The Five Pillars of Islam

The pillars of Islam are the most basic in the religion, and anyone wanting to understand Islam, needs to understand these pillars. This article is supposed to inform Non-Muslims about these pillars, but also to remind Muslims about their duties and responsibilities. I'm always talking to myself before I talk to others, meaning, I remind myself before I have the right to remind others.

Sadly, when I look around the world, I see people who are only Muslim by name. That is, they call themselves Muslim but they do not pray nor fast properly in Ramadan, and sometimes they also don't think about giving zakat (alms.) What makes a person a real Muslim? I will try to discuss this further later, in another post, but what I want to say now is that if you don't act according to the five pillars of Islam, you can't really call yourself Muslim. Belief and actions are supposed to fulfill each other. The word "Islam" means both submission and peace. Submission to the will of Allah (SWT) and when you are Muslim and make this, you will also feel peace and tranquility inside yourself, which is a huge blessing.

So, what are the five pillars of Islam? And what do they mean?
They come as follow:


1. SHAHADAH

Meaning the creed. The shahadah is usually pronounced in Arabic by the words: Ashadu anla ilaha illa allah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadan rasolallah. By this you are stating that "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is His messenger." When the shahadah is said, it should come straight from the heart and be said with firm belief and assurance. These words should be repeated regularly during the day, and they are always pronounced in the prayers. These words can also be said if you are angry (anger comes from Shaitan) to try to make yourself calm down, they should be said whenever you remember Allah (SWT), they should be said after wudhu (ablution for prayer) and the ideal would be to say it right before one's death. However, that is easier said than done. The important is that we always try to remember Allah (SWT) in everything we do, and these words can work as a reminder to us for our responsibilities.


2. SALAH

Meaning prayer. The five daily prayers are obligatory for every Muslim and they are performed at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening. Their names are as follows; Fagr, Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib and 'Isha, consisting of different numbers of rakats. A person should always be careful in completing the wudhu in a proper way, have clean clothes and offer the prayer on a clean place. Because the name of Allah (SWT) is pure, and we should do our best to stand respectable in front of Allah (SWT) while praying. Prayer gives us a break from our daily life and brings us closer to Allah (SWT). A Muslim sincere in his prayer will be heard, and Allah (SWT) will forgive his sins and grant him his wishes. It will also lead you to salvation, because prayer is the first thing that will be counted on the Day of Resurrection. The prayers are a great opportunity to leave your worldly business and think about your Creator and the Hereafter. Salat will also remind you of Allah (SWT) and your duties, and make you focus in doing good deeds, and you will feel tranquility inside after the prayer is offered.


3. SAWM

Meaning fasting. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is prescribed for every Muslim meaning we must abstain from food, drink, sexual intercourse and smoking from dawn to dusk. This month is a great blessing from Allah (SWT) to bring us closer to him and this month is a spiritual journey. Everyone should offer supererogatory prayers during this time and show gratitude to Allah (SWT). It's also a way to remind us of the needy in this world who are not as fortunate as we are. Ramadan is also the time to visit family more often and spend time with them, learn more about Islam and try to read through all of the Quran kareem. Muslims should also try to control themselves better and refrain from anger, envy, greed, violence and bad language. Ramadan is supposed to be an example of how we should act throughout all of the year. Fasting is obligatory for all Muslims except pregnant women, elderly, ill, travelers and menstruating women, because fasting can be dangerous for these groups of people. Islam oughts to make it easy for everyone.


4. ZAKAH

Meaning alms. Muslims should spend 2, 5 % of their wealth on poor and needy people, this includes slaves, debtors and travelers. Their intention should be in spending these money for the sake of Allah (SWT) and when this is done, Allah (SWT) will increase your reward in the Hereafter. Everything that is spent for good purposes in this world, will increase your reward later. Zakat is supposed to cure you from greed and to remind you that all your wealth belongs to Allah (SWT) but He has given you responsibility over it, and made you able to use them. In eid al-Adha, the second Muslim feast, those who have the means and can afford it, slaughter an animal (a sheep, goat or cow) and distribute the meat among the poor. This is also a way to show gratitude to Allah (SWT) and appreciate what he has given you.


