Five Pillars of Islam

Five Pillars of Islam

Shantell Bell

University of Phoenix – Axia College

Religions of the World – HUM130

Cathy Silverman

January 21, 2011

Five Pillars of Islam

Complete faith in the power of God is the central belief of Islam. God is all knowing is a one of the many concepts that is believed in the religion. The beliefs of Islam can be found in the Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are considered the foundation of Muslim life. It has been understood that Muslim that completes the Five Pillars of Islam, continue in the faith, and repent of sins will make is to paradise or Jannah. The question now becomes how hard is it to complete the Five Pillars of Islam? The answer can be found by knowing exactly what the Five Pillars are.

The first pillar is practicing profession of one’s faith in the unison of God and Muhammad. The second pillar is a constant daily prayer session that demonstrates one’s yearning to learn the approach of god. The third pillar is adhering to the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is an entire month of fasting in which a believer denies his or her needs and seeks out God or Allah. The fourth pillar is to give charity to the poor or less fortunate. It is believed that helping the needy moves one toward holiness and submission to God. The fifth pillar is to pilgrimage one’s self to Mecca. This act involves making a financial sacrifice as an act of worship.

The easiest pillar to complete in my opinion is giving to the less fortunate. This would be the easiest to me because my mother is a pastor and my entire life she has taught me of the importance of giving. Giving is a part of who I know myself to be. The most challenging aspect of the Five Pillars would be the month of Ramadan. The reason the month of fasting pose such a challenge to me is because I have a problem with overeating and indulging in food. Currently I have been working out for 8 months. I have not...