Nicholas Owens

11/2914

Religious Service Paper #2

In this paper, I am going to be focusing on the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars are:
Shahada, Salaat, Zakat, Ramadan and Hajj. I wish to talk about how each one effects the beliefs
and everyday lives of Muslims. I will be incorporating the research I have done on the subject as
well as what I learned from attending the Sunni mosque in West Valley. This will include what I
learned from the service as well as an interview I had with my Muslim friend Adam, who was at
the service. I will also discuss the reason behind each Pillar and why they are devoted to
following them. I am writing this paper from more of a Sunni perspective because I went to the
Sunni mosque. There are not very many differences between theirs and the Shiites perspective
of these practices, but it is enough to be noted while you are reading this.
The religion of religion by started by the prophet named Muhammad whom Muslims call
the Messenger. Muhammad was born into the Quraysh clan where his great-grandfather had been
the clan chief. His family fell into hard times though and was given to a Bedouin tribe where he
was in poverty. He started to spend time in solitary retreat. When he was forty, the angel Gabriel
appeared to him and told him to recite. He continued to receive revelation intermittently. What
he received through these revelations was what the Quran is now, the holiest scripture of Islam.
Mohammad claimed there was only one God. At first he only preached to his friends, and then
he started preaching publicly. He and his followers were hit with a lot of persecution in the
beginning. After some time, he and his followers had grown to a great size. In the year 622 CE,
they took the cities of Medina and Mecca with very little resistance. The events that happened in

the taking of these two cities are reenacted in one of the Five Pillars called Hajj, which I will be
describing greater later in this paper. The Five Pillars were taught by theologians after
Muhammads death but were all based on the teachings of Muhammad. (class notes, handout 7)
The five pillars of Islam are extremely important in the beliefs and everyday lives of \
Muslims. How and when each Muslim fulfills these Pillars is very important to show how
devoted they are to Allah. The Five Pillars of Islam are not by any means the only beliefs of
Islam. They are the principle beliefs specified by scholars after Muhammads death. They come
from the teaching of the Quran and the revealed teachings from other religions like the Bible.
This is because Muslims are taught to respect all of the revealed scriptures in the world. (Living
Religions, 391)
The first pillar I would like to talk about is Shahada or belief and witness. In order to
become a Muslim, you need to say the words of Shahada in Arabic, Ashhadu Alla llaha llla
Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah; which in English means, I bear witness
that there is no deity other than Allah and that Muhammad is his servant and Messenger. I
asked Adam the difference between someone like me saying it and someone who is really
wanting to convert to Islam He explained that these words have to be said with true beliefs and
true intention to follow the teaching of the Quran and other scriptures. He said that words can
just be uttered before man, but Allah is the only one that truly knows the intentions of our hearts.
Muslims only believe in Allah and denounce the existence of any other god or any other way to
talk to god other than through direct prayer to Him. Muslims believe that Christians and Jews
actually do worship Allah, but they have interpreted the message and need to convert to Islam in
order to worship Allah in the correct way. (ishad.org/exposed/shahada.php)

The second pillar of Islam is Salaat or daily prayers. I actually witnessed a mosque filled
with Muslims who were saying one of the obligatory prayers of the day. Muslims are expected to
pray at least five obligatory prayers daily: before sunrise, early afternoon, and late afternoon,
immediately after sunset and before going to bed at night. When these prayers are said, the
Muslims are facing The Kabah which is in Mecca. Mecca is said to be the holiest city in Islam
because it home to the holiest mosque in Islam, Masjid al-haram where the Kabah is located.
Note that they do not pray to the Kabah, they pray to Allah. It is said in the Quran that it is best
to pray in a mosque, but a Muslim can pray where ever they may be as long as they can do it in a
secluded clean place. Salaat is always performed in Arabic, the purest language for a Muslim.
Prayer is also meant to help Muslims in their everyday lives. It helps them stay away from evil
and choose good. It also helps them strengthen their hearts and devotion to Allah. (Living
Religions, 392)
Prayers can either be done on a prayer rug or on the ground. Each prayer is different
during the day and has a different number of rakahs, or acts of devotion to Allah. These rakahs
determine what they do during the prayers. When I entered the mosque where they prayed, they
asked me to take off my shoes to keep the area where they pray more sacred. It is also symbolic
of leaving the worldly things behind and focusing on Allah. When the Muslims did their prayers
at the mosque, they started by standing shoulder to shoulder to each other with the men and
women separate. They started the rakah standing together with their hands above their heads
then they slowly lowered them to around their waste. When I asked Adam about this, they
explained that this was to help them focus on the prayer and forget the things of the world. After
this, all started to recite softly a Fatiha or a passage from the Quran that they had memorized.
There was a muezzin, or a Muslim who calls everyone to prayer, at the front of the room who

