The Central Teachings of Islam
Five Pillars of Islam
Cristen Shaw
March 11, 2011
Hum/130
The central teachings of Islam are pretty basic. They teach that their members must freely and willingly accept God and his teachings and that they must strive to live in compliance with those teachings. They believe in the oneness and unity with God and all of his knowledge and that they must strive to live as close to him as possible. They believe in Prophets and that these selected Prophets are messengers from God. They also believe in a last judgment in which after they die they will be resurrected and held accountable for their actions and deeds throughout their life on Earth. These teachings play into the Five Pillars of Faith because to “belief and witness” is to tell others of their faith in Islam and that will bring them closer to God and become one with him. Also their daily prayers keep them close to their faith and it shows their devotion to God. Zakat is the third pillar of faith and it says that at the end of the year they must donate at least two and a half percent of their accumulated wealth to other needy Muslims. This helps the people of the Islam religion to not be greedy and focused on material things, as that sort of living does not keep them close to God and their spiritual beliefs. The fourth Pillar of Faith is fasting. They are required to fast during Ramadan, but are encouraged to fast during hardships in order to clear their mind and soul of impurities and troubles they are having in their life. The last pillar is Hajj which is the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Islam people are to make at least once in their lifetime if possible. The purpose of this holy pilgrimage is to bring people of the Islam faith close to eachother. They perform holy rituals while in Mecca. All of the pillars are there and are to be followed in order to keep their closeness with God and their faith, so therefore they all
Cristen Shaw
March 11, 2011
Hum/130
The central teachings of Islam are pretty basic. They teach that their members must freely and willingly accept God and his teachings and that they must strive to live in compliance with those teachings. They believe in the oneness and unity with God and all of his knowledge and that they must strive to live as close to him as possible. They believe in Prophets and that these selected Prophets are messengers from God. They also believe in a last judgment in which after they die they will be resurrected and held accountable for their actions and deeds throughout their life on Earth. These teachings play into the Five Pillars of Faith because to “belief and witness” is to tell others of their faith in Islam and that will bring them closer to God and become one with him. Also their daily prayers keep them close to their faith and it shows their devotion to God. Zakat is the third pillar of faith and it says that at the end of the year they must donate at least two and a half percent of their accumulated wealth to other needy Muslims. This helps the people of the Islam religion to not be greedy and focused on material things, as that sort of living does not keep them close to God and their spiritual beliefs. The fourth Pillar of Faith is fasting. They are required to fast during Ramadan, but are encouraged to fast during hardships in order to clear their mind and soul of impurities and troubles they are having in their life. The last pillar is Hajj which is the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Islam people are to make at least once in their lifetime if possible. The purpose of this holy pilgrimage is to bring people of the Islam faith close to eachother. They perform holy rituals while in Mecca. All of the pillars are there and are to be followed in order to keep their closeness with God and their faith, so therefore they all