The Five Pillars of Islam (Cambridge International IGCSE Religious Studies)

What is Shahadah?

The Five Pillars of Islam

• The Five Pillars of Islam are five duties that Muslims of all branches of Islam must follow

Shahadah

• Shahadah is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam

• It is the Muslim statement of belief or declaration of faith and describes the key message of Islam that all Muslims must accept

• The basic statement of Shahadah contains two beliefs:

  • There is no God but Allah
  • The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is his Messenger

• Muslims believe that this statement is key to their religion

  • Everything in Islam centres around these two key beliefs

• The belief that there is no God but Allah is known as tawhid

• It means that Muslims must worship only one God, Allah, as the only one worthy of worship

blockquote “Allah bears witness that there is no god except Him, as do the angels and all who have knowledge … There is no god except Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise” (Qur’an 3:18–19)

• Worshipping anything else but Allah is considered shirk, a serious sin that is described as unforgivable in the Qur’an

• The second part of Shahadah means that Muslims must believe that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a messenger of Allah

  • This belief in prophets is known as risalah

• Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was human, not a god

  • He was a man who dedicated his whole life to serving Allah
  • He was the key to humanity receiving the full and unaltered message of Allah

What is Salah?

• Salah is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam
• It is the compulsory prayer that takes place five times each day
• The Qur’an teaches Muslims about Salah

blockquote “Celebrate the glory of your Lord and be among those who bow down to Him: worship your Lord until what is certain comes to you” (Qur’an 15:98–99)

• In the quote, the phrase “what is certain” refers to death

  • This passage calls on believers to worship Allah for their entire lifetime

• This quote also mentions bowing down to Allah, which is a key element of performing Salah

• All of the prophets taught about worship, and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) showed Muslims how they should pray

What is Sawm?

• Sawm is the **fourth **of the Five Pillars of Islam

• Sawm is Arabic for fasting

• The main period of fasting is during** Ramadan**, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar

  • The month of Ramadan is significant because it was the month when the Angel Jibril first visited the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and gave him the first revelation of the Qur’an
  • The fasting starts at the sighting of the new moon and lasts until the festival of ‘id-al-Fitr
  • During this month, all Muslim adults in good health should observe fasts during daylight hours
  • This involves abstaining from food and drink and anything that distracts them from remembering Allah (smoking, sex, listening to music)

• The Qur’an teaches Muslims about Sawm

blockquote “You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you… so that you may be mindful of God” (Surah 2:183)

What is Zakah?

• Zakah is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam

• It is the practice of Muslims giving a compulsory contribution of 2.5 per cent of their wealth to benefit the poor and needy

  • This amount is paid at the end of each lunar year
  • The final month of the Islamic year is Dhul Hijjah

• Islam teaches that wealth is a gift from Allah that must be used responsibly

  • All Muslims who can afford it have a **duty **to share some of their earnings with those in need

• Zakah goes to those who are poor or in debt, to comfort those who are travelling or to pay the ransom for** prisoners of war**

  • This is in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an

blockquote “Alms [food or money given to the poor] are meant only for the poor, the needy, those who administer them, those whose hearts need winning over, to free slaves and help those in debt, for God’s cause, and for travellers in need” (Qur’an 9:60)

What is Hajj?

• Hajj is the fifth of the Five Pillars of Islam

• Hajj means pilgrimage, which is a special journey to a place of religious significance

• For Muslims, the holiest place on earth is the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and other prophets lived and preached

• All Muslims who are physically fit and can afford to do so should make the journey to Makkah once in their lifetime

• Hajj is held annually in the month of Dhul Hijjah

  • It lasts for five days
  • Each year, around three million Muslims travel to Makkah to take part

Worked Example State two of the Five Pillars of Islam

[2 marks]

Final answer: Answer:

One is Shahadah, or belief in one God, Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as His prophet [1 mark]

Another is Salah or prayer [1 mark]