Islam is built on five pillars. These acts are obligatory on every Muslim
adult.
Some are done daily, monthly, anually, while one is only required once
in a lifetime.
Witnessing-Shahadah
To do this one must simply state publicly "Ashadu alla ilaha illa Allah,
wa ashadu anna
Muhammed ar-rasool Allah".
This means, "I bear witness that there is no God other than Allah, and
I bear witness
that Muhammed is His messanger."
It should be a genuine belief from one's heart. The witnessing of the
Oneness of Allah
is the rejection of any form of deity other than Allah, and the witnessing
that Muhammad
is His Messenger is the acceptance of him being chosen by Allah to
convey His message
of Islam to all humanity and to deliver it from the darkness of ignorance
into the light of
belief in, and knowledge of, the Creator.
Prayer-Salat
In prayer, every muscle and bone of the body joins the soul and the
mind in the worship
and glory of Allah(swt).
Offering of prayers is obligatory upon every Muslim who is sane, mature
and in the case
of women free from menstruation and confinement due to child birth.
some requirements
must be met in oreder for the prayer to be valid. These include but
are not limited to:
Performing wudu - ritually cleaning the body
clothes and ground used for prayer.
Clothing - one must be covered in the
manner according to his gender.
Facing the Ka'ba (refered to as the Qibla)
Intention - merely saying in your mind
that you are attempting to pray and gain the benifits from it.
Prayers are required at least five times a day. Other obligatory prayer
include the Friday
congregational prayer, Eid prayers and the funeral prayer.
Times of the five daily obligatory prayers:
1.Fajr-Before sunrise.
2.Zuhr-After the sun begins to decline
from its zenith.
3.Asr-Mid-afternoon.
4.Magrib-Just after sunset.
5.Isha-night.
In addition one is also encouraged but not required to perform prayers
during the day and night.
Prayer should be offered in its due time, unless there is a reasonable
excuse. Delayed obligatory
prayers must be made up. In addition to the prescribed prayer, a Muslim
expresses gratitude to God
and appreciation of His favours and asks for His mercy all the time.
Especially at times of, childbirth,
marriage, going to or rising from bed, leaving and returning to his
home, starting a journey or entering
a city, riding or driving, before or after eating or drinking, harvesting,
visiting graveyards and at time of
distress and sickness.
Charity-Zakah
Obligatory charity giving is an act of worship and spiritual investment.
Zakah does not only purify the
property of the contributor but also purifies his heart from selfishness
and greed. It also purifies the
heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, from hatred and uneasiness
and it fosters instead
good-will and warm wishes for the contributors. It also frees society
from welfare, distrust and
coruption.
Zakah is paid on the net balance after paying personal expenses, family
expenses, due credits, taxes,
etc. Taxes paid to government do not substitute for this religious
duty. The contributor should not
seek pride or fame but if disclosing his name and his contribution
is likely to encourage others, it is
acceptable to do so.
The recipients of Zakah are:
- the poor, the needy,
- the new Muslim converts,
- the Muslim prisoners of war (to liberate them),
- Muslims in debt,
- employees appointed to collect Zakah,
- Muslims in service of research or study or propagation of Islam,
- wayfarers who are foreigners in need of help.
Note that Zakah is obligatory. Muslims can also go above and beyond
what they pay as Zakah, in
which case the offering is strictly voluntary (blessing will come to
those who wish for his brother
what he wishes for himself).
Fasting-Sawm
Fasting is abstaining completely from eating, drinking, and intimate
sexual contacts from the break of
dawn till sunset. It is a matchless Islamic institution which teaches
man the principle of sincere love to
God, creative sense of hope, devotion,patience, unselfishness, discipline,
etc.
Obligatory fasting is done once a year for the period of the month
of Ramadan. Fasting during this
time is obligatory on every muslim adult if he is mentally and physically
fit and not on a journey.
Women are allowed to skip a fasting day due to menstruation, and while
nursing a baby.
Pilgrimage-Hajj
It is obligatory to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a
lifetime. Muslims from all
walks of life, from every corner of the globe assemble in Mecca in
response to the call of Allah. It is
to commemorate the Divine rituals observed by the Prophet Abraham and
his son Ishmael, who were
the first pilgrims to the house of Allah on earth: the Ka'bah. It is
also to remember the great assembly
of the Day of Judgement when people will stand equal before Allah.
Muslims go to Mecca to glorify Allah, not to worship a man. The visit
to the tomb of Prophet
Muhammad at Madena is highly recommended but not essential in making
the Hajj valid and
complete.
Courtesy of Muslimah's
Homepage on Islam