Central Beliefs of Islam and the Five Pillars
The central beliefs of Islam include basic doctrines of Islam that are considered to be God's
commandments and are collectively known as the Five Pillars of Islamic Faith. They include a belief in
the absolute unity of God, belief in angels, belief in prophets, belief in scriptures, and belief in the Final
Judgement. The first pillar of Islam is the practice of professing faith in the unity of one God and the
message of Muhammad , "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger," (Fisher,2005).
The second pillar is praising in a continuous round of prayers five times a day reciting a series of prayers
and passages from the Qur'an. Muslims believe repeating the prayers will strengthen one's belief in
the existence of God, purify the heart, comfort the mind and soul, and enhance goodness while taking
away evil in a person. The third pillar is zakat (charity). At the end of the year, Muslims give at least two
and a half percent of their income to the needy. This was created to aid in the decrease of inequalities
in wealth and prevent personal greed. The fourth pillar is fasting, used to achieve purity and a clear
mind. It is preferred that Muslims do this on a regular basis but the only one that is mandatory is the
fast during Ramadan, remembrance of the first revelations of the Qur'an to Muhammad. Finally, the
fifth pillar is hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. If possible, all Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage
to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. It consists of symbolic rituals that bring the faithful as close as
possible to God.
Zakat would be the easiest pillar for me to fulfill. I'm a generous person and I do not like to see
anyone that is homeless or hungry. If I am able to make a difference in someone's life I will definitely
do it. If the shoe were on the other foot, I would appreciate someone trying to help me. I think Zakat is
a good...