The Five Pillars of Islam

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The Five Pillars of Islam
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The Dome of the Rock

• Earliest Islamic monument, begun 684. octagonal
  plan.
• Site where Muhammad was taken to heaven by the
  angel Gabriel and deemed the messenger of Islam.

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FAITH

• There is no god worthy of worship except God and
  Muhammad is his messenger.
• This declaration of faith is called the Shahada.
• All people faithful to Islam pronounce this
  saying.
• The statement there is no god except God takes
  the place of anything that could tempt, such as
  wealth and power.

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FAITH Continued

• Except God refers to the source of all creation.
• The second part of the Shahada is Muhammad is
  the messenger of God.
• A message of guidence has come through a man like
  ourselves.

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PRAYER

• Salat is the name for the prayers which are
  performed five times a day, and are a direct link
  between the worshipper and God.
• There is no hierarchical authority in Islam so a
  learned person who knows the Quran is chosen by
  the congregation to lead the prayers.
• The prayers contain verses from the Quran and
  are spoken in arabic.

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PRAYER Continued

• Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,
  sunset and nightfall.
• Although it is preferable to worship in a mosque,
  a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as a
  field, office, or factory.

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CHARITY

• One of the most important principles of Islam is
  that all things belong to God.
• Zakat- means both purification and growth.
• Our possessions are purified by setting aside a
  proportion for those in need, and like the
  pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and
  encourages new growth.
• Most muslims make a payment of 2.5 of their
  capital.

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THE FAST

• Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims
  fast from first light until sundown.
• The word sawn refers to these practices.
• Those who are sick, elderly, on a journey,
  pregnant, or nursing are permitted to break the
  fast and make up a equal number of days later in
  the year.
• If they are physically able to do this, they must
  feed a needy person for every day missed.

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FAST Continued

• Children begin to fast from puberty, although
  many start earlier.
• The fast is seen as a means of self-purification.
• By cutting off from worldly comforts, even for a
  short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy
  with those who go hungry as well as growth in
  ones spiritual life.

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PILGRIMAGE

• The pilgrimage to Mecca-theHajj- is an obligation
  only for those who are physically and financially
  able to perform it.
• About 2 million people go to Mecca each year from
  every corner of the world.
• Pilgrims wear special clothes simple garments
  which strip away class distinction and culture so
  all are equal before God.

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PILGRIMAGE Continued

• The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival,
  the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers
  and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities
  everywhere.
• This is followed by a feast day known as Edi
  al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan.

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MECCA

• Mecca is located about 80 km from the Red Sea
  Coast, around a natural well. Mecca is the most
  holy city in Islam. The city is revered from
  being the first place created on earth, as well
  as the place where Ibrahim together with his son
  Isma'il, built the Kaa'ba.

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MECCA Continued

• The Ka'ba, the centre of Islam, is a rectangular
  building made of bricks. Around the Ka'ba is the
  great mosque, al-Haram, and around the mosque, in
  between the mountains, are the houses that make
  up Mecca.
• Mecca was a central point on the caravan routes
  running over the Arabian peninsula at the time of
  Muhammad.

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