Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that the Holy Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Islam is based on
five articles:
1. To bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allah
and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the
Messenger of Allah.
2. To observe Prayer (Salat).
3. To Pay Zakat (Alms giving)
4. To perform the Pilgrimage to the House of Allah (Hajj).
5. To Observe fasting during Ramadhan." (Bukhari)
Abdullah ibn Amr bin Aas, may Allah be pleased with them, relates
that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A Muslim is one against whose tongue and hands other Muslims
are secure, and an Emigrant is one who departs from what Allah has
forbidden." (Bukhari)
(Declaration of Faith)
A Muslim expresses his/her faith (Iman) in the following
words:
Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-Lahu Wahdahu la Sharika Lahu wa-ash-hadu
anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu
The English translation of the Shahadah is as follows:
" I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah,
the One, without any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is
His servant and His Messenger."
The declaration of faith consists of two distinct parts,
i.e., the absolute belief in the Unity of Allah (God) and the belief
in the Holy Prophet Muhammad as a mortal human being and the Messenger
of Allah.
Islam's fundamental belief is the Unity of God. All other beliefs
hang on this belief. Therefore the acknowledgement and 'bearing witness'
of this is the key to the Muslim faith. Unless this is observed one
cannot be a Muslim. A Muslim accepts Allah as the only God, and only
Master, Lord and Ruler with no partner sharing in any way His Being,
Powers and Attributes. He is One; He is Unique; He is not the father
of any one, nor He has or had any father. He is Almighty and Self-Sustaining.
He is there forever, and will be there forever.
A Muslim believes in Allah as the Ruler and must not disobey
Him. In fact everything that exists in the universe obeys Him. He
is the Fashioner of all the Universes that may exist.
The belief in the Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace) as the servant
and Messenger of Allah completes one’s faith. The Holy Prophet was
the greatest of all the Prophets of Allah, yet he was only a human
being with no share in Divinity. This is a very important belief that
keeps Muslims from associating partners with Allah. This part of the
Declaration of Faith where reinforces the first part of Allah being
the only Supreme Being with no partners also establishes the absolute
authority of the Holy Prophet as the Messenger of Allah, who must
be obeyed as well in all the matters of faith. The Holy Prophet is
the last prophet who brought us the last Book (the Holy Quran) to
be followed. He lived among his people for a long time and his life
is documented in utmost detail. He lead his followers by example.
The way he lived his life and admonished his followers to live their
lives is called Sunnah of the Holy Prophet. The second part of the
Declaration of Faith makes obeying and following the advice of the
Prophet Muhammad equally important to the belief in absolute Unity
of Allah. This declaration make one to completely submit to the Will
of Allah and that is why one who declares this belief is called a
Muslim - one who completely submits to the will of Allah.
Salat
Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a most important
constituent of the faith. It is prayer of a very high level. The Holy
Quran repeatedly enjoins the offering of salat and indeed declares
it to be a fundamental trait of a believer. The benefits of salat
are countless. The Holy Quran says:
"And enjoin Prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask
thee not for provision; it is We that provide for thee. And the end
is for the righteous".
Salat strengthens man's spiritual faculties. It is the best way to
form a relationship with one's Creator. It purifies one's spirit,
and through it, constant remembrance of Allah delivers one of the
self that incites to evil.
God created man to worship Him and salat is the most excellent kind
of worship.
The Holy Quran also says:
"Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and observe
Prayer. Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil,
and remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue. And Allah
knows what you do." (29:46)
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that he heard
the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, say:
"Tell me if one of you had a stream running at his door and he
should take a bath in it five times every day would any dirt be left
upon him? He was answered: No dirt would be left on him. The Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) observed: This is the case
of the five prayers. Allah wipes out all faults in consequence of
them." (Bukhari)
As for the punishment of not observing the salat, all matters of reward
and punishment rest solely with Allah.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that he heard the Holy
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Giving up prayer is tantamount to disbelief and associating partners
with Allah." (Muslim)
Five Daily Prayers
Salat, the obligatory Muslim prayer, is said at appointed time fixed
in relation to the sun's position. The time of Fajr, the morning prayer
begins at dawn and ends just before sunrise. The time of Zuhr, the
midday prayer, begins after the sun has crossed the zenith point and
has begun to decline. The Asr prayer is said when the sun has further
advanced in decline, in the late afternoon. The time of the Maghrib
prayer begins immediately after sunset. It lasts till dusk. The Isha
prayer can be said after dusk has finally disappeared, giving way
to darkness of the night.
