WHAT ARE THE ‘FIVE PILLARS’ OF ISLAM?
They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the
needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are
able.
1. FAITH
There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger.
This declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which all the faithful
pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is la ilaha illa’Llah – ‘there is no god except God’;
ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God –
wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa’Llah:’ except God, the source of all
Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu’Llah: ‘Muhammad is
the messenger of God’. A message of guidance has come through a man like ourselves.
A translation of the Call to Prayer is:
God is most great. God is most great.
God is most great. God is most great.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)! Come to success!
God is most great. God is most great.
There is no god except God.
2. PRAYER
Salah is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and
are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in
Islam, and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the
Qur’an, chosen by the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the
Qur’an, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal
supplication can be offered in one’s own language.
Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus
determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in
a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories
and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in
daily life.
3. THE ‘ZAKAT’
One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that
wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both
‘purification’ and ‘growth’. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion
for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and
encourages new growth.
Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most purposes this
involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one’s capital. A pious
person may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably
in secret. Although this word can be translated as ‘voluntary charity’ it has a wider
meaning. The Prophet said ‘even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity’.
The Prophet said:
‘Charity is a necessity for every Muslim’.
He was asked: ‘What if a person has nothing?’
The Prophet replied: ‘He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity’.
The Companions asked: ‘What if he is not able to work?’
The Prophet said: ‘He should help poor and needy persons.’
Companions further asked ‘What is he cannot do even that?’
The Prophet said ‘He should urge others to do good’.
The Companions said ‘What if he lacks that also?’
The Prophet said ‘He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.’
4. THE FAST
Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown,
abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a
journey, and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and
make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do
this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and
to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.
Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method
of self-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short
time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth
in one’s spiritual life.
5. PILGRIMAGE (Hajj)
The annual pilgrimage to Makkah — the Hajj — is an obligation only for those who are
physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million people
go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity
for those of different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is always filled
with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is
lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in
winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions
of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the Ka’abah
seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did
Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain
of Arafa and join in prayers for God’s forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a
preview of the Last Judgment.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however, Saudi
Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern transport, and the most up-todate
health facilities.
The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated
with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and
the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals
of the Muslim calendar.
DOES ISLAM TOLERATE OTHER BELIEFS?
The Qur’an says:
God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for
(your) faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly
and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just
(Qur’an, 60:8)
It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this
is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world.
History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the
caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to
all religious communities in the city.
Islamic law also permits non- Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which
implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.
WHAT DO MUSLIMS THINK ABOUT JESUS?
Muslims respect and revere Jesus, and await his Second Coming. They consider him
one of the greatest of God’s Messengers to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him
simply as ‘Jesus’, but always adds the phrase ‘upon him be peace’. The Qur’an confirms
his virgin birth (a chapter of the Qur’an is entitled ‘Mary’), and Mary is considered the
purest woman in all creation. The Qur’an describes the Annunciation as follows:
Behold!’ the Angel said, ‘God has chosen you, and purified you,
and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives
you good news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah,
Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and
one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people
from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.’
She said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has
touched me?’ He said: ‘Even so; God creates what He will. When He
decrees a thing, He says to it, “Be!” and it is.
( 3:42-7)
Jesus was born miraculously through the same power which had
brought Adam into being without a father:
Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam.
(3:59)
During his prophetic mission Jesus performed many miracles. The Qur’an tells us that he said:
I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers
(3:49)
Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in One God, brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew it. In the Qur’an Jesus is reported as saying that he came:
To attest the law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me
(3:50)
The Prophet Muhammad said:
Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received
(Hadith from Bukhari)