was reciting the Fatiha, in a loud voice for everyone to hear. The Muslims then bowed down
three times placing their hands on their knees while saying a phrase in Arabic. Afterwards, they
dropped down to their knees and placed their forehead to the ground twice while saying, Sami
Allahu li-man Hamidah which in English means, Our Lord! All praise is due to Thee. They
explained to me that this meant that they were humbling themselves down to Allah. After a while
of doing this, they sat with their legs tucked under while they said a couple of prayers. Each
prayer they say differs from what time of day they are doing it. Other than the five scheduled
prayers during the day, a Muslim should pray immediately if they wake up in the middle of the
night. They can also pray during the day if they need it and they should also be remembering
Allah in their heart at all times. (Living Religions, 393)
The third pillar is Zakat, or giving alms to the needy. A Muslim is expected to give a
tax to those in need on a very frequent basis. Even though the Quran says that a Muslim must
pay Zakat, the alms are always given voluntarily. These alms are given to widows, orphans and
the poor in general. They can also be given to those who wish to go on a Hajj pilgrimage but are
not financially able to do so. They can be given personally to someone locally, or they can be
given to a local mosque or charity organization. Two and a half percent of a Muslims gross
annual is usually the required amount given, but they can be given more if they so desire. When I
asked my interviewee Adam why they give alms, he told me that for one it is to help make the
communities more equal and to help get rid of greed within the Muslims themselves. (World
Religions, pg. 344)
The fourth Pillar of Islam is Ramadan, or fasting. Muslims are expected to refrain from
any eating or drinking, vain talking or physical pleasure from dawn until dusk for a full month
called Ramadan. Ramadan occurs once a year according to the lunar calendar, so the time of year

that it happens changes from year to year. Muslims are also expected to make a greater effort on
giving alms to the poor during this time. Ramadan is supposed to be a very spiritual experience
where they can learn more easily and be able to resist temptation better. (www.alislam.org/...ofislam/fasting.html)
The fifth Pillar of Islam is Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. This refers back to when
Muhammad did his pilgrimage and took over the cities of Medina and Mecca. Muslims are each
required to reenact that pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. They only have to do this if
they are physically and financially able to do so. The men are required to where a white unsewn
garment to represent that all people there are equal during the Hajj, regardless of their financial
or cultural stance in the world. Much of the Hajj takes place in Mecca at the Masjid al-haram
where the Kabah is found. This is also the place where Abraham and Adam are said to have
made an altar unto Allah. The Muslims on the Hajj perform a Tawaf by walking around the
Kabah seven times while pointing to a rock at the corner of the Kabah. From there, they go to
Mt. Arafat and pray all day while there. They then gather stones to throw at the Kabah. This is
to represent when Abraham threw stones at Satan. This is when the sacrifice an animal that is
pure and without blemish. They then run seven times between hills near the Great Mosque and
then drink from the sacred spring Zam-Zam. The last part is to do one more Tawaf around the
Kabah. (class notes, handout 7)
In this paper I have talked about the Five Pillar of Islam and how important they are to
Muslims. The Pillars are not the only doctrine for the Muslims, but they are they basic teachings
and practices of Islam. They are not specifically found in the Quran or any other holy scripture.
They were written by scholars after his death to define the basic beliefs and practices of Islam.
The Five Pillars are :Shahadah, Salaat, Zakat, Ramadan and Hajj, and all are of great importance

and each have symbolism integrated within them. The way each Muslim fulfills each Pillar is of
great importance and helps them come closer to Allah.