The basis of Islam falls into several duties that humans ...



The basis of Islam falls into several duties that humans must perform in order to establish and perfect their relationship with God. Islamic law, like the Old Testament, was penned at a time when few were literate, and therefore, the ideas became a way to stratify and organize society, culture, and all aspects of life. The basic source of Islamic Law consists of the “Five Pillars of Islam,” which are five important tasks that unite all Muslims around the world. These duties are:

1. The Profession of One’s Faith (Shahada)

2. Giving to the Poor (Zakat) charity.

3. Fasting to honor one’s faith during high holy days (Sawm).

4. Ritual and regular prayer and contrition (Salah)

5. A holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca during one’s lifetime (Hajj) (Kamal-Ud-Din, 1990).

The basic tenets of belief in Islam surround the words Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad within the holy text the Koran (Qur’an in Arabic). Muslims do not believe that Muhammad was the originator of Islam, but that it was he who brought back the original monotheism of Abraham, Moses, Jesus of Nazareth, and other Prophets from the Christian and Judaic Old Testament (Aslan, 2006, 11-24). Islam holds that these Prophets were seminal instruments of God’s word, but that both the Judaic and Christian traditions have misinterpreted the meaning of the word of God, altered the texts given to man by the Angels, introduced false interpretations of God and man’s place within the framework of God, or a combination of all. Thus, the 5 Pillars are those duties that humans are required to perform to show their devotion and faith, as well as duties necessary to complete their cycle of belief. (Esposito, 4-5; Lippman, 1995, 3-20).

In addition, Islamic law has developed to touch almost every aspect of human life, and is called Sharia. There are the dietary laws, banking laws, welfare laws, criminal laws, and even warfare laws. While these laws have evolved over time, in much of the Muslim world, the conservative ideas of Sharia are maintained even today (Aslan, 45-72).

The ease or difficulty of the Pillars in modern society would clearly be dependent upon the area in which one lived, the chronological time, and the state of current international relations. If one is a Saudi, the Hajj is not traumatic, but if one is an American or Indonesian Muslim, cost and difficulties with political events could prevent that from becoming a relality. The other pillars would not be as difficult, with some moderation: it is hard for children to fast, especially in American schools, and; it is difficult for the specific prayer times to be managed if one is working in the corporate or an organizational environment that is structured. Fortunately, liberal Islam has made it easier to perform the works within a modern environment (; “How To Live According To The 5 Pillars of Islam”).

References:

Aslan, R. (2006), No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam,

Random House.

Esposito, J. (2000), The Oxford History of Islam, Oxford University Press.

“How To Live According To The 5 Pillars of Islam: The Foundation of Islam

Cannot Be Laid In A Day!,” (2008), Quick and Easy Guides.

Kamal-Ud-Din, K. (1990), The Five Pillars of Islam, Kessinger.

The Holy Koran

Lippman, T. (1995), Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World,

Plume.

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