Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam (أركان الإسلام) is the term given to the five duties which are compulsory (Fard) for every Muslim. This concept is not found in the Qur'an, but within the sira and hadith, without which four out of five of these pillars would not exist.
Shahadah
The Shahadah, which means "testimony", is the name of the Islamic profession of faith. It is the most important of all Five Pillars, and its recitation in Arabic is required for a person to become a Muslim.[1] It reads, "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." Shi'ite Muslims may add "and Ali is the friend of Allah," but this is not obligatory.[2]
Salah
Sawm
Zakat
Hajj
- Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Jihad
Jihad is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam, as it is also a compulsory duty, and Prophet Muhammad referred to it as "better than standing in prayer for sixty years"[4] and second in importance only to the belief in Allah and himself.[5] According to some Shi'ite sects it is the seventh not sixth pillar.[6]
See Also
References
- ↑ Embracing Islam - The Modern Religion
- ↑ Shahada - Encyclopedia of the Middle East
- ↑ Haytham bin Jawwad al-Haddad, "The way of giving Zakat al-Fitr in non-Islamic Lands", IslamicAwakening, Article ID: 984, November 20, 2002 (archived), http://www.islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=984.
- ↑ "Standing for an hour in the ranks of battle is better than standing in prayer for sixty years." - Saheeh related by Ibn Ade and Ibn Asakir from Abu Hurayrah 4/6165. Sahih al Jaami as Sagheer no. 4305
- ↑ "Allah's Apostle was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad). The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)? He replied, "To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's Cause."" - Sahih Bukhari 1:2:26
- ↑ Sixth pillar of Islam - The Fact-Index, accessed October 2, 2010