5. HAJJ

Meaning pilgrimage. Hajj should be performed at least one time during your lifetime, and this is a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi-Arabia, to the Kaaba. After a Muslim has performed this, all his previous sins are forgiven and he can start a new chapter in his life. He or she will be known as a hajj/hajja in the Muslim community. However, the important in Hajj, is that the Muslim do this only for Allah (SWT) and to seek His pleasure, and devote himself to Allah (SWT). His intentions must be purely for the sake of Allah (SWT) and not for gaining e.g. social status. Both men and women are obliged to perform Hajj.


CONCLUSION

Now I've shortly explained the five pillars of Islam and their meaning, and Allah (SWT) made all of this obligatory for us to help us to become better persons and better Muslims, to improve the world and to use our means in a positive and good way. He wants to help us to achieve our goals, not just in this life, but also in the Hereafter, and help us to salvation and peace. If a person makes all of these pillars, he will gain the pleasure of Allah (SWT) and then other things in his life will also be easy, and if he focuses in performing all of this, especially the prayers, he will regularly be reminded why he was created and why he is in this world.

Allah (SWT) knows best.

How I Came To Islam

There is a lot of things you have to hear and deal with when you are a Muslim. I don't say that other religions aren't this way, but in Islam it's to a great extent. Islam is not solely a private matter, a feeling or just belief, Islam is supposed to be a way of life based on good actions. I'm still young and I have a lot to learn, but that doesn't prevent me from sharing my opinion in things or to post my perspective.

First I want to share with you how I came to Islam. A lot of people might wonder about that. Well, the first I can say is that before I was not religious. When I was young I didn't believe in God and in school I hated the subject related to religion. However, not everything in my childhood has been easy (as is with most people), and when I was 16 years old I had a really bad period during the summer. My tears couldn't stop falling, and I couldn't control it. I felt helpless. I felt there is no meaning. I felt both pain and emptiness inside me. Someone advised me to read about religion, and at this time I was so depressed that I thought why not? I just needed anything else to focus in and maybe find something to help me.

In my opinion the monotheistic religions sounded more logical (I had learnt some basics of all religions in school), and Islam was the religion I knew least about. Thus I decided to read more about this mainly, but I also read something in Christianity and Judaism. By time I realised a lot of strange things in these two religions, but I couldn't find this in Islam so at the end I only focused in Islam. I read books about the history of Islam, the principles, biography of Prophet Muhammed (SAW), eventually I also read the Norwegian translation of the Quran kareem. With time I started to feel there must be something more in this world, and I started to believe what I was reading. What impressed me the most, was the fact that any question I had in life (e.g. Is it haraam to drink energy drinks? Or is it haraam to listen to music?) could be answered through looking at sources from the Quran and hadiths. There was not really any personal opinion of the imams answering these questions. Of course, sometimes there are interpretations of the sources, but there is no opinion you make up on your own without any justification or proof.

From this my belief only grew stronger, and I talked with friends who were Muslim, and I watched videos of people who had converted to Islam before. I saw beyond the propaganda in the TV, beyond culture and traditions, and I learnt about the real Islam. The real Islam is beautiful and invites you to live in peace and tranquility. After one year of reading about this religion I made the decision to revert to Islam and embrace this meaningful religion. I haven't regret a second, and I'm always grateful to Allah (SWT) that He guided me on the straight path. After I converted I have also got a lot of help from my friends and my boyfriend to e.g. learn how to pray, and to learn more basics of the religion to perform in my daily life, such as saying "Bismillah (ar-rahman ar-rahim)" before I eat or do anything of importance. May Allah (SWT) bless them all and may He guide more people towards this beautiful religion.