Shari'ah

Shari'ah

Five Pillars

This paper will briefly describe the Shari'ah, which is the law of practice for the Muslim religion. The Shari'ah is upheld by the caliphs and is based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Mohammed. There five pillars are Belief and witness, Daily prayers, Zakat, Fasting, and the Hajj. (Fisher 2005)

The Shahada (Belief and Witness)

The first requirement of the Muslim religion is that one must believe in the tie between God and his messenger Mohammed. A believer must believe this and say so aloud. This declaration also declares that there is only one God. This is the first pillar and titled Belief and Witness. (Fisher 2005)

The Salat (Daily Prayers)

Praying in the Muslim religion must happen five times a day and with rituals involving water. If no water is available, these rituals can be done with sand or dirt. The member faces the holy city of Mecca when praying. The prayers include recitations of parts of the Qur'an. The praying includes kneeling and bowing in unity and unites all members around the world. In addition, members prayer together without any distinction of social ranks or class. Praying is the second Pillar. (Fisher 2005)

The Zakat (Almsgiving)

Muslims must tithe or give alms. The tithing or almsgiving is the third pillar Zakat. Every Muslim must give two and a half percent of the year's wealth at the end of the year. This is an integral part of the religion and is not exclusive of people of other faiths. On the contrary, the prophet Mohammad taught that one should help all people regardless of religious belief. A good example of this is the country of Egypt, which gives 15 percent of its GDP to relief programs around the world. (Fisher 2005)

The Sawm or Siyam (Fasting)

Fasting is a good thing to do for Muslims at any time. However, this is not a requirement except once a year at Ramadan. This fasting at Ramadan is from dawn to sunset for a month but is not required of children who have not reached puberty, women who are in the menstruation period, people who are sick, or women who are nursing babies. Fasting is the fourth pillar. (Fisher 2005)

Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

The fifth pillar is the Hajj, which is the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Muslims are expected to make this trip at least once in his or her lifetime. The Muslims go to the great Mosque in Mecca and walk around the Ka'bah (huge black stone) seven times. During this walk, they try to strengthen their faith. Next, the believers go to Mina and pray. Next, they go to the Arafat valley where they pray from noon to evening. Next, they gather 49 stones to throw at the devil. In addition, there are three days where there is sacrifice. After all this, they return to the Great Mosque and go around the Ka'bah seven times again. Finally, they walk seven times between the hills, which are close to the Great Mosque and drink from a spring called Zum-Zum. (Fisher 2005)

In Consideration of What are the Central Beliefs of the Islamic Religion

The central beliefs in the entire Islamic faith are that there is only one God, that there was only one messenger, that man and woman were created to worship God, that there is evil in the world in the form of the devil, and that only the faithful will be saved. The term "saved" means to go to heaven and be with God". Other beliefs include an end of days belief. At the time of the "end of days" there will come an Iman Mahdi (a man who will lead the Muslims to strength) followed by an Anti-Christ and then an Isa (Jesus) who will come down to kill the anti-Christ. (Dolphin, n.d.)

The Easiest Pillar

The five pillars of the Muslim religion are the law if one is to be a Muslim. Of all the pillars, this author thinks that the pillar of fasting would be the easiest to perform. Fasting once gotten used to purifies the body and makes one feel healthy. Possibly this is very difficult at first but it is a physical thing. Usually, physical activity is much easier than actual belief or battling ones own mind. However, Mohammad said that praying is not praying unless one has God in ones heart. Considering this teaching all the pillars would be quite difficult.

(Fisher 2005)

Reference

Dolphin L. (n.d.) A short summary of islamic beliefs and eschatology, Retrieved April 27, 2007 from http://www.ldolphin.org/islam.shtml

Fisher M. P. (2005), Living religions, Sixth Edition, Prentice-Hall. Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc.