The Five Pillars of Islam
Islam has five pillars, or cornerstones,
on which we should build our lives. A good strong building has 4 strong
cornerstones, and good Muslims have 5 because we want to be strong
in the way we live! Remember, our goal in life is to join Allah in
Jannah (paradise) one day!
The Qur'an tells us that Allah created man to worship Him. We need
to follow His rules to do this the right way.
The pillars are our five basic duties. Allah is the one who gave us
these requirements. We don’t follow them only if we feel like it,
we are REQUIRED to follow them. Think about this: We all ask Allah
that He let us get this or do that, like get a good grade on our test
or get to go to a great place for dinner. But how can we expect Him
to grant our wishes if we don’t even do the things He’s asking US
to do?????
1. Shahadah - our basic belief
Do you know the
Shahadah? This is our belief as Muslims! It's what MAKES
us Muslims!
Allah (SWT) is One!
After the name of Allah, we write SWT - this means "Subhana-Hu wa
Ta'ala," or "Allah is glorified."
Muhammad (S) is His Messenger!
After the name of Prophet Muhammad, we write S - this means "Salla
Allahu ‘alaihi wa-Sallam," or "May the blessings of Allah be upon
him."
So all Muslims believe that Allah is One, He is the ONLY God, and
Muhammad is His Messenger! In Arabic we say,
La Illaha Illala, Muhammad ur Rasulullah
2. Salah - Daily Prayer
We must pray to be good Muslims. Before we pray we do Wudu, or clean
up in a special way. We wear clean clothes, and pray facing the
Kabah. We pray FIVE TIMES A DAY: Fajr - Dhohur - Asr - Maghrib -
Isha ! Praying to Allah this often helps us to remember Him every
minute of the day. And if we keep Allah in our minds all the time,
it helps us to be better people and keeps us from doing wrong things
Insha'allah.
We should start praying when we are 7 years old, and once we reach
10 years old we should not miss any prayers. This is a VERY important
requirement of Muslims, and like I said before, how can we expect
Allah to answer our prayers if we are not performing all of our
prayers?
3. Fasting
Muslims fast every day during the month of Ramadan. We don't eat
or drink anything during the day. We also pray, read the Qu'ran,
and do good deeds all day instead of bad ones. We watch our tongues
and don't fight with each other. Once you reach 10 years old, you
are required to fast. Of course this is quite hard, but it is one
more thing that helps us to be better people. We remember Allah,
as well as those who don't have as much as we do in life. We learn
not to be greedy and selfish. People in some parts of the world
go without much food every single day, not just during Ramadan.
Before you're 10 years old, you should try to fast for a few days
during Ramadan so you can begin to get used to it.
When we’re fasting, we try to continue our lives like we usually
do, and not take it extra easy. We go to school and work like we
always do, and not sit around watching movies or taking naps on
the weekends. If you’re bored or hungry, why don’t you read the
Qur’an or ask your mom or dad to read it to you?
4. Zakah - Sharing
Allah has given some of us a lot of money and other things, and
others not very much. WHATEVER WE DO HAVE, IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF
ALLAH. Allah want us to share our money and things with those who
don't have it (the poor).
Ask your parents to let you know about the Zakah they give for your
family. When do they give it during the year, and to whom? When
you get a little older, maybe Insha’Allah they’ll include you in
the Zakah planning.
5. Hajj
If we can afford it and are healthy enough to make the trip, we
are required to go once in our lives to Makkah and visit the Kabah
during Hajj. We are called pilgrims. We perform many rituals while
we're there, and we pray to Allah to forgive us and guide us.
Makkah and Medina are very important and wonderful cities! Insha’allah
when you go for your Hajj, you will feel the powerful feelings that
most people talk about when they go. When you see the Kabah for
the first time, you will realize that you are the closest to Allah
that you will EVER be while you are alive. Many people change a
lot once they complete their Hajj, like a new person, and they make
sure they are better Muslims once they go home. They decide to practice
the religion of Islam as well as they can, because they feel fresh
and strong. SUBHANALLAH! ALLAHU AKBAR!
Are you ready to follow
the five pillars of Islam, if you are not already doing this? Does
your family follow the requirements given to us by Allah?
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