Beliefs of Islam Essay

The central beliefs of Islam are summed up in the Five Pillars. These pillars shew obligations imposed on Muslims in order to live in compliance with the result of every last(predicate)ah and set requirements for every sidereal day Muslim life. They are the foundation of Muslim faith and reflect its basic tenets.The first Pillar is Shahada, or Iman, believe in Gods oneness. The essence of the first Pillar is reflected in the saying There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet (University of Calgary). All Muslims pronounce this simple formulation that embraces the basics of what they believe in. The saying overly means that the only worthy purpose in life is to attend to and obey Allah and to do so through learning and following the teachings of Muhammad who the Muslims hold dear as the Last Prophet.Another Pillar is the prayer, or Salah, which the Muslim is hypothetic to perform five propagation a day. The prayer establishes a select connection amongst the prayin g soul and God. As Islam does not have a hierarchy of priests typical of other religions, prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran and is generally chosen by the congregation (Islam 101). The times for prayers are morning, noon, later afternoon, evening and sunset. In this way, prayers accompany Muslims the whole day and remind them of the need to worship God.The next pillar is Zakat, or the obligation to saltation kindness. This demand, originally a free-will donation, has now turned into a compulsory demand to direct 2.5% of ones annual income for charity or religious purposes (University of Calgary). Muslims in this way purify their wealth by setting aside a portion of it for the poor. Those willing to give more than than required by Zakat can do so in secrecy, allocating a portion of their income as sadaqa-h, preferably in secrecy from other Muslims. frugality (Sawm) relates to the obligation to abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse in the sidereal day in the month of Ramadan. The requirement does not refer to those who because of health problems cannot give up eating in the daylight hours. Their fast is transferred to another time, or they have to compensate for it in other ways. Each evening of the Ramadan, Muslims visualize to break the fast together when the sun sets.Hajj (Pilgrimage) refers to a pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy place to all Muslims. The trip has to be undertaken in an egalitarian atmosphere, Ihram including donning of simple white garments, refraining from sex, haircuts, jewelry, arguing (University of Calgary).During their trip, Muslims circle the Kaab, the holy stone. Walking sinistral around the stone, they underscore the centrality of the stone in their beliefs. In general, the pilgrimage is logical in such a way as to commemorate the prophets Abraham, Hagar castaway and Muhammad. For example, Say, running seven times between hills and drinking from Zamam spring symbolizes Hagars running for water ( University of Calgary). The Hajj is not really binding on Muslims since they only have to do this trip if they are physically run low to do it and financially able to afford it.The Five Pillars effectively stick the basic beliefs of Islam belief in the one-ness of God and the fact that Muhammad was the Last Prophet, centrality of Muslim faith in everyday life, moderate life, sharing of wealth between the rich and the poor. In my opinion, the first Pillar, Iman, is the easiest to realize since it only involves repeating the lyric poem over and over again.This is an effective way to remind a person of the nature of ones beliefs however, it does not take too often effort. Ramadan, on the other hand, is extremely challenging both to health and will power. At one point I had a good champion who was a devout Muslim and I could observe how staunchly he resists eating and even drinking during the Ramadan. Such abstention can only be withstood by someone who is really devoted to ones pr inciples and has strong faith in religion.ReferencesIslam101. The Five Pillars of Islam. Retrieved June 16, 2006, from http//www.islam101.com/dawah/pillars.htmlUniversity of Calgary. (n.d.). The Five Pillars of Islam. Retrieved June 16, 2006, from http//www.ucalgary.ca/elsegal/I_Transp/IO5_FivePillars.html