5 Pillars of Islam

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Five Pillars of

Islam

Slide 1
Content
• Three dimensions of religion
• The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Shahadah – testifying to
creed
2. Salat – offering daily prayers
3. Zakat – paying charity
4. Sawm – fasting in Ramadan
5. Hajj – making pilgrimage

Slide 2
Introduction
• The religion of Islam is balanced through
three dimensions – belief, practice and
spirituality.
• In Islam, faith is expressed in a diversity of ways
to engage full human faculties.
• The five pillars of Islam provides a Muslim with a
practical framework to cultivate spiritual
growth.
• The five pillars range from once in a lifetime
action (pilgrimage) to daily activities (daily ritual
prayers)

Slide 3
Three Dimensions of
Religion

Slide 4
Three
• Iman – faithDimensions
dimension
―6 tenets of Islamic faith
―Mu’min is a believer
• Islam – devotional practice dimension
―5 pillars of Islam
―Muslim is the one who is on a devotional path
to God
• Ihsan – spiritual excellence dimension
―“Ihsan is to worship God as though you see
God; even if you don’t see God, God sees
you”, said Prophet Muhammad.
―Muhsin is the one who has developed
a personal relationship with God.
Slide 5
Expression of
Faith
The Five Pillars

Slide 6
Expression of
• For a Muslim, it Faith
is compulsory to practice the five pillars
of Islam.
• There are important reasons and benefits as to why
Muslims are obliged to practise the five pillars:
― Muslims believe that God has commanded them to
practise the five pillars. They are a symbol of a person’s
willing submission to God.
― The five pillars are acts of worship and have significance
for God and His relationship with humans.
― The five pillars are a spiritual regimen to cultivate spiritual
development.
― They have additional social, mental, spiritual and
physical benefits.

Slide 7
Five Pillars in a
Snapshot
Pillar in Arabic Pillar in English Fundamental spiritual benefit

1 Shahadah to testify that there is no Freedom from fear and


deity but God and incentive based earthly
Muhammad is the servant masters
and the messenger of
God
2 Salat to offer daily ritual prayers Countering distractive
effects of daily affairs
3 Zakat to pay the compulsory Attachment to possessions
charity and money
4 Sawm to fast in the month of Self-restraint against limiting
Ramadan and destructive
inner impulses
5 Hajj to make pilgrimage to the Removal of racism and tribal
House if one is able to do attitude to religion
so

Slide 8
Shahadah – Testifying to Creed

The creed written in Arabic in an artistic


manner.
Slide 9
Shahadah – Testifying to
• ACreed
person becomes a Muslim when he or she utters
the statement of testimony in the presence of
witnesses:
― “I bear witness that there is no deity but God and I
bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger and
servant of God”
• This is a public commitment to the path of Islam
― “He is God, there is no deity but He...” (59:23)
― “Muhammad is the messenger of God…” (48:29)
• There is no compulsion is Islam. No one can be forced
to convert to Islam.
― “There is no compulsion in religion…” (2:226)

Slide 10
Shahadah – Testifying to
• Creed
With the shahadah a person frees himself or
herself from false masters or gods that may exert
disproportionate force upon a person.
―For some their self can be their God
― For others it could be wealth, status or
powerful people,
― For some they may believe that there are more
than one God with supernatural powers
• Islam requires one to reject all such deities and
only submit to one supreme God.
― This gives a person freedom from worldly powers
that may influence him or her with fear or
incentive.
Slide 11
Salat – Offering Daily
Prayers

Slide 12
Salat – Daily
• Prayers
“Salat is the central pillar of Islam.” – The
Prophet Muhammad
― “Who believe in the Unseen, and perform As-salat
(prayers) and spend out of what We have
provided for them.” (Qur’an, 2:3)
• The word ‘salat’ literally means ‘hot connection’.
So, prayer in Islam is an act of worship that
enables the individual to get close to God
through a meditative state.
• It is a direct and personal communion with God. The
Prophet Muhammad said that a person during prayers
is closest to God at the moment of prostration.

Slide 13
Salat – Daily
Prayers
• The meaning of worship is:
― “Human, as a servant of God, being aware of his
limitations, weakness and poverty, prostrates himself
in love and wonderment before the perfection of
God’s Compassion, Lordship and Majesty” Said
Nursi (d. 1960)
• The essence of five daily prayers is to glorify, exalt and
praise God with the heart, tongue and body at
spaced intervals throughout the day.
― The prayer is an index involving all forms of worship
― The prayer is an act symbolising submission to God

Slide 14
Salat – Daily
Prayers
• Salat enables a person to detach from daily affairs
and
to remember and connect with God on a daily basis.
• Salat raises human consciousness to an awareness
of being in the presence of God and hence
greatly reduces the chance of committing
wrongful acts.
• All enjoined prayers can be performed individually or
in congregation.
― Congregation can be formed anywhere. It does not
have
to be in a mosque.
― Rows are formed where shoulders touch each
Slide 15 other, hence building social cohesion and
solidarity.
Zakat – Paying
Charity

Slide 16
Zakat – Paying
• Charity
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam.
― “But those among them who are well-
grounded in knowledge, and the believers,
believe in what has been revealed to you and
what was revealed before you: And
(especially) those who establish regular prayer
(salat) and practise regular charity (zakat) and
believe in God and in the Last Day: To them
shall We soon give a
great reward. (Qur’an, 4:162)

Slide 17
Zakat – Paying
• Charity
Muslims are enjoined to give alms, which are
called the purifying alms and considered a right
of the poor rather than being purely charity.
• The minimum obligatory amount of alms (zakat) for
a Muslim is 1/40 (2.5%) of excess personal wealth.
It is paid once in a year. Once collected, zakat
can only be distributed to poor, needy and other
rightful beneficiaries.

