AN EXPLANATION OF THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

It is estimated that about 1 billion people worldwide follow Islam, with Indonesia claiming the largest Islamic population, 88 percent of its 206,491,000 people (Yost, 1998, 11).

The term "Islam" is derived from an Arabic word "salaama" (submission) and is generally agreed to mean submission to Allah's will and obedience to Allah's law. The Muslim (adherent of Islam) believes that everything in the world (with the exception of man) is ruled by Allah-made laws. The writings of Islamic teaching discuss Five Pillars of Islam, each of which is described below. The Five Pillars are:

1. The act of "witnessing" that there is only one God and his name is Allah, and Mohammad is His messenger.

4. Observation of the fast of Ramadan

5. The Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) if affordable.

Allah is described in the Koran (the Islamic Holy Book)and he asks absolute submission. Allah also believes that the sole purpose of life is to worship him. The Koran explains that this means living life according to Allah's rules.

Human beings are considered the highest creatures in this cosmogony and human beings are given the gift of a rational mind and also have a spiritual aspect. Men and women are all born Muslims (according to this belief) and Allah gave each person at birth spiritual and intellectual potential.

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ed * Leaving and returning home * Starting a journey * Entering a city * Riding or driving Pillar Three: The payment of the Zakat In the Christian and Catholic faiths, tithing is suggested. In Islam, charity is an obligation that is also an act of worship and spiritual investment. "Zakat" means purity, but it also refers to the annual amount in kind or coin which a Muslim with means must distribute among the rightful beneficiaries. When a Muslim performs Zakat, he believes that it not only purifies his property of the contributor but also purifies his heart from selfishness and greed. Zakat is also said to purify the heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, from hatred and uneasiness and it fosters instead goodwill and warm wishes for the contributors. Burrell points out that Zakat serves as a reminder that "We are never to forget that our life comes forth each moment from the hand of God, and our destiny as well. This latter can easily spawn a form of fatalism, where the ubiquitous phrase "in sh'Allah" ("God willing" ) becomes an excuse for taking no initiative whatsoever" (Burrell, 1997, 19). Zakat is paid on the net balance after paying personal expenses, family expenses, due credits, taxes,
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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)