ISLAM (6)

 

The Five Pillars of Islam (1)

Victor M. Eskew

 

          The Five Pillars of Islam are the foundations of Muslim life.  They are “the minimum of what’s involved in being a believing and practicing Muslim” (Islam for Dummies, Malcolm Clark, p. 138).  “Each pillar is a gateway into deeper understanding and greater spirituality as one grows in the faith” (Ibid.).

          The Five Pillars of Islam are also called “The Pillars of Religion.”  It is important to note that The Five Pillars of Islam are not the same as “The Five Pillars of Faith.”  Before a Muslim can engage in some of The Five Pillars, he must perform acts of purification.  There are two types of purification taught in the hadiths of Islam.  The first is called Wudu’.  This involves minor ritual cleansing.  The second is called Ghusl.  This is a ritual bath.  Purification involves a series of words and actions followed by cleansing, either by water or sand.

          The first pillar of Islam is called “the Shahada.”  It is an affirmation of the faith of the Muslim.  The statement says:  “I testify that there is no God but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”  This is the statement one must make to become a Muslim.  When the Muslim says the Shahada, it bears witness of his submission to Allah and to his prophet Muhammad.  It is also the means whereby he bears witness of his faith to others.  In an article about The Five Pillars of Islam at www.islam101.com, this statement is found explaining the importance of the Shahada:  “The significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God, and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet Muhammad.”

          The second pillar is called the Salat.  The Salat are the daily, ritual prayers of the Muslims that are performed five times each day.  The prayers remind the Muslim to put Allah before all other concerns of life.  The names and times of these prayers are:  1) Fajr:  early morning prayers right before dawn; 2) Dhuhr:  noon prayer; 3) Asr:  mid-afternoon prayer; 4) Maghrib:  sunset prayer; and 5) Isha’a:  evening prayer performed between an hour after sunset and midnight.

          At the mosques, the call to prayer is sounded about fifteen minutes before the designated prayer time.  The call to prayer contains the following words:

 

      God is Great.             (takbir)

God is Great.

God is Great.

God is Great.

I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.

I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Come to prayer!

Come to prayer!

Come to success!

Come to success!

God is great!

God is great!

There is none worthy of worship except God.

 

Many Muslims will go to the mosques at the time of prayer in order to pray with other believers.

During the prayers, the Muslim worshiper will go through several routines, also called cycles.  Each prayer consists of two or four cycles of bowings (rak’as) – a sequence of prescribed movements and accompanying words.  In the book, Islam for Dummies, the cycles are described on page 146.  “Remember that each of the five daily prayers involves two to four rak’as.  Before the second and any subsequent rak’as, the worshipper stands up, pronounces a takbir, and begins the next cycle.  At the end of the second and final rak’as, a formulaic greeting (the tahiyya) asks God’s blessings on Muham-mad.  At the end of all the cycles of the salat, the worshipper sits back and recites the witnessing (tashahhud), followed by invocation of blessings on Muhammad and Abraham.  After a final prayer for peace, he turns his head to the right and then to the left, saying ‘peace be upon you’ (al-salamu ‘alaykum).”

          There are a few additional things about the Salat that are interesting to know.  First, it was determined during Muhammad’s journey to heaven that five daily prayers would be prayed.  Second, the Salat are always prayed toward Mecca.  (It is interesting to know that in the early days of Islam prayers were prayed toward Jerusalem).  Third, the Salat can be prayed almost anywhere.  Fourth, most of the time Muslims will pray in the presence of other Muslim worshipers.  Fifth, if the supplicant is not at the mosque, he must pray on a rug or on a newspaper.  Sixth, missed prayers can be made up privately.

          These two pillars of Islam are probably the most well-known by non-Muslims.  Almost everyone has heard the statement:  “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”  Too, many people have witnessed Muslims during their prayer sessions.  The growth of the number of mosques in the United States has made this pillar of Islam more familiar to “unbelievers.”  In our next article, we will look at the last three of The Five Pillars of Islam.