PILLARS OF ISLAM

The most important Muslim practices are the six Pillars of Islam. The six Pillars of Islam are the
six obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according
to Islam.
The six Pillars consist of:
1. Shahada (Faith)
2. Salah (Prayers)
3. Zakah (Charity)
4. Fasting (Swam)
5. Hajj Pilgrimage
6. Jihad
1. SHAHADA (FAITH)
"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad (PBUH) is his messenger." This is the basic statement
of the Islamic faith. When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:
 That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad (PBUH) is his prophet
 That they personally accept this as true
 That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life
The Shahadah is the first of the six Pillars of Islam. Reciting this statement three times in front of
witnesses is all that anyone need to do to become a Muslim. A Muslim is expected to recite this
statement out loud, with total sincerity, fully understanding what it means.
2. SALAH (PRAYERS)
Salah is the obligatory Muslim prayers, performed five times each day by Muslims. It is the
second Pillar of Islam. Allah ordered Muslims to pray at five set times of day:
 Salat al-fajr: dawn, before sunrise
 Salat al-zuhr: midday, after the sun passes its highest
 Salat al-'asr: the late part of the afternoon
 Salat al-maghrib: just after sunset
 Salat al-'isha: between sunset and midnight
This prayer timetable gives Muslims the pattern of their day. All Muslims try to do this. Muslim
children as young as seven are encouraged to pray. Prayer for a Muslim involves uniting mind, soul,
and body in worship; so a Muslim carrying out these prayers will perform a whole series of set
movements that go with the words of the prayer.
A Muslim prays as if standing in the presence of Allah. In the ritual prayers each individual Muslim
is in direct contact with Allah. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with
others in a mosque. Muslims must be clean before they pray. They make sure of this by
performing ritual washing, called wudhu.
3. ZAKAH (CHARITY)
Zakat is the compulsory giving of a set proportion of one's wealth to charity. It is regarded as a type
of worship and of self-purification. Zakat is the third Pillar of Islam. Zakat does not refer to
charitable gifts given out of kindness or generosity, but to the systematic giving of 2.5% of one's
wealth each year to benefit the poor. The 2.5% rate only applies to cash, gold and silver, and
commercial items.
4. FASTING (SAWM)
Sawm is fasting. It's the fourth of the six Pillars of Islam. Muslims are required to fast
during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims do not only abstain from
physical things during Ramadan. They are also expected to do their best to avoid evil thoughts and
deeds as well.
During Ramadan many Muslims will try to eat a large meal called suhur just before dawn. When
daylight is over, most Muslims will break or open the fast with dates or water, following the
example of the Prophet Muhammad, before having a proper meal later.
The month of Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. This is marked by dressing up and
visiting the mosque for prayer, and with visits to family and friends for celebratory meals.
5. HAJJ PILGRIMAGE
Once a year, Muslims of every ethnic group, colour, social status, and culture gather together in
Mecca and stand before the Kaaba praising Allah together. It is a ritual that is designed to promote
the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone is equal in the eyes of
Allah. The Hajj makes Muslims feel real importance of life here on earth, and the afterlife, by
stripping away all markers of social status, wealth, and pride. In the Hajj all are truly equal.
The Hajjis or pilgrims wear simple white clothes called Ihram. During the Hajj the Pilgrims perform
acts of worship and they renew their sense of purpose in the world. Mecca is a place that is holy to
all Muslims. It is so holy that no non-Muslim is allowed to enter. For Muslims, the Hajj is the
fifth pillar of Islam. It occurs in the month of Dhul Hijjah which is the twelfth month of the Islamic
lunar calendar. It is the journey that every sane adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their
lives if they can afford it and are physically able.
6. JIHAD
The literal meaning of Jihad is struggle or effort, and it means much more than holy war. Muslims
use the word Jihad to describe three different kinds of struggle:
 A believer's internal struggle to live out the Muslim faith as well as possible
 The struggle to build a good Muslim society
 Holy war: the struggle to defend Islam, with force if necessary
The internal Jihad is the one that Prophet Muhammad is said to have called the greater Jihad. The
phrase internal Jihad or greater Jihad refers to the efforts of a believer to live their Muslim faith as
well as possible.
When Muslims, or their faith or territory are under attack, Islam permits (some say directs) the
believer to wage military war to protect them. However Islamic (shariah) law sets very strict rules
for the conduct of such a war. Permissible reasons for military Jihad:
 Self-defense
 Strengthening Islam
 Protecting the freedom of Muslims to practice their faith
 Protecting Muslims against oppression, which could include overthrowing a tyrannical ruler
 Punishing an enemy who breaks an oath
 Putting right a wrong

RIGHTS IN ISLAM
Through Quran and Hadith, Allah (swt) has taught us all things that regard our lives. Looking at
them, we can divide them into two parts: rights of Allah (swt) and rights of individuals.
