the were incapable of giving monetarily according to (Islam101, 2007) “The Prophet said, “Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is an act of charity.” The Prophet also 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 of the Prophet asked: “What if he is not able to work?” The Prophet said: “He should help the poor and needy.” 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 an act of charity.”
While today’s political climate may make the fifth pillar hard for people across to globe to complete, I believe the hardest pillar for anyone would be the first. I find that people of all faiths come to a point in their lives where they start to question the existence or worthiness of any God.
Topics: Religions |
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