Running head: RELIGION AND THEOLOGY 1

Religion and Theology: Investigating Islam Essay

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RELIGION AND THEOLOGY 2

Five Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of the Islamic religion, and Muslims required

to observe them and show total devotion in worship and in doing good. The pillars include the

declaration of the faith, also referred to as Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj. Shahada is

the first Islamic pillar, and it involves a confession of the Islamic faith. One declares their faith in

Allah as the only God and Muhammed as the last prophet of Allah. Declaration of Allah, as the

only true God is the first part of Shahada, and one is expected to recite three times in the

presence of a witness for them to become a Muslim. The Shahada signifies that no other person

or object has the right to be worshipped apart from Allah, who is recognized as the only creator,

sustainer, and the most powerful. The second declaration recognizes Muhammed as the last

messenger of Allah in the long chain of prophets called by Allah (Center for Research and

Evidence on Security Threat, 2016).

The second pillar is Salah, a prayer that the Muslims are expected to observe five times a

day while facing Mecca. Offering the prayer regularly is the main way of pleasing Allah by

remembering him constantly. Muslims are commanded by Allah in the Quran to offer prayer in

remembrance of Allah. Muhammed also declares prayer as a pillar of the Islam religion, and one

who establishes prayers establishes the religion, and destroying the prayer is destroying the

religion. Salah is a way of a Muslim establishing a spiritual connection with Allah, serves a way

of purifying a person's soul, an opportunity for repentance and forgiveness, and prevents one

from falling into sin.

Zakat is a charity to the poor, and people in need for Allah's sake. It a requirement for

every Muslim to give 2.5% of the annual capital to those who are poor. The requirement is either

fulfilled through direct giving to the poor or through charitable organizations of the Muslim with

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the aim of achieving a generous lifestyle. The act enables individuals to become trustworthy.

Zakat is an obligation that fulfilled in order to purify the remaining wealth for both spiritual and

financial growth. Benefits of the Zakat as a pillar include purification from greed, selfishness,

enhancing compassion, blessings, and reducing poverty in the community (Waheed, 2018).

Sawn is fasting, which is conducted during the month of Ramadhan, the Holy month of

Allah. Muslims are expected to refrain from food, sexual relations, tobacco, and others during

daylight. Sawn enables Muslims to attain self-control and oppress unacceptable behavior for one

to achieve spiritual progress. The act requires obedience and submission to the commandments

of Allah and is achieved through commitment and sincerity. Only the sick, both mentally and

physically, the elderly, travelers, and menstruating women, are exempted. Fasting promotes

spiritual growth, purifies the soul, has health benefits, and builds patience.

The fifth pillar is known as Hajj or Pilgrimage, and every Muslim is expected to make a

Pilgrimage to Mecca, at least depending on their financial state and their health. Muslims are

expected to dress in white garments, with no indicators of socioeconomic status as a way of

recognizing that all are equal before Allah. Pilgrimage is a period of temporal suspension of

worldly activities to reflect, worship, and also ask forgiveness from Allah in order to be closer to

Allah. This act of worship involves animal sacrifice, supplication, walking through the

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mountains, and other rituals that are conducted for six continuous days. Pilgrimage increases the

spirit of brotherhood and helps the Muslims live as one nation.

The pillars are prescribed by Allah, they are practical, and acting in accordance with

them in order to acquire blessings and demonstrate that their faith is the priority. The five pillars

are known as pillars because they shape and guides the life of a Muslim. They form the

framework of Muslim life. The pillars are unique aspects of the religion that differentiate it from

other religions. They enhance the survival of religion. The religion cannot stand or survive if the

five pillars are not upheld by the Muslims (Waheed, 2018).

A Detailed Analysis of how one Pillar would function in the Daily Life of a Particular

Muslim Individual

Salat is the second pillar of Islam, and Muslims are expected to pray five times a day.

The prayer impacts the daily life of a Muslim since one is expected to stop five times a day to

think about God. A Muslim carries out Wudu or washing before engaging in prayers. One is

expected to wash the right and left hand, mouth face, and feet, which are the parts that are

involved in prayer. The act is known as minor ablutions while major ablution involves washing

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of the whole body. Conducting prayers five times a day demands a proper plan for daily

activities to ensure that one is available for prayers at the designated times.

