Doctrine of Islam The 5 Pillars

 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.” Shahadah

 Prayer five times daily Salat

 Ritual fasting during Ramadan Sawm

 Charitable giving Zakāt

 Pilgrimage to Mecca  Follows Hegira Hajj

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

 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) Jihad!

  Islam means 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 Way of Life

  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 Source of Authority

  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 Comparisons