Doctrine of IslamThe 5 Pillars

Profession of faith رسول محمد أن أشهد و الله إال إله ال أن أشهد

الله “There is no god but Allah, and

Muhammad is his messenger.”

Shahadah

Prayer five times daily

Salat

Ritual fasting during Ramadan

Sawm

Charitable giving

Zakāt

Pilgrimage to Mecca Follows Hegira

Hajj

How does obeying the Five Pillars make a Muslim society stronger?

Holy war against infidels Some Muslims believe that this is a pillar Means “struggle against the adversaries of

the faith” Adversaries could mean:

Personal and social vices (wrath, intolerance, temptation)OR

Physical enemies (i.e., Christians, Jews, non-Muslims)

Jihad!

Islam means submission Forbidden to eat pork or drink intoxicating

beverages Friday afternoons set aside for communal worship No priests or central religious authority

Expected to worship Allah directly Ulama – scholarly religious teachers who study and

apply the words and deeds of Muhammad in everyday life

Way of Life

Allah is supreme authority He expressed will to Muhammad through Gabriel These revelations expressed orally Finally written down in Koran

Means “recite” Contains 114 Suras - chapters

Arabic version considered only “true” copy Why?

Wherever Muslims spread, Arabic became official language Muhammad’s mission was to be example

Called Sunnah This is the basis for Shari’a law, or law based on the Koran

Source of Authority

To Muslims:

Allah is same God that is worshipped in Christianity and Judaism

Jesus was a prophet, not Son of God He corrupted the message Koran perfects older revelations (Bible, Torah, etc.) Koran and Muhammad were final book and prophet Jews and Christians are “People of the Book” All three believe in heaven/hell and a Day of

Judgement

Comparisons