WHY IS THE FAMILY SO IMPORTANT TO MUSLIMS?
The family is the foundation of Islamic society. The peace and security offered by a
stable family unit is greatly valued, and seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its
members. A harmonious social order is created by the existence of extended families;
children are treasured, and rarely leave home until the time they marry.
WHAT ABOUT MUSLIM WOMEN?
Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with
the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage dowry is given
by the groom to the bridge for her own personal use, and she keeps her own family
name rather than taking her husband’s. Both men and women are expected to dress in
a way which is modest and dignified; the traditions of female dress found in some
Muslim countries are often the expression of local customs.
The Messenger of God said:
“The best in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner to his wife”
CAN A MUSLIM HAVE MORE THAN ONE WIFE?
The religion of Islam was revealed for all societies and all times and so accommodates
widely differing social requirements. Circumstances may warrant the taking of another
wife but the right is granted, according to the Qur’an, only on condition that the
husband is scrupulously fair.
IS ISLAMIC MARRIAGE LIKE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE?
A Muslim marriage is not a ‘sacrament’, but a simple, legal agreement in which either
partner is free to include conditions. Marriage customs thus vary widely from country
to country. As a result, divorce is not common, although it is not forbidden as a last
resort. According to Islam, no Muslim girl can be forced to marry against her will: her
parents will simply suggest young men they think may be suitable.

HOW DO MUSLIMS TREAT THE ELDERLY?
In the Islamic world there are no old people’s homes. The strain of caring for one’s
parents in this most difficult time of their lives is considered an honor and blessing,
and an opportunity for great spiritual growth. God asks that we not only pray for our
parents, but act with limitless compassion, remembering that when we were helpless
children they preferred us to themselves. Mothers are particularly honored: the
Prophet taught that ‘Paradise lies at the feet of mothers’. When they reach old age,
Muslim parents are treated mercifully, with the same kindness and selflessness.
In Islam, serving one’s parents is a duty second only to prayer, and it is their right to
expect it. It is considered despicable to express any irritation when, through no fault of
their own, the old become difficult.
The Qur’an says:
Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and be kind
to parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do
not say ‘uff’ to them or chide them, but speak to them in terms of
honor and kindness. Treat them with humility, and say, ‘My Lord!
Have mercy on them, for they did care for me when I was little
(17:23-4)
HOW DO MUSLIMS VIEW DEATH?
Like Jews and Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial
preparation for the next realm of existence. Basic articles of faith include: the Day of
Judgement, resurrection, Heaven and Hell. When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed,
usually by a family member, wrapped in a clean white cloth, and buried with a simple
prayer preferably the same day. Muslims consider this one of the final services they
can do for their relatives, and an opportunity to remember their own brief existence
here on earth. The Prophet taught that three things can continue to help a person even
after death; charity which he had given, knowledge which he had taught and prayers
on their behalf by a righteous child.
WHAT DOES ISLAM SAY ABOUT WAR?
Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of religion, or on
the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict
rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against
destroying crops, trees and livestock. As Muslims see it, injustice would be
triumphant in the world if good men were not prepared to risk their lives in a righteous
cause.
The Qur’an says:
Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not
transgress limits. God does not love transgressors
(2:190)
If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He
is the One that heareth and knoweth all things
(8:61)
War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by
the sacred law. The term Jihad literally means ‘struggle’, and Muslims believe that
there are two kinds of Jihad. The other ‘Jihad’ is the inner struggle which everyone
wages against egotistic desires, for the sake of attaining inner peace.
WHAT ABOUT FOOD?
Although much simpler than the dietary law followed by Jews and the early
Christians, the code which Muslims observe forbids the consumption of pig meat or
any kind of intoxicating drink. The Prophet taught that ‘your body has rights over you’,
and the consumption of wholesome food and the leading of a healthy lifestyle are seen
as religious obligations.
The Prophet said:
‘Ask God for certainty (of faith) and well-being; for after certainty, no one is given any gift better than health!’

HOW DOES ISLAM GUARANTEE HUMAN RIGHTS?
Freedom of conscience is laid down by the Qur’an itself:
There is no compulsion in religion
(2:256)
The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether a
person is Muslim or not. Racism is incomprehensible to Muslims, for the Qur’an
speaks of human equality in the following terms:
made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God’s sight is the greatest