The five central teachings of Islam

¶ … teachings of Islam

Sufis is not an ethnic group or religious group but it is a mystical movement that is found in the entire Muslim world which has a great influence on the population in the Middle East. Sufism comprises of a large number of sects within Islam that are interrelated which is a reaction against the focus on practices and rituals. It grew as a result of the reaction against the stagnant legalism of the leadership in orthodox religion as a counterweight of the expanding empire of the Muslims. Critics of Sufism claim that it is not authentically Islamic. One common critic of Sufism by their fellow Muslims is that they do not take part in social and political activities. This is not however true since Sufis have traditionally been active when it comes to the protection of their territories. Sufism and Islam are inseparable in the same way that high consciousness can not be separated from Islam (Rahim, 2009).The relationship between Islam and Sufism therefore indicates that the five teachings of Islam are also applicable in Sufism. The paper will look at how Sufis express or experience these five central teachings of Islam.

Five central teaching of Islam as expressed in Sufism

The first pillar of Islam teaching is the declaration of trust and faith which is known as Shahada. The focus of Sufism piety is Allah, who is supreme, all knowing, all powerful and a merciful God. The profession of faith is a prerequisite for Sufism. It is therefore a requirement in Sufism that the members of the group profess their faith in their daily prayers. The second pillar is five prayers that have to be done daily known as salat. These five prayers are performed at specific times and they are; Fajr before sunrise; Dhuhr at midday; Asr in the evening before sunset; Magrib in the evening after sunset; Isha at night. In Sufism all these prayers are performed every day and at the specific stipulated times. They say these prayers with a series of positions that have been set such as bowing with hands placed on the knees, standing, sitting in specific position and prostrating (Pecorino, 2001).

The third pillar is a practice of giving out things in a charitable way on the basis of wealth that is accumulated known as Zakat .In Sufism anyone who is in a position to give out what they have has an obligation to do so. Through this giving they get an opportunity to purify their wealth and at the same time attain salvation. In Sufism there is strict adherence to the Quran and hence they follow what is stipulated within the Quran as what is to be subjected to the Zakat tax or the exact share of an individual's income that has to be paid at zakat. Therefore, it is expected that 2.5% of the wealth that one has should be used to benefit the poor within the society in Sufism. The fourth pillar is fasting; this is a practice that is followed in Sufism as it is stipulated in the Quran. In Sufism there is following of the three types of fasting which are ritual fasting, repentance fasting and ascetic fasting. In Sufism ritual fasting is an obligatory at is done within the month of Ramadan. During Ramadan they follow strictly the Quran teachings as they refrain from violence, gossip, anger, lust and so on. The fifth pillar is a requirement that everyone with the ability in terms of their physical and financial well being to carry out their pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime. In Sufism each and every individual both men and women are expected to carry out this pilgrimage in their lifetime (Pecorino, 2001).