Five Pillars of Islam

Islam

The Five Pillars

The Five Pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam) are the foundation of faith and religious practice. They are outlined thoroughly in the Hadith, one of the core doctrinal traditions of Islam. The Five Pillars differentiates Islam from other religions of the Book like Judaism, outlining theological and practical elements of faith that bear witness to the uniqueness of Muhammad as God's prophet, and the uniqueness of Allah as well (Esposito, 1999).

The first of the Five Pillars affirms Muhammad's being the sole messenger of Allah, and likewise underscores monotheism as the absolute, most important, element of Muslim theology. There is no other God but Allah, and Muhammad is His prophet: this is the First Pillar. The first phrase of the pillar could just as easily be embraced by Judaism, as there is to be no other God but the one God in any monotheistic faith. What differentiates Islam from Judaism, though, is the second clause of the First Pillar: Muhammad is the prophet of God. Jews categorically deny the existence of prophets outside of those canonized in the Pentateuch. Therefore, the First Pillar of Muslim faith is both monotheistic and focused on the prophet Muhammad as the mediator between God and mankind. What differentiates Islam from Christianity is that there are no theological conundrums or arguments over the divinity of Muhammad; Muhammad is a human prophet and not a God.

The second of the Five Pillars of Islam contains one of the core spiritual, personal, and mystical elements of the religion: submission. Submission is one of the characteristics of Islam that also distinguishes it from other faiths of the Book. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. The Second Pillar of Islam maintains, deepens, and strengthens belief and faith. Extending from the First Pillar, the Second Pillar is an affirmation of personal submission to Allah, and an unwavering submission also to Muhammad's teachings because those teachings derive directly from God. Embedded within the Second Pillar is the practical element of prayer. Prayer is done with prostrations, a tactile, physical, and outward expression of submission, the core component of the Second Pillar. Prostrations are accomplished with the mental and verbal affirmation of faith. Furthermore, the Second Pillar stresses the importance of spiritual and physical purity, a central component of Muslim practice. Prior to each of the five prayer times, the worshipper performs a ritual bath. Prayers conclude with the Shahadah, a profession of faith that entails direct mental communion with God and an invocation of peace (Esposito, 1999). The Second Pillar prescribes prayer five times daily, interspersed throughout the day roughly at dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, and midnight.

The Third Pillar of Islam is related to almsgiving and tithing. It is known as another form of purification, in which a portion of the person's assets are to be offered to charitable causes. The root of tithing is in the Hadith, and the spiritual principle behind it includes the fact that tithing is a form of the purification of one's assets in the service of God, and also that almsgiving may help to promote the values and religion of Islam throughout the world (Esposito, 1999). From the Third Pillar evolved many of the most concrete of Muslim economic and social institutions including the modern form of Muslim banking systems.

The Fourth Pillar of Islam relates to the annual ritual fasting that is part of the observance of Ramadan, in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. The fast takes place during daylight hours. Fasting is linked to the other pillars via the theme of ritual purity. Just as the person purifies body and mind before prayer, and bank account with tithing, the religious observant also purifies himself or herself more completely during the month of Ramadan. The mental intent of the fast is to delegate the needs of the body to a lower type of desire than spiritual needs; it is a ritual sacrifice of sorts, proving the worshipper's submission to God. Because the fast is a collective endeavor within the community, there is also a sense of personal social responsibility in maintaining the integrity and collectivity of the Muslim faith (Esposito, 1999).

Finally, the Fifth Pillar of Islam mandates the pilgrimage to Mecca during the twelfth month of the lunar year. It is to take place at least once during the course of the person's life. The poor will often receive alms from the Muslim community to support the journey, which is of course one of the reasons why the Third Pillar of Islam is thematically linked to the Fifth. The pilgrimage, or al-Hajj, includes nine specific rites including a dress code and the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the massive cube containing a sacred Black Stone.