Slide 18
Zakat – Paying
• By
Charity
observing the command of God to pay zakat a
Muslim acknowledges that he is not the true owner of
the wealth and that he is only a temporary holder.
• Zakat enables a person to detach from wealth
and possessions removing another impediment in
his her spiritual journey.
• Through zakat a person exhibits her compassion for
other less fortunate people and this in turn develops
her sense of compassion and conscience.
• Zakat deals with the social problem of the ‘don’t
care’ attitude of the rich.
• Therefore, zakat bridges the gap between the rich
and the poor.

Slide 19
Sawm – Fasting in
Ramadan

Slide 20
Sawm – Fasting in
• FastingRamadan
is the fourth pillar of Islam. Muslims are
required to fast for one month is a year over
consecutively days in the lunar month of
Ramadan.
― “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those before you
that you are expected to be truly obedient.”
(Qur’an, 2:183)
• From dawn to sunset a practising Muslim abstains
from eating, drinking … etc while spending time in
reflection, doing good deeds and being careful
in one’s conduct.

Slide 21
Sawm – Fasting in
Ramadan
• At the sunset each day, fasting is broken with a
meal usually with family and friends who compete
to invite one another to break fast with them in
groups.
• A fasting Muslim usually wake up before dawn for
an early breakfast.
• Fasting is the best form of true thanksgiving, which is
to know that all sustenance comes directly from
God, to acknowledge its value and to feel our
need and dependence on that sustenance.

Slide 22
Sawm – Fasting in
• Ramadan
In Ramadan, Muslims usually go to the
mosque every night for a special
congregational prayer.
• At the end of the month of Ramadan, there is a
three day festive celebrations (Eid) where
Muslims visit their families and friends.
• By fasting 30 days in a row, one acquires the habit
of controlling one’s inner impulses.
• One month of fasting rests the digestive system
and other related organs, especially the liver.

Slide 23
Hajj – Making
Pilgrimage

Slide 24
Hajj –
Pilgrimage
• The fifth pillar of Islam is Hajj (pilgrimage); to visit
the holy lands once in their lifetime. It is
obligatory for all Muslims who are rich and
healthy enough to make the journey.
• Pilgrimage consists of visiting a number of
sacred places, circling the Ka’bah and being
present in the plains of Mt Arafat at a specific
time in the lunar year.

Slide 25
Hajj –
Pilgrimage
• “Verily, the first house (of worship) appointed for
mankind was that at Bakkah (Mekkah), full of
blessing, and a guidance for His creatures. In it, are
manifest signs, the Station of Abraham; whoever
enters it attains security. And Pilgrimage to the
house (Ka’bah) is a duty mankind owes to God,
those who can afford the journey; but if any deny
faith, God stands not in need of any of His
creatures.
(Qur’an, 3:96-97)

Slide 26
Hajj –
Pilgrimage
• With Pilgrimage, the central aims of worship –
exalting, glorifying and praising God – occur
individually and collectively in large numbers.
• According to Islamic tradition, Mt Arafat is the
place where the first man, Adam and his partner
Eve sincerely repented and received forgiveness
for their mistake.

Slide 27
Hajj -
Pilgrimage
• Revolving around a central axis
is a universal act of worship
Hence Muslims circle Ka’bah.
― “All that is in the heavens and
on the earth extols and
glorifies God, for He is the
Tremendous, the Wise,”
(Qur’an, 57:1)
• Hajj is about connecting to the
monotheistic tradition and to
realise that Islam is not a new
religion but the primordial
religion of God.

Slide 28
Hajj –
Pilgrimage
• Pilgrimage is a total human experience and
has multiple outcomes for a Muslim.
• A Muslim truly appreciates the universality of
belief in one God (tawhid) and oneness of
humanity.
• Therefore it detaches a person from tribalism in
religion and racism. Many people have a
significant leap in their faith and go through a
transformation after Hajj.
• Hajj is one of the most spectacular religious and
social annual events in the world. It brings
together millions of Muslims from all around the
world.
Slide 29
Conclusio
• Expression of faith in n
the form of five pillars makes a
person recognisably Muslim. Yet, if not practiced a
person does not cease to be a believer or Muslim.
• The five pillars of Islam are:
1. Shahadah – to testify that there is no deity but God and
that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
2. Salat – to offer daily ritual prayers.
3. Zakat – to pay the compulsory charity.
4. Sawm – to fast in the month of Ramadan.
5. Hajj – to make pilgrimage to Mecca if one is able to do
so.
• The five pillars is a regimen for spiritual development.
It is
possible to excel spiritually by following these practices.
Slide 30

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