ARTICLES OF FAITH , PILLARS OF ISLAM

The belief system in Islam is commonly explained by referring to the six articles of faith and the five pillars of Islam. The six articles of faith outline what Muslims are required to believe in and the five pillars refer to the actions that Muslims are obliged to perform.

THE SIX ARTICLES OF FAITH

Allah

Allah is an Arabic word, which means the One God. By definition, every Muslim believes in God who is known to be the Creator and the Sustainer of all things that exist. Islam holds that God transcends the possession of any physical attributes, and is not bound by any of the limitations of human beings or of anything else. He has no parents, no children, no associates and no partners. God is, however, described by His ‘99 names’, such as the Creator, Sustainer, the Merciful, the Light and the Forgiver.

Angels

Muslims believe that Angels are created by God from light. They are not to be confused with the classical western images of angels in human form with wings and halos, nor with ghosts. Angels are an entirely different creation to humans, and unlike humans they have not been given free will. Angels are there to do the bidding of their Lord, for example the Angel of Death, angels who record everything that happens to a person, and angels who delivered revelations to Prophets.

Prophets or Messengers

In Islam, the word Prophet does not indicate a person who prophesies the future. It refers to a human being who is chosen by God to convey His Message and to guide other humans. Muslims believe in all the prophets, or messengers, that God has chosen, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elijah, Job, Jonah, Zachariah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon all of God’s prophets). Since Islam is a universal religion throughout the history of humankind, Muslims believe that God continuously revealed Divine Guidance to prophets until the last Guidance was given to the Prophet Muhammad.

The Revealed Scriptures

Muslims believe that God revealed four major scriptures to humankind through his Prophets. Thus, Muslims believe that the Torah was given to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus and the Qur’an to Muhammad. They believe, however, that the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel in their original form have been lost as the scriptures were altered and corrupted by human beings. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is now the only Revealed Scripture that has not been changed from its original form.

The Hereafter

Muslims believe that this life is very short in comparison with the life hereafter. Muslims are required to have faith in the reality of the hereafter, the Day of Judgement, Resurrection, Paradise and Hell.

Divine Decree

The last article of faith is the belief in God’s decree. Muslims believe that God has power over everything. All that happens is according to His Will, thus nothing is supernatural or random. However, Muslims are not fatalistic they are given free will and enjoined to strive to do their best in all situations since human beings do not know where their destiny lies. Thus, they must exhaust all possible means and when the inevitable occurs (good or bad) it is to be taken with patience and trusting acceptance of the infinite wisdom of God

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

Shahada

Shahada is an  Arabic word which means testimony or witness. The Shahada is the testimony of faith that every Muslim makes, either when she or he becomes Muslim or simply through rituals such as formal prayers. It is necessary to declare or accept the Shahada at least once in a lifetime to be a Muslim. The Shahada consists of these words, ‘I testify that there is no deity except God, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God’.

Salat

Salat is an Arabic word, which is better understood as ‘ritual prayers’. Muslims pray five times a day. The formal prayers are in a rigid form at fixed times during the day. Muslims can pray anywhere as long as the place is clean. The formal prayers can be carried out at home or in mosques or schools and can be prayed either alone or in a group with an Imam. Muslims are first required to perform wudhu or ritual ablution. Then they pray facing the city of Mecca, or as close to the exact direction as possible. Prayer compasses are available that allow Muslims to find the approximate direction of Mecca from different parts of the world, by aligning the north finding compass needle with a numbered point on the circumference of the compass corresponding to the nearest major city, and then praying in the direction of a fixed arrow on the compass face. The five formal prayer times are at dawn, mid-day, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. Although some Muslims try to pray at the precise time of the call to prayer, this is

not always possible. It is permitted to perform any of the prayers between the call to prayer for that particular prayer and the call to prayer for the following prayer (except the dawn prayer which should be performed before sunrise). Where a person’s professional or other important

Responsibilities or commitments do not allow him or her to pray at the appointed time (in extreme cases) it is permitted to perform missed prayers together with later prayers. Muslims can also offer supplications (du’a) to God; this can be done anywhere and anytime. The formal prayers include standing, bowing, prostration and sitting, while reciting sections from the Qur’an and praising and glorifying God. Although many people may imagine that five formal prayers are a burden, as part of a daily routine they do not take a great deal of time. Most practicing Muslims see Salat as a way to get closer to God and to keep God in mind in their daily lives.

Zakat

Zakat is an Arabic word whose root meaning is to purify. Zakat is an obligatory charity that that purifies one’s own wealth by giving to those less fortunate. The obligatory charity of one fortieth (2.5 %) is due on the wealth which is saved in one year; that is, on money that is not spent

towards meeting one’s needs. Normal charity, which is called sadaqa, is also strongly recommended in Islam. This can be given anywhere and anytime.

Siyam

Siyam is an Arabic word for fasting during Ramadan. Muslims fast from dawn until sunset every

day during Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and each month begins at the sighting of the new moon. While the Gregorian calendar is 365 or 366 days long, the lunar calendar is shorter since it comprises 12 lunar months, amounting to 354 or 355 days. Accordingly, Ramadan falls 11 days earlier in each Gregorian year and so over a period of 33 years Ramadan moves through all the seasons to come back to where it commenced. Fasting entails refraining from any kind of food or drink, smoking and sexual relations between dawn and sunset. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey are

permitted to break the fast, while women who are menstruating, pregnant or nursing are specifically enjoined not to fast. They should, however, make up an equal number of days later in the year if they are healthy and able. The length of the fasting day depends on the time of year that Ramadan falls and obviously the difference between summer and winter is more

pronounced the further north one travels.

Hajj

Hajj is an Arabic word, which translates as pilgrimage. Every Muslim is required to make the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime. A person who is unable to do so due to illness or lack of finances is, however, excused. A person who has debts does not need to make pilgrimage until he or she has settled all debts.