Salat also brings unity or Ummah in the Islam community. During prayer meetings in the

Mosque, Muslims are able to socialize with others. Women and men pray in separate areas to

avoid distractions. The commitment brought by praying together influences the commitment in

social relationships of caring for each other. Relationships between the members of the

community become stronger.

Prayer acts as a source of strength and shield one against evil deeds. Engaging in prayer

is a way of strengthening the relationship with Allah, which is built on love for others. Frequent

moments in the presence of Allah enables an individual to keep their behavior in check to ensure

that they please him. Prayers also facilitate learning since Muslims get an opportunity to listen to

Khutbah, which is a sermon given by the imam (Khan, 2017).

Prayers conducted on Friday noon are significant, and the day is even considered in

Muslim countries. The men gather to the mosque to pray their ra’gus. It is a significant act as it

brings the community together. The Muslims view the whole world as a place of prayer and can

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be carried anywhere. The essence of prayer is to achieve cleanliness as they approach Allah

when they are physically clean in order to achieve spiritually clean through the repentance of

sins. The prayer, therefore, affects every aspect of daily life. Prayers are known to influence the

foundations of families in marriages, and in community (Hatch, Alghafli, Marks, Rose, Rose,

Hardy, & Lambert, 2017).

Compare and Contrast the ancient Community Practice Similar Rituals as the Five Pillars

There are different Christians in the Middle East, including Coptic, Syrian, Armenian,

and Assyrian, who belong to the oriental orthodox. Among them are the Chaldeans, a Semitic-

speaking group that migrated to the region of Mesopotamian. In reference to religion, the term

Chaldean is used to refer to the Chaldean Catholics who reside in Iraq. They are known to use

the Aramaic language. The Chaldean church is known to consist of the Middle East Christians

(Hanoosh, 2019). Chaldean Christians differ from the Roman Catholic since their baptism is

through immersion. Church and family are the central social unit of focus among the religious

group. The current Chaldeans have evolved in customs and liturgy over time. The church is

currently centered in Iraq and is known to constitute 80% of Christians living in Iraq (Girling,

2017).

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Shahada, a major pillar of the Islam religion that involves confession of the Islam faith is

similar to the liturgy of the word in the ancient Chaldeans, where they declare their belief in

various gods, who were worshipped with fruits, bread, human sacrifice, and sacrifice of brutes.

The ancient Chaldeans believed in several gods, while Muslims believe in Allah only. The Islam

religion is Symbolic, and the main symbol is the Shahada. The Chaldeans' symbol of worship

was the cross. The public confession of faith involves reciting the Nicene Creed. The fast of

Ninevites, which is practiced by the Chaldean Christians, is similar to Swan in the Islamic

religion. During the three days, the believers abstain from dairy foods and other meat products.

Stars are symbolic in both religions, although they have different meanings. The Chaldeans also

observed the act of pilgrimage, just like the Muslims, although in different places. Just like the

pillar of Salah, prayers were an important part of the Chaldean Christians conducted during

masses and led by the priests as specific times and days. Just like Zakat, tithe and other forms of

giving was an important part of the religion.

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References

Center for Research and Evidence on Security Threat, (2016). What Are The Five Pillars Of

Islam?

Girling, K. (2017). The Chaldean Catholic Church: Modern History, Ecclesiology and Church-

State Relations. Routledge.

Hanoosh, Y. (2019). The Chaldeans: Politics and Identity in Iraq and the American Diaspora.

Bloomsbury Publishing.

Hatch, T., Alghafli, Z., Marks, L., Rose, A., Rose, J., Hardy, B., & Lambert, N. (2017). Prayer in

Muslim families: A qualitative exploration. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social

Work: Social Thought, 36(1-2), 73-95.

Khan, H. M. (2017). The Mosque and the Muslim: Mapping Anthropology’s Islamic

Other. Essay submitted at the KU Leuven Department of Social and Cultural

Anthropology.

Waheed, A. (2018). A FOCUS ON: ISLAM. Community Practitioner, 91(4), 27-29.