Five Pillars of Islām
Narrated by Ḥaḍrat ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Umar, (Allāh be
pleased with him): Said the Prophet of Allāh (peace of Allāh
be on him and His blessings):
“Islām is based on five (pillars):
(1) Testimony, by heart and tongue, that
there is none worthy of worship but Allāh and
that Muhammad is His Messenger;
(2) Observing Prayer;
(3) Paying the Zakāt;
(4) Performing the pilgrimage to the House
of Allāh and
(5) Fasting in the month of Ramaḍān.”
(Bukhārī)
Explanatory Notes
It must be remembered that while the preceding Ḥadīth
defined faith (Īmān), this Ḥadīth gives a definition of Islām,
and the difference between the two is that whereas Īmān
stands for faith, Islām connotes practice and it will be
realized that together the two make religion a complete
whole. Belief in God and the Prophet is common to the above
two Aḥādīth. In the preceding Ḥadīth belief in Allāh and in
the Prophet has been incorporated to emphasize faith by
heart and its attestation by tongue. In the present Ḥadīth
this has been included as a basis of action. In any case
according to this Ḥadīth, in the definition of Islām, belief in
the unity of Allāh, the Excellent, and in the Prophethood of
the Holy Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be
on him), has been accorded the first place so that the belief
of every Muslim is based on the holy article that God is One
and Muḥammad, the Prophet of Allāh (peace and blessings
of Allāh be on him), is His last law-bearing Messenger. This
is followed by four practical acts of worship which are:
1. The first act of worship is Prayer; i.e., Ṣalāt which in
Arabic means “glorification and praise.” It has been
obligated in the form of five Prayers during the course of the
day and is offered after the prescribed Wuḍū (ablution) in a
prescribed manner. Of these five Prayers, one is the morning
Prayer which its offered after the first twilight of dawn and
before daybreak. The second Prayer is the Ẓuhr or midday
prayer which is offered after the decline of the sun at noon.
The third Prayer is the ‘Asr Prayer which is offered when the
sun has far advanced in its decline. The fourth is the Maghrib
or evening Prayer which is offered immediately after
sundown. And the fifth Prayer is the ‘Ishā Prayer which is
offered after the twilight has faded away. Thus, not only
different periods of the day, but also the two ends of the
night are dedicated to the glorification and worship of God
and to prayers addressed to Him.
The object of prayer is to establish personal communion
with God, keep His remembrance ever-fresh in the heart and
cleanse one’s inner self of all evil and evil inclinations and
seek His aid in all difficulties. According to another saying of
the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be on him),
perfect Prayer is one during which the worshipper has the
immediate and sure feeling that he is seeing God or, at least,
that God is seeing him.
Timing of Prayers too are a subtle hint about the various
periods of human life period. It is not without purpose,
therefore, that the intervals between Prayers are shortened
during the latter part of the day when the darkness of night is
drawing near. The idea is to remind us that, with increase in
age, the pace of preparation for the next world should be
accelerated.
Ṣalāt is the kind of worship which in reality is the very
soul of spiritual life, and therefore, it has been termed the
mi‘rāj (the acme of spiritual exaltation) of the faithful. The
extent of the Holy Prophet’s attachment to and enjoyment of
Prayer is shown by the following words of his. He would
often say:
“The coolness (delight) of my eyes lies in
Prayer.”
2. The second item of practical worship, enjoined by
Islām, is Zakāt which means “purification of property and
increase of goods.” The principal object of Zakāt tax is that,
on the one hand, the share of the poor should be deducted
from the wealth of the rich and on the other, the poor and
supportless people should be provided with means of
assistance to help raise the position of the group and
improve the lot of the individuals belonging to it. The Zakāt
is levied on property which is surplus to a minimum basic
slab of property and it is called Niṣāb in legal terminology.
This is assessed on the value of gold and silver, gold and
silver ornaments, gold and silver coins including paper
currency at the rate of 2½ %. It must however, be
remembered that there is no separate Niṣāb for gold and its
Niṣāb is determined on the basis of the current value of the
Niṣāb for silver, which will vary with the variation in the
relative value of the two metals. Commercial goods are also
assessed at the rate of 2½ %. As far as agricultural land and
fruit gardens are concerned, it is 10 % of the crop in case of
bārānī1 and 20 % in case of lands irrigated by artificial
means. Leaving aside details, it is assessed at the rate of one
goat per 40 to 120 goat or sheep, one calf per every 30 cows
and buffaloes, one goat for every five camels, and one young
she-camel for every 25 camels. On mines, hidden treasures
and sealed deposits, it is charged at the flat rate of 20 %. The
1 Land dependent upon rain water.
whole proceeds of the Zakāt tax are to be expended in
helping the poor and the destitute, the insolvent, the
wayfarers, and those who are not free and in softening hearts
and in supporting those who are actively engaged in
promoting the cause of the Faith and in remunerating the
administrative staff of the Zakāt organization. Zakāt thus
plays a great part in regulating national wealth.
3. The third practical form of worship is Ḥajj. Ḥajj means
journeying to a Holy Place, and in Islāmic terminology, it
means visiting the House of God at the Holy City of Mecca,
and making a circuit of the Ṣafā and Marwah Mounts, and
halting to pray at the historic site of Arafat plain, 9 miles
from Mecca, and on return stopping and worshipping at
Muzdalifah, and in the end offering sacrifice at Minā, three
miles from Mecca. Ḥajj falls on the 8th, 9th and 10th of the
lunar month of Dhul-Ḥajj. It is not merely a pilgrimage to
the holiest of places associated with the sacrifice performed
by Abraham and Ishmael (may God shower His blessings on
them) but the holy traditions of the early sufferings and
sacrifices of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh
be on him) are also bound up with it. Besides, Ḥajj offers a
great opportunity to Muslims of different countries and
diverse races to meet one another, to know one another and
to consult one another in matters of general interest. The
performance of the Ḥajj (pilgrimage) is obligatory once in
one’s lifetime but, as is explicitly stated in another Ḥadīth
concerning the subject, good health, necessary funds to cover
expenses of the return journey and peaceful conditions on
the way are the necessary conditions precedent to the
performance of Ḥajj.
4. The fourth practical form of worship consists in fasting
during the month of Ramaḍān. It is obligated on every
Muslim who is of age, is neither sick nor is in course of
journey. The sick and the traveler must fast at another time
for the same number of days. Fasting is called (Ṣaum) in
Arabic, which means “holding one’s self in restraint.” This
disciplinary form of worship is performed during the month
of Ramaḍān, which according to [the] lunar calendar,
coincides with different seasons of the year by rotation. After
taking a meal before the dawn of the morning twilight till
sunset one must abstain from food and drink and mating. In
other words, during the fast, Muslims set a silent example of
the sacrifice of their persons and progeny (through selfdenial
and restraint). In addition to purifying the mind and
inuring one to hardships, fasting creates a sense of fellowfeeling
with the poor and has been prescribed to promote the
spirit of sacrifice among the Muslims.
In truth, fasting is a source of infinite blessing.