Doctrine of Islam The 5 Pillars

1. Doctrine of IslamThe 5 Pillars

2. Shahadah • Profession of faith • أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله و أشهد أن محمد رسول الله • “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.”

3. Salat • Prayer five times daily

4. Sawm • Ritual fasting during Ramadan

5. Zakāt • Charitable giving

6. Hajj • Pilgrimage to Mecca • Follows Hegira

7. How does obeying the Five Pillars make a Muslim society stronger?

8. Jihad! • Holy war against infidels • Some Muslims believe that this is a pillar • Means “struggle against the adversaries of the faith” • Adversaries could mean: • Personal and social vices (wrath, intolerance, temptation) OR • Physical enemies (i.e., Christians, Jews, non-Muslims)

9. Way of Life • Islammeans submission • Forbidden to eat pork or drink intoxicating beverages • Friday afternoons set aside for communal worship • No priests or central religious authority • Expected to worship Allah directly • Ulama – scholarly religious teachers who study and apply the words and deeds of Muhammad in everyday life

10. Source of Authority • Allah is supreme authority • He expressed will to Muhammad through Gabriel • These revelations expressed orally • Finally written down in Koran • Means “recite” • Contains 114 Suras - chapters • Arabic version considered only “true” copy • Why? • Wherever Muslims spread, Arabic became official language • Muhammad’s mission was to be example • Called Sunnah • This is the basis for Shari’a law, or law based on the Koran

11. Comparisons • To Muslims: • Allah is same God that is worshipped in Christianity and Judaism • Jesus was a prophet, not Son of God • He corrupted the message • Koran perfects older revelations (Bible, Torah, etc.) • Koran and Muhammad were final book and prophet • Jews and Christians are “People of the Book” • All three believe in heaven/hell and a Day of Judgement