1. RIGHTS OF ALLAH
Allah's Rights upon His creation are the rights that must be kept the most. Allah is the sole Creator
and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Almighty who created everything with absolute wisdom.
Allah only wants mankind to worship Him alone with sincerity and ascribe no partners with Him in
worship, and to perform religious deeds. Five prayers a day bring forgiveness from Him and purity
in the heart. Allah also wants His mankind to pay a small amount of their money to the poor, the
needy, strangers who have no money, the indebted and to others who are eligible to take money
from Zakat. Zakat is so minimal that it does not harm the rich, yet it provides tremendous benefits
for the poor. Allah also requires fasting in the lunar month of Ramadhan. Also, Hajj (pilgrimage) to
Makkah once in lifetime is obligatory upon all Muslims, if they are able to do so. In general, we
have the obligation to abide by all of Allah's orders, and stay away from all He had made forbidden
upon us.
2. RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS
Haqooq Ul Ibaad is the duty we owe to mankind. The rights of every Muslim on the other Muslim.
A Muslim who fulfills the "Haqooq Ul Allah" will also fulfill the ' Haqooq ul Ibaad " these are two
different things but still intertwined. A Muslim must himself be good and must also encourage others
to do well and he must strive for the welfare of society. This duty is called - Amar Bil Maroof, which
means enjoining the right. A Muslim must also refrain from sins and must try to prevent sins and
corruption from occurring in the society and this duty is called - Nahi Anil Munkar (forbidding the
wrong.) Amar Bil Maroof and Nahi Anil Munkar together form one of the most important duties in
Islam for every Muslim.
In the authentic hadith of Bukhari, Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported: Muhammad (SAW) said, "Every
Muslim has five rights over another Muslim (i.e., he has to perform five duties for another Muslim):
to return the greetings (salam), to visit the sick, to accompany funeral processions, to accept an
invitation, to respond to the sneezer, when the sneezer praises Allah.''.. Sahih Bukhari.
Whatever has been done to any of the humanity (Allah's Creations), we are answerable on the day
of Judgement and Allah (swt) will not forgive us unless the person who we hurt or did injustice to
forgives us. Such is the value of humans and all this comes under haqooq ul ibaad. We have to live
our life in accordance to the guidelines of Islam. Every single person from our Parents, brothers,
sisters to relatives, neighbors, traveller, strangers, every person have to be treated fairly and in the
best manner.
If there is a sin committed by us it’s between us and Allah (swt), and Allah (swt) can forgive us, but
if there is a sin committed between us and someone else, then that has to be sorted out between the
two. So we have to be very careful with our conduct towards Allah’s creations. Haqooq ul Ibaad
comes under Haqooq ul Allah. We have to fulfill our rights towards Muslim as Allah (swt) has asked
us to do. It’s the duty we owe to mankind and mainly to Allah (swt) and a great source to strive for
Jannah.
 ISLAMIC STATE
“Islamic State” is the government consistent with Islamic teachings and is based on religion, and at
least, not inconsistent with Islamic doctrines in any way.
LYNCHING
Lynching is the mob killing of a person suspected of a crime, especially by hanging that is done
outside of the law. Lynching starts in a country when the legal system of that state fails to fulfil the
rights of people. In such conditions, people take the force in their hands start killing others on a large
scale.
ANARCHY
Anarchy is the condition of a society, entity, group of people, or individual that rejects hierarchy
and promotes self-governing. Anarchism is a political philosophy that avoids the idea of a state
and its authority.
ISLAM AND IDEOLOGY OF LIFE AND HEREAFTER
According to Islam, the present world is not an eternal abode. The Qur'an tells us that man is placed
here only temporarily, so that his moral fibre may be tested in terms of his obedience to God’s
will. He must always remember that there will be the life hereafter, or Akhirat as it is known in
Islamic terminology. This is also referred to as Ma‘ad, which means a place to which one returns.
There is a time limit to mortal existence. Death marks the end of the testing period for all human
beings. But death only means a change of abode, for the soul never dies. Man returns to the realm
whence he came, so that he may wait for Judgement Day. That realm, the life hereafter, is the
eternal world. Thus man’s life is divided into two parts: a brief stay in this world and an eternal
life in the next world. To the ungodly, it is only then that it becomes obvious that a life which is
eternal is far more important than this present existence.
God created human beings and made them responsible for their actions by granting them freedom.
If there were no Afterlife in which the good were rewarded and the bad punished, there would be
no justice; in which case, it would appear meaningless to create people with a conscience and a
sense of responsibility. But God is just and always acts justly. Hence it is the absolute demand of
justice that there should be a Day of Judgement on which everyone is brought to book.