What Every Christian Should Know about IslamPart 3

The Five Pillars of Islam

© 2016 George E. Blanford Jr.

The Five Pillars of Islam

1. Sheheda or Creed

2. Salat or Prayer

3. Zakat or Almsgiving

4. Sawm, the Fast of Ramadan

5. Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca

The pillars of Islam are practices considered essential for every Muslim

Sheheda

• Professing the sheheda before an adult witness makes one a Muslim—it is an act of profession and submission

• Part 1– God is radically one (tawhid)—utterly unique, single, and

transcendent– The unpardonable sin of Islam is idolatry (shirk) (4:48)– It is a grave sin for a Muslim to associate anything with God

• Belief in the Trinity is considered unbelief (5:73)• Jesus cannot be the Son because then he would be in partnership with God

(4:171)

There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of God

Sheheda• Part 2

– Muhammad is human and only human

• Muslims disapprove of any portrayal of the Prophet

• Calling a Muslim a “Muhammadan” is offensive—they submit to God, not Muhammad

– Muslims have a tremendous devotion to the Prophet

• He is the perfect model of what a human life should be

• His words, deeds, practices, likes and dislikes have been gathered to provide a path by which a Muslim can walk in righteousness

• After pronouncing his name, a pious Muslim will add, “Peace be upon him.”

• Insulting Muhammad is a grave sin punishable by death in many countries

• They expect those in dialogue with them to be respectful of Muhammad

In general, Muslims oppose portrayals of people in art

and prefer decorative calligraphy instead

Salat• Not prayer in general, but the obligatory prayer said

five times a day by every healthy adult Muslim

• Times– Dawn (fajr)—2 rakat

– Noon (zuhr)—4 rakat

– Afternoon (‘asr)—4 rakat

– Sunset (maghrib)—3 rakat

– Night (‘isha)—4 rakat

• Announced by a muezzin (mu_adhdhin)– He calls allahu akbar “God is most great” followed by the

sheheda with slight variations for the time of day

Casablanca Mosque with the Muezzin’s Tower or Minaret

Night Journey to Heaven—the Origin of Salat

• In 620, Muhammad mystically traveled to Jerusalem and from there to God’s throne in heaven

• As he ascended to the throne, he met Jesus and other prophets of Israel

• God told him that Muslim’s were to pray 50 times a day

• On the way down, he met Moses. Moses told him that 50 times was too much and he should ask God for a lower number

• He did this several times until the number was reduced to 5 times a day

Even though Moses thought this was still too large, Muhammad was too embarrassed to go back to God again so the number was fixed at 5

The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem—the place where

Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is on the site of the ancient Temple

Salat• Before salat, there is a ritual washing of hands,

feet, face and head

• The believer must make a conscious intention to pray in fulfillment of the obligation

• Each rakah begins with allahu akbar and ends with a kiss of peace (assalam ‘aleikum)

• Prayer consists in recitations from the Qur’an—some aloud and others in a whisper, with bows and prostrations

• The first recitation is the opening Surah, the al-Fatiha

• On Fridays, there is also a sermon at the noon prayer

Salat• Communal prayer takes place in a mosque

(masjid), but the prayers can be performed anywhere

• Imams lead prayers– Imam literally means “the one up front”– There are preaching imams (educated) and

non-preaching imams

• In addition to the obligatory prayers, Muslims have a rich tradition of other personal prayers and devotions– One of the more common devotions is the

recitation of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God—often with a circular string of beads (subha) similar to the Rosary

A subha

Zakat

• All Muslims are required to give a certain percentage of their goods to the poor

• There are four schools of jurisprudence that have different ways of calculating the percentage

• Traditionally, the zakat is given at the Feast of ‘Eid al-Fitr which breaks the Fast of Ramadan

Sawm• Sawm is the solemn fast of the holy month of Ramadan

– The fast is between sunrise and sunset each day of the month

– Forbidden are• Eating

• Drinking

• Smoking

• Sexual activity

– After sunset the fast is broken (iftar) and normal activity may resume

– Not penitential but focused on self-discipline and re-dedication

Hajj• Pilgrimage to Mecca

with accompanying rites– Required once in the

lifetime of every Muslim who is physically and financially able

– Once performed, a Muslim has the title al-Hajji or al-Hajjiya Great Mosque of Mecca (al Masjid al Haram)

during Hajj facing the King Fahd Gate

Hajj Tradition• The Hajj predates Islam

– The Quraysh tribe maintained a polytheistic shrine that was a significant source of income

• The site (the Holy Sanctuary of the Great Mosque ) commemorates Abraham, Ishmael and Hagar– The Ka’aba is built around the Black Stone found by

Abraham and Ishmael

– The Black Stone came from heaven (it is probably a meteorite)

– The Well of Zamzam is where Hagar found water for Ishmael after being sent to the desert

– The sacrifice of ‘Eid ul Adha commemorates Abraham’s sacrifice of a sheep after being willing to sacrifice Ishmael

Hajj• Rites—solemn version (Ihram) on 8

Dhu al-Hijjah– Bathe and put on the white pilgrimage

vestments in the prescribed manner– Tawaf (circumambulation of the

Ka’aba)• Enter the Holy Sanctuary of the Great

Mosque preferably through the Bab-as-Salam gate

• Recite prescribed prayers• When you reach the Black Stone (al-Hajar

al-Aswad), begin circumambulation of the Ka’aba

Man in ihram dress

Hajj• Rites—8 Dhu al-Hijjah

continued– Tawaf –continued

• Express your intention to make tawaf (niyyah)

• Kiss, touch or point to the Black Stone

• Circumambulate the Ka’aba 7 times with the Ka’aba on your left

• Stop at the Place of Abraham (Makam Ibrahim), face the Ka’abaand recite prayers The Black Stone

Hajj• Rites—8 Dhu al-Hijjah continued

– Sa’y (shuttling between two small hills, Safa and Marwah)• The rite commemorates Hagar

searching for water for her son, Ishmael

• Proceed to Safa• Say appropriate prayers then walk

/run to Marwah and say prayers• Repeat 7 times

– Walk to Mina and camp for the night• Begin gathering stones

Hajj• Rites—9 Dhu al-Hijjah

– Pray morning prayer and walk to Arafat

– Attend the sermon at Namirah Mosque

– Perform Wuquf—stand praying to Allah while facing Mecca

– Before sunset, walk to Muzdalifah and camp• Gather more stones (need

70)

Mecca (Makkah) to Arafat is ~6.5 miles

Hajj• Rites—10 Dhu al-Hijjah

– Pray morning prayer and walk to Mina

– Stone the pillar representing the devil

• The act of stoning the pillar commemorates Abraham’s resistance to the devil’s temptations by stoning him and driving him away

– Perform the sacrifice of ‘Eid ul Adha. Give uneaten meat to the poor

– Men shave their heads and women clip their hair

• Bathe and change to normal clothes

Mecca (Makkah) to Arafat is ~6.5 miles

Hajj• Rites—10 Dhu al-Hijjah

continued– Return to Mecca and

perform Tawaf al-Ifadhaand Sa’y

– Drink water from the Well of Zamzam

– Return to MinaThe Great Mosque of Mecca

Hajj

• Rites—11-13 Dhu al-Hijjah

– May stay up to 3 days

• Each day you stone other pillars

• Hajj is completed with a farewell Tawaf in Mecca