An Indepth Study; 5 Pillars of Islam
What are the five pillars of Islam and their importance to Muslims?
‘’Islam is built on five pillars: to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; to establish Salah, to give Zakat, performance of Hajj and fasting in the month of Ramadan’’.
This well known and widely transmitted saying of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) composes the very essence of Islam, being built by five fundamental pillars. Each pillar is related to one another and equal importance attached to it. Furthermore Muslim Creed such as the famous doctrine as advocated by the late 4th century jurist al-Tahawi dictates any individual not believing in any one of these pillars as not being in the fold of Islam. This is the great importance of each pillar to Muslims. In this essay, firstly I speak in detail with regards to each pillar and its role and significance in Islam. Secondly and finally, I will attempt to briefly show the relationship of the pillars to one another and through this present the importance of the 5 pillars in Islam and its inward and outward role it has for Muslims in their daily life.
Islam “seeks orthopraxy over orthodoxy’’ Islam places a profound importance on tangible physical worship rather than relying on faith alone.
The first, testifying to One God, is a Muslim’s pledge to worship Allah completely. “But consciousness of God alone is not sufficient to make a person a Muslim’’.
Though belief is an inward declaration, it can be expressed verbally as in the first pillar of Islam. The remaining four pillars, a manifestation of the “practical obedience”, are obligatory worships. Islam’s five pillars have a, spiritual dimension balanced which is personal with a more public, physical one. This in turn demonstrates the inward role these pillars have for each and every Muslim. The will of God made up with the role of Prophet Hood in Islam. All Prophets since Adam were ‘Muslims’ as they submitted to God, anyone who believed in
‘’Islam is built on five pillars: to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; to establish Salah, to give Zakat, performance of Hajj and fasting in the month of Ramadan’’.
This well known and widely transmitted saying of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) composes the very essence of Islam, being built by five fundamental pillars. Each pillar is related to one another and equal importance attached to it. Furthermore Muslim Creed such as the famous doctrine as advocated by the late 4th century jurist al-Tahawi dictates any individual not believing in any one of these pillars as not being in the fold of Islam. This is the great importance of each pillar to Muslims. In this essay, firstly I speak in detail with regards to each pillar and its role and significance in Islam. Secondly and finally, I will attempt to briefly show the relationship of the pillars to one another and through this present the importance of the 5 pillars in Islam and its inward and outward role it has for Muslims in their daily life.
Islam “seeks orthopraxy over orthodoxy’’ Islam places a profound importance on tangible physical worship rather than relying on faith alone.
The first, testifying to One God, is a Muslim’s pledge to worship Allah completely. “But consciousness of God alone is not sufficient to make a person a Muslim’’.
Though belief is an inward declaration, it can be expressed verbally as in the first pillar of Islam. The remaining four pillars, a manifestation of the “practical obedience”, are obligatory worships. Islam’s five pillars have a, spiritual dimension balanced which is personal with a more public, physical one. This in turn demonstrates the inward role these pillars have for each and every Muslim. The will of God made up with the role of Prophet Hood in Islam. All Prophets since Adam were ‘Muslims’ as they submitted to God, anyone who believed in
Bibliography: Ahmad, K. (ed). Towards Understanding Islam. (England, 2009). Ayoub, M.M Brockelmann, C. History of the Islamic Peoples. (London, 1979). Cornell, V.J Goldschmidt Jr., A., Davidson, L. (ed). A Concise History of the Middle East. (Oxford, 2006). Hourani, A. A History of the Arab Peoples. (Croydon, 2005). Makris, G.P Nadwi, A.H.A. The four pillars of Islam (Lucknow : Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, 1976) Robinson, Neal Ruthven, M. Islam: a very short introduction. (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2000.) --------------------------------------------