Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
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...
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…
Reference
Esposito, J.L. (1999). The Oxford History of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press.
From this concept comes an important difference in the religious practice, in that the Shia believe that the religious leader can be venerated as saints, while Sunnis hold that there can be no veneration of saints based on such perceptions. 3. It is probably difficult to live a Muslim life anywhere outside a Muslim state, but the American society is sufficiently inclusive and the American laws sufficiently correct and strong
Finally, it emphasizes that for the Moslem, all wealth comes from Allah, and that Allah's gifts should be shared with those less fortunate (Huda, 2005). Pilgrimage (Hajj) The final requirement is that all who can afford to and are physically able must, at least once, travel to Mecca, where the Kaba is located. The Kaba is the house of worship built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. This is where Ishmael
What the Jews call the Torah, the Muslims call Tawrat: the first five books of the Old Testament. The Old Testament book of Psalms is also held dear to Muslims and is called Zabur, and the New Testament writing of Jesus are called Injil (Robinson). Muslims also believe in lost writings of Abraham, referred to as the Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Robinson). Other beliefs that are central to the Muslim faith include belief
dental hygienist ? The Five Pillars of Islam play a central component in the worship of the religion known as Islam. These five pillars outline the basic tenets of faith that are central to the practice of this religion. In this sense, these pillars not only mandate certain internal beliefs and thoughts regarding this religion, but external behavior as well. Muslims must adhere to these five principles to rightfully belong
There are many examples of God's love, but much violence as well. The Bible is full of stories of warring peoples, fighting to the death for their beliefs. Persecution of the Jews, seen on a massive scale as late as the 20th century's Holocaust, was fueled by the New Testament, as Jews were blamed for the crucifixion death of Jesus Christ. Even after World War II, Jews in the
370). The most egregious sins that can be committed by a Muslim include to deny the unity of God by ascribing divine status to any person or object. This sin is called shirk. Emphasizing the importance of shirk to Muslim morality, all iconography is strictly forbidden in Islam. Iconography in a mosque, the Muslim place of worship, would be akin to idol worship. The second major sin of Islam is