Fajr Zuhr Asr Maghrib Isha'
Saum
Along with salat, another important form of worship is fasting. It
is obligatory for each Muslim, apart from some exemptions, to fast
in the month of Ramadhan. During the hours of fasting, food and drink
and conjugal relations between husband and wife are forbidden. It
is enjoined that during fasting one should pay attention to remembrance
of God and study the Holy Quran in abundance. One should try to curtail
one's worldly pastimes as much as possible during Ramadhan, and to
be particularly inclined towards charity and alms giving.
Human life is dependent on food and drink and the continuation
of the human race depends on the marital relationship. While fasting
one refrains from them both, as if bearing witness to God that for
His pleasure man gives up the factors (temporarily) upon which his
very existence depends. The various other benefits of fasting are
that man gets to exercise sacrificing physical comfort and to endure
hunger and thirst. Fasting creates a sense of equality between the
rich and the poor. By developing an appreciation of hunger and thirst,
it makes the well-off think of the needs of the poor and impresses
a feeling of compassion in their hearts. It makes them appreciate,
through the practicality of it, the state a human being endures when
hungry and thirsty. Ramadhan is a most effective and excellent means
of spiritual development for mankind.
Zakat
Zakat (Alms giving) is a part of devotion enjoined upon Muslims
by the Holy Quran. It is a means where the well-off pay a set amount
of their wealth. Zakat means to purify oneself. It is obligatory on
Muslims to pay a little percentage of their accumulated wealth towards
Zakat, which is used for the benefit of the needy and the poor. Zakat
is not levied on one's property that is in personal use, rather on
the assets which have a means of increasing and which are surplus
to one's needs. It is a means of social justice and order. It teaches
sympathy of the highest order.
Hajj
Hajj is the fifth Pillar of Islam and another form of worship. It
is an annual pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca which each adult
Muslim, who can afford it, has to perform once in life time. Apart
from the financial aspect, the ability to afford the pilgrimage also
means that one is able to travel and perform the Hajj in peace.
Muslims perform Hajj in order to visit for themselves the
holy sites where their faith started. More importantly it is a pilgrimage
to the Ka'aba, which we believe is the first place of worship ever
built on this earth, Muslims thus refer to it as House of God. The
ceremony of Hajj is also symbolic of the Unity of God; all Muslims
gather from four corners of the earth in one spot at an appointed
time and worship God. There are no difficulties to perform Hajj apart
from the obvious financial commitment in order to travel to Mecca.
That is the reason why, strictly speaking, Hajj is only obligatory
to those who have fulfilled all their worldly needs and have no pressing
commitments left and indeed can afford the passage to Mecca.
It is a Muslim belief that God is everywhere and He answers
those who truly seek Him. In this respect indeed going to a particular
place to seek the pleasure and nearness to God is not the issue. However,
it is the physical presence of being in the holiest of the holy places
for the Muslim faith and indeed the congregational worship with millions
of other fellow Muslims that leaves an indelible mark on the spiritual
life of a person. It is a most supreme form of worship and is most
desirable to God.
During Hajj, the person who intends to perform it is required
to travel to Mecca during the prescribed days and observe all the
rites and ceremonies. During Hajj Muslims from all corners of the
world gather in Mecca and perform the rites of Hajj and thus strengthen
the bond of Muslim unity.
During Hajj each place brings to mind some event of the blessed
life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings on him). It refreshes
the memory of the supreme sacrifices made by the Holy Prophet (peace
and blessings on him) for the sake of Islam.
