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Jocelyn Rodriguez

Mrs. Goldkind

English II Honors

9 February 2017

The Five Pillars of Islam

As Catholics and Christians are obligated to follow the Ten Commandments, Muslims are

obliged to follow what is called, the Five Pillars. These are the five obligatory duties that a

Muslim must perform in his or her lifetime. In Paulo Coelhos The Alchemist, a shepherd boy

named Santiago is on a quest to find a treasure hidden near the pyramids in Egypt. While making

his way towards Egypt, Santiago encounters a man who owns a crystal shop in the city of

Tangier. Due to its region and other evidence shown throughout the book, the audience can infer

that this region is predominantly Muslim. As Santiago had been unfamiliar with religion of

Islam, many people are ignorant to what roles a Muslim person has to follow in their lifetime.

The religion of Islam was first established around the year 610 A.D. by the prophet

Muhammad. During the month of Ramadan, Muhammad had an angelic vision up on a mountain

while he was meditating in which the angel Gabriel had given to him the Quran, which is the

book that Muslims follow in order to receive salvation in the afterlife. Contained in the Quran is

the Five Pillars. The first pillar is the public testimony or, shahida/ashhadu in Arabic. The public

testimony or bearing witness carries a significant meaning in Muslim culture. The person

intending to become Muslim is expected to declare him or herself Muslim in front of two or

more reliable Muslim witnesses. It not only represents a spiritual connection with Allah and the

dedication of living faithfully, but it also holds a historic meaning as well. During the years of

Muhammad (and in some instances today), people had been persecuted by their community,
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government, and families for their declaration of the religion. Following this first pillar shows

the dedication of the believer and their willingness to follow their god Allah.

The second pillar is the ritual prayer or al-salat. According to the Quran, a person of the

Islamic religion is supposed to be dedicated to prayer, hence why they pray five times during the

day. Prayer is not only the act of saying words and doing movements that correlate with the rise

and fall of Adam, but also helping the poor and needy. By denying this obligation, Muslims are

not truly fulfilling their obligation of prayer. Prior to prayer, Muslims must ritually wash, be

standing on clean ground or a prayer mat, and be facing the direction of Mecca. The key points

during the day to pray is, predawn, midafternoon, sunset, and night. Besides chanting a prayer,

Muslims do movements to coincide with the prayer as well as the first man Adam. Muslims

believe that by following this pattern of praying five times during the day, they would be

reminded of his or her duties to the community, as well as their spiritual connection with Allah.

In The Alchemist, while Santiago is in Tangier on his way to Egypt, he witnesses a priest atop a

tower leading the people of the market in a chant in which they fell to their knees, touched their

foreheads to the ground, and took up the chant (Coelho 41). This is one of the examples of the

ritual prayer that is performed at sunset. They pray, and follow the movements that coincide with

the prayer.

The third pillar is almsgiving or zakat. Following the theme of mercy and compassion for

the needy, almsgiving is a Muslims duty to be a representative of Allah, and care for all of the

creatures he had created. It is a way of showing that their money belongs to Allah, a way of

showing their kindness to the poor, a way of spreading faith, and assisting those who are poor

and needy. Besides helping individuals, it is encouraged to spend money on public projects that

would help everyone in the community such as hospitals, or any other establishment that would
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benefit the community in a positive way. While in Tangier, Santiago meets an old crystal

merchant who later tells Santiago that, [You] didnt have to do any cleaning. The Koran

requires [me] to feed a hungry person (Coelho 49). Muslims are obligated to feed someone who

is struggling to make ends meet, and by feeding Santiago, the merchant is fulfilling his spiritual

needs.

The fourth pillar is fasting the month of Ramadan, or sawm. It is believed that during this

month, the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, Ramadan is considered a joyous time

where the Quran is recited and celebrations take place at night. During the daylight hours,

Muslims are required to fast which means no food, water, sexual activity, or smoking. While

fasting, they are encouraged to fast with their hands meaning that they are to refrain from

doing anything unjust, such as fighting, or doing other irrational things. Fasting with their

mouths means that they are to refrain from gossiping, judging, and foul speech. Besides the

physical practice, fasting is to help purify their soul, and it helps advance themselves spiritually.

The final pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca or hajj. Every Muslim is obligated to take the

pilgrimage to Mecca in which they perform ancient ritual rites, they ask for Allahs forgiveness

and blessings, and they reenact stories from the Quran which had greatly shaped their lives.

Besides reenactments, they sacrifice a goat or lamb and give its meat to the poor, they cast

pebbles at stone pillars which is to symbolize Satan, they then cut their hair, clip their nails, and

begin their farewell ceremony. While speaking to Santiago about his five obligations of the

Muslim religion, he begins to speak of his desire to travel to Mecca and how he had worked hard

for years to travel there, but he thought that it might all be a disappointment.

Works Cited
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Gianotti, Timothy J. "Pillars of Islam." Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, edited by

Richard C. Martin, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2016, pp. 886-891. PowerSearch. Accessed 31 Jan.

2017.

The Alchemist Paulo Coelho 1994