The Five Pillars of Islam

Islam has five fundamental rites that are also referred to as the 'Five Pillars of Islam.' There is, first of all, the shahâdah, which literally means the'witnessing.' At its most basic level, it is a proclamation, which in Arabic is pronounced: " La ilaha il-Allah, Muhammadu-Rasool-ullah". The best English translation would be, "there is no other god (nothing of Divine Stature) but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This formula is spoken throughout a Muslim's life, at every turn, to lend weight to any human experience. So powerful is this invocation that Muslims use it as a cardinal element of conversion. Any person, who declares the shahâdah three times, in front of witnesses and with full conviction, is considered a Muslim.

The second pillar is the daily cycle of prayer or salâh, beginning at dawn and ending at night. In one revelation, the angel Gabriel had specified when this prayer should take place: at sunrise; at noon; in the mid-afternoon; after sunset; and before retiring for the night. The prayer should take place on a clean spot (often on a prayer rug, which Muslims carry for that purpose). A ritual wash is considered mandatory before the prayer, only if water is of easy access. The prayer spans several minutes, and is preferable in congregation. It consists of formulating an intention to be spiritually and mentally present, followed by recitation of verbal litanies, mostly from the Qur'an, accompanied by corresponding postures, such as standing facing the Kabba, bowing, and prostration, and ends with a greeting of "Peace" (Salaam) to the right and left. Pre-prayer ritual washing and the various postures all have precedents in pre-Islamic traditions; they are mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, as well as practiced in the Buddhist tradition. The performance of prostration, with forehead on the ground, among other things, is a symbol of complete submission to God. Friday is considered a sacred day, and special congregational services, comprised of a sermon and then ritual prayer, are performed in substitute for the noontime prayer.

The third pillar is the Zakat, or alms tax. The tax is apportioned on the basis of wealth, and is equivalent to two and one-half per cent of an individual's liquid assets, to be given away each year to the needy. Zakat literally means 'purification'. By giving away one's wealth for the sake of God, one 'purifies' it and recognizes ultimately that the true owner and dispenser of wealth is God. In addition, one acknowledges the worthiness of those less fortunate.

The fourth pillar is the thirty days of fasting (sawm) during the ninth lunar month of Ramadan. Between sunrise and sunset each day, the practitioner is to refrain from food, drink, and sexual activity. This is the minimal, legal, or 'physiological' portion of fasting. Also during this month, there is a general sense of keeping check upon one's own ego and psyche, and avoiding anything which distracts one from a 'prayerful' attitude, such as conflicts, gossiping, lustful urges, frivolity, greed, ill temper, and anger. For most Muslims, avoiding these latter items is more difficult than the 'physiological' fast. Most Muslims cope with the fast by having a light meal before sunrise, (which was a custom of Muhammad) and a complete dinner after sunset. Some form of fasting is a rite in just about every religion. Apart from the alleged spiritual graces that descend upon those who fast, there are well-described psychodynamics of fasting. Some are: a heightened sense of self awareness, strengthening of will, practice of restraint, patience, gaining a control or measure on carnal appetites, ability to witness the psychic bases urges and intentions, and other insights in to one's own inner states. Moreover, by 'doing without,' one shares an experience with those who are deprived, and this heightens sensitivity toward those less fortunate. Just as important, the month of Ramadan is also a temporal container for what the Qur'an refers to as The Night of Empowerment or Destiny (Laylatul Qadr). This is a night which marks the origin of the Qur'anic descent - when Muhammad received the Revelation, when Divinity disclosed Itself and embraced the human. The night is thought to be charged with special spiritual Grace. The precise night remains hidden, but is thought to fall on one of the last odd nights of the month. Many Muslims spend these nights in vigil, awake and in worship in hopes of experiencing the alleged inarticulable peace and transformation, which are supposed to mark the night. All in all, the fasting of Ramadan may be likened to a 'recharging of oness spiritual battery,' or a 'recalibration' of one's self. Muslims emerge from the month with hopes of bringing their improved state of mind, body and spirit into the ensuing months.

Finally, there is the pilgrimage to Makkah, the Hajj, which every Muslim man or woman should undertake at least once in his or her lifetime, if it is financially feasible, safe, and physically not a burden. The Prophet Abraham, according to the Qur'an, established the rite of Pilgrimage to Mecca. The very rituals pre-date Muhammad, who in the course of his Prophethood re-enforced the set of rituals that comprise the Hajj.

The Hajj is the single largest religious gathering of our time. It brings together roughly two million people, all dressed in an obligatory two sheets of white, unstitched cloth. The Hajj occurs in the 12th lunar month known as Zul-Hijja. Once the intention is made, and the pilgrim garb is donned, one embarks upon a set of rites, all the while reciting certain litanies. The rites are: circumambulation of the Kabba, pacing back and forth between two hillocks, commuting to various locales for prayer and invocation, praying and attending services at an open barren plane called Arafat during a specified time (this is thought to be symbolic of the gathering on the day of Judgment), casting pebbles at certain pillars (emulating Abraham's alleged pelting of Satan who tried to distract him from complying with God's command to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God), and if affordable, purchasing livestock for sacrifice and distributing the meat to the poor, (in commemoration of God's substituting Abraham's offering of Isaac with a ram instead), and a shaving or cutting of the hair.

The pacing ritual (known as Saaee) is symbolic and commemorates the search by Abraham's wife Hagar for water for her thirsty infant son Ishmael According to Islamic tradition, Abraham was directed to leave his wife and infant son near the site where the Kabba was later erected, around which the sacred precinct of The Mosque of Mecca was built. Beseeching God while pacing back and forth between two hillocks, she witnessed an Angel cleave the ground near the infant, whereupon water emerged for her and her baby. The same stream is said to flow to this day and fills wells around the sacred Mosque. The spring is known as Zam-Zam, and pilgrims drink from it eagerly.

In addition to the pilgrimage rites in Mecca, Muslims are encouraged to visit Medina, to pay respects at Muhammad's grave, around which has been erected a large mosque.