This is regarded by many as the foundation pillar, because if this is not accepted it is not possible for the other pillars to be followed.

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Pillar 1 Shahadah

This is regarded by many as the foundation pillar, because if this is not accepted it is not possible for the other pillars to be followed.

The bearing of witness or declaration of faith. It is a creed of Islam and outlines some of the beliefs, ”I believe that there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of god”. It is repeated as the first thing a new-born baby hears, repeated first thing in the morning upon waking, repeated last thing before sleeping and are the last words uttered to or by the dying.

         It has important values such as people showing their belief in Allah and accepting to submit to his will. And secondly to value Muhammad as the final prophet (the seal of the prophets), to follow his example (Sunnah), and to follow his sayings (hadith).

Pillar 2 Salah

This is praying 5 times a day. First of all the Muezzin gives the first call to prayer from the Minaret. The first call is the adhan and the second is from inside the prayer hall and is called the iqamah, this shows how important Muslims place praying as they make sure that everyone knows about it.

        The 5 set prayers and prayer calls have special names, the 1st is between the first light of day and sunrise, Salat-ul-Fajr. The 2nd the Salat-ul-zuhr is after the sun has left the midst of the sky. The 3rd the Salat-ul-Asr is between mid afternoon and sunset. The 4th the Salat-ul-maghrib is between sunset and the last light of day. And the 5th is between darkness of dawn.

        The fact that they prey 5 times a day every day shows ongoing commitment and self-discipline.

        They all pray together facing Mecca, shoulder to shoulder, which is very important as it shows brotherhood and unity, (Ummah). Also the facing towards Mecca shows their belief in Muhammad as the final and most important prophet, as this was where he set up the first Mosque, and rid out of all idols. Facing the Ka’bah shows the value of worshipping one god.

        They then, before entering the prayer hall, perform the ritual wash, the wudu.

This is so they can be in a fit state for prayer. For example the rinsing of the nostrils 3 times is so that they can smell the sweet scent of heaven, it reminds them of the afterlife.

        Then they enter the prayer hall and put all their earthly concerns and thoughts behind them, which puts them in a fit mental state to focus on Allah and Allah only. They do this by declaring niyyah.

        Then they perform the rakkah, which consists of a set of prayer movements and a spoken/sung prayer. One of the movements of the rakkah is bowing (ruku), this shows respect to Allah. Another is full prostration (sajdah), which involves kneeling on the ground also with the head touching the ground. This shows complete submission to Allah. Also during this time they are verbally praying (in Arabic) as well. The rakkah is very important to Muslims, so that they can worship Allah with words and actions.

        Muslims have many aims which are to be gained by prayer, the main 6 are: - to demonstrate obedience, to bring yourself closer to Allah, for peace and tranquillity, to develop will power, to develop gratitude and humility and to develop discipline.

       

Pillar 3 Zakah

This is the giving money to the poor. A Muslim is expected to, if they can afford it, pay 2.5% of their savings once a year. It is given in secret to the mosque so that those who give it receive no false praise, and those who receive it don’t feel ashamed. This shows equality and the importance Muslims place upon this task.  

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         Although there is nothing physically forcing a Muslim to pay the Zakah, it is a Muslim’s duty to pay it religiously. Which they will perform as they believe that all wealth is Allah’s and that it is their responsibility to share it between the world. The point of the zakah is to keep wealth free of greed and selfishness. So that all of Allah’s wealth is shared equally, which is Allah’s will. The word ‘zakah’ literally means to cleanse or purify, so from the zakah they believe that they are cleansing through giving.

        The zakah money itself is can be ...

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