What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
There are various principled sources of Islamic moral teaching that establish the shariah, the passageway to Allah. Allah (God) decrees what is right and what is good. The Pathway lays down two main spheres of duty. The Five Pillars of Islam (the first sphere) contains the duties towards Allah (God) himself. There are five basic actions that comprise the Five Pillars by which the Muslim shows admit defeat or submission to Allah.
The Profession of FaithâThe Shahada
Fasting during RamadanâSaum
Pilgrimage to MeccaâHajj
The Profession of FaithâThe Shahada
ShahÄdah, (Arabic: âtestimonyâ) the Muslim profession of faith:
      âThere is no god but God; Muhammad is the Prophet of God.â
The shahÄdah is the first of the five Pillars of Islam (arkÄn al-IslÄm). It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, distinctly, correctly, and purposively, with a full sympathetic of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.
Prayer, worship (Persian namaz ). The second pillar of Islam is the prayers required of Muslims five times daily: daybreak (salat al-fajr), noon (salat al-duhr), midafternoon (salat al-asr), sunset (salat al-maghreb), and evening (salat al-isha). The times of prayer are indomitable by the sun's position and are announced in a human voice by the muezzin (prayer announcer) from the minaret (tower) of a mosque. Can be performed in any clean space, either independently or jointly (preferable), although Friday noon prayer (jumah) should be performed jointly in the mosque by men. Must be preceded by sacrament sanitization (wudu) and assertion of proper intention (niyyah). Consists of recitations from the Quran and formulas in praise of Allah (takbir); must be done facing the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca (kiblah). Each prayer has two to four cycles (rakah), each containing a series of postures, most distinguishing of which is prostration.
Zakah means, amplify, clearout, great quantity, good etiquette and eulogize; as a religious term, it means giving away some part of certain goods to certain people in order to please Allah.
Zakah, which is one of the economic worships, is one of the five pillars of Islam; it became requisite in Madinah in the second year of the Hegira. The following is stated in the Quran: âAnd be steadfast in prayer; give Zakat...â (al-Baqara, 2/43, 110; al-Hajj, 22/78; an-Nur, 24/56; al-Mujadala, 58/13; al-Muzzammil, 73/20); âOf their wealth take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf. Verily thy prayers are a source of security for them: and Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth.â (at-Tawbah, 9/103).
Fasting during RamadanâSaum
Ramadan, the ninth month of Islamic Lunar Hijri Calendar, is marked by spiritual sacrament of As-Saum (The Fasting), which is one of the five Pillars of Islam. Fasting starts from early dawn (Suhur /Sehri) till sunset (Iftar). During this period one has to refrain from eating or drinking. The Lunar Calendar is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian Christian solar calendar, and hence the starting of the month of Ramadan predates by 11 days its occurrence in the previous Gregorian calendar. Thus, the vagary of the changing of the day time and night time gradually gets assimilated uniformly in all parts of the world.
This ritual is compulsory for all mature followers of Islam, but exemptions are there to accommodate individuals who cannot fast for various reasons. These include, but are not limited to, very old/very young, the sick, the travelers, pregnant/lactating women, and women during their post-delivery and menstrual periods. Those people who fall into the above-specified categories and avail themselves of the provision of exemption should compensate for the missed/lost days of fasting of Ramadan by various means described in religion. Individuals who are permanently incapacitated are also given leverage to compensate accordingly.
Pilgrimage to MeccaâHajj
Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca - Islam's holiest city. All Muslims must perform this pilgrimage as an act of worship at least once in his/her lifetime. Performed during the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah, and lasting 5-days, Hajj is a chain of ritual acts, which indicate the lives of Abraham and his son Ishmael.
Sequence of the Hajj Journey:
Ihram: Before entering the Holy city of Mecca, the pilgrim must first perform a ritual cleansing and wear special Ihram garments, which consist of two hemmed white sheets. In doing so, the pilgrim declares their intention abstain from the restricted acts, such as using perfume, trimming their nails, or sexual intercourse.
Umrah: Once in Mecca, the pilgrims enter the The Sacred Mosque (Masjid Al Haram). In the centre of the Mosque stands a cubic building 15 meters (49 ft) high and 10 meters (33 ft) wide. This, the Kaaba, was built by Abraham and Ishmael as a house of worship, and is considered the center of the Muslim world. Embedded in the South Eastern corner of the Kaaba is the black stone (al-Hajar-ul-Aswad), which is believed to have fallen from heaven and turned black from the absorption of sin.
Entering the Mosque, the pilgrims perform their first Tawaf. In a Tawaf, the pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times and kiss the black stone on each rotation. After Tawaf, on the same day, the pilgrims perform sa'i, running or walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah, which are 450 meters (492 yards) apart. This is a re-enactment of Hagar's (Abraham's wife) frantic search for water for their son Ishmael, before an angel revealed to her the ZamZam Well.
Arafat: On the second day of Hajj, the pilgrims travel 14.4 km (9 miles) east from Mina to Mount Arafat - the place of the last sermon of the profit Muhammad. Considered the culminating experience of Hajj, pilgrims spend the afternoon in contemplative vigil. From afternoon to sunset, they stand, in prayer and reflection, facing Mecca. In the evening after Arafat, pilgrims leave for Muzdalifah, traveling 9 km (5.6 miles).
Muzdalifah: At Muzdalifah, which is located between Arafat and Mina, the pilgrims sleep in the open (i.e., without tents). They spend the night in prayer and gathering stones for the next day's ritual "stoning of the devil." Before the sun has risen, the pilgrims return to Mina.
Ramy al-jamarÄt: On the third day, in Mina, pilgrims perform the stoning of the devil (ramy) where they throw their stone pebbles at the largest of three Jamarat pillars. The Jamarat pillars represent the temptations of Satan. After the stoning, an animal is sacrificed, either by the pilgrim or by someone appointed by the pilgrim to perform the sacrifice in their name.
Tawaf al-Ifadah: Returning to Mecca on the same day, Pilgrims revisit The Sacred Mosque for an additional Tawaf, called Tawaf al-Ifadah, which symbolizes being in a hurry to respond to God, an obligatory part of the Hajj.
As a final sacrifice, the pilgrim then shaves his/her head or cuts off a portion of hair. Following this act, all of the restrictions of Ihram are lifted, meaning that they can wear everyday clothing, wear perfume, etc.
The Days of Tashriq: The pilgrims then return to Mina for two days. On each of the two days, pilgrims, again, stone the Jamarat pillars, each with seven stones. These two days are spent in contemplative prayer.
On the fifth day, pilgrims return to Mecca where a Farewell Tawaf is performed and the Hajj is complete.
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