Five Pillars

AP

October 4, 2013

Hum/ 130

Checkpoint

Five Pillars of Islam

The Islam religion believes that there is only one God and that is Allah. They feel that they have to live their lives the way Allah wanted them to so that their will is aligned with Allah. As long as they live their life the way they should they will gain a spot in paradise. In order to live their life right they made up the five Pillars of Islam. The five Pillars are the basic acts of the followers and are considered mandatory for the people to follow. The Pillars make up the Muslim life that is filled with prayers, growth, self purification as well as pilgrimage.

The first Pillar is faith. The first Pillar allows the people to practice their faith by honoring their prophet Muhammad and the one God they believe in which is Allah. The people have to know and believe that there are no other gods that is their creator. They understand that there are no gods that can give them what they want such as wealth and power. The second pillar is prayer. The people have to pray five times a day that is followed by a water ritual. The people do not have a priest in Islam so they have to pick a person to lead the prayer. The person chosen is usually from the congregation and must learn how to read the Quran and lead it in prayers. The prayers are said in Arabic which is the language of Revelation. Each prayer is said at dawn, mid afternoon, sunsets as well as night fall. Most of the believers refer to pray at mosque, but they can pray any where they wish.

The third pillar is called the Zakat or self purification and growth. The people believe that all things belong to God or Allah and that wealth is held by us humans by trust. They believe in setting aside their own possessions for the people that need it. This way the money is always flowing within the society. This will help cut back the balances and will support new growth. Each Muslim calculate their own earnings each year and...