Pillars of Islam

Part 1

[Studies on Islam]

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What is the most significant belief of Islam?

How does Islam affect the way Muslims live?

What if a Muslim fails to perform the prayer correctly?

PREVIEW

Islam has six basic beliefs which are called "Pillars of Islam." Muslims must be obedient to these beliefs in order to get into paradise. Paradise is described as an afterlife of sensual pleasure where Muslims will enjoy eating, drinking and having sex with big breasted white virgins (K 44:54; 52:20; 55:72; 56:22; 78:33). Muslims believe the more they practice these beliefs, the more credits they receive from Allah. The more credits they receive, the better their chance of getting into paradise.

1. CONFESSION

(K 3:81; 5:83-84; 7:172; 3:144; 33:40; 48:29;

2:255; 3:18; 4;87; 64:8)

"Ashhad la elah illa Allah. Muhammad rasoul Allah" which means "I confess that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."

a. Muslims must recite this confession in Arabic, the language of the Koran, even if they do not understand what they are saying, as Arabic is not the native language of many Islamic countries.

b. The confession is to be recited in the ears of newborns and people who are dying.

c. It is repeated in ritual prayers over 30 times daily.

2. PRAYER

(K 2:3, 177; 11:114; 17:78; 20:14, 130; 30:17-18)

Formal Prayer

*The same ritual prayer (K 1: 1-7) has to be recited in Arabic five times each day at dawn, noon, mid- afternoon, sunset and nightfall. Muslims are still looking for Allah's guidance. "Guide us to the right way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed your grace." (K 1:6).

* Muslims can pray anywhere, but preferably in the mosque, led by a prayer leader called the Sheik or Inmam (Muslim clergy).

* Purification rites are required before prayer. Muslims use water to make themselves clean. If no water is available, they must sprinkle their hands, arms, faces, heads, and feet with the dust of the ground (K 4:43; 5:6). This is the way Allah wishes to clean them (K 5:6).

* Allah considers women unclean when they are on their period, thus they are not required to pray during this time. If a woman prays when on her period, Allah does not give her credit for it.

* Muslims must face toward Mecca when praying.

* Kneeling down is the style during prayer.

* Prayer requires formal prostration in which a Muslim's forehead touches the ground.

* Muslims believe that prayer must be performed exactly right in order to receive credit from Allah.

* If a Muslim passes gas, burps, sneezes, has a nose bleed, or looks around while praying, Allah will not hear his prayer or give him credit for it.

* The Mosque is the formal place of prayer and Friday noon is the major day and time for community prayer.

* Muhammad taught Muslims formalized ritual prayer:

"Passing in front of someone while praying annuls the prayer." (B 1:488)

"It's a sin to pass in front of someone while he is praying." (B 1:489)

"Don't raise your head from the bowing before the imam (Muslim clergy). If you do so, Allah will turn your face into a donkey's face." (B 1:660)

"If the prayer rows (of men) are not straight, Allah will alter your faces." (B 1:685)

"If the prayer rows (of men) are not straight, the prayer is not good." (B 1:690)

"If you look up during prayer, you'll lose your eyesight." (B 1:717)

"If you don't perform the bowing perfectly, your prayers are not accepted." (B 1:759)

Informal Prayers

Muslims may recite extra prayers voiced in their native tongue to receive more credit from Allah. These may be voiced near tombs and in special mosques that are dedicated to Muslims who died while trying to kill non-Muslims.

3. GIVING

(K 2:43, 83, 110, 177, 277; 9:58-60, 103; 24:56; 27:3; 57:7; 59:7;97: 3-5; 98:5)

a. Muslims give 2.5% of their net annual income to be used to help poor Muslims, to build mosques, and to spread Islam through the holy war of Islam (Jihad).

b. Some of this money is used to entice people to convert to Islam (K 9: 58-60).

4. FASTING

(K 2:183-185)

* Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan, the 9thmonth of the Islamic calendar. They are required to fast during the daylight hours, from sunrise to sunset, but can then feast at night, from sunset to sunrise.

* The fast lasts either 29 or 30 days, according to the appearance of the moon.

* 1/30 of the Koran should be recited daily to receive merits from Allah.

* Ramadan ends with the Breakfast Feast.

5. PILGRIMAGE

(K 2:26-29,196-201; 3:97)

* Making a pilgrimage to Mecca, has its origin in a pre-Islamic ritual, where pagans made a pilgrimage to the Kaaba (cubic building) in Mecca (city in Arabia), which was a pagan temple filled with 360 idols.

* It is required that Muslims visit Mecca during a special annual season to perform certain rituals in and around the Kaaba.

* All Muslims are required to make this pilgrimage, at least once in their lifetime if they are able to pay the cost of the journey from their own money, not borrowed money.

Rites performed on the pilgrimage:

a. Walking around the Kaaba 7 times.

b. Kissing or touching the Black Stone housed in the Kaaba.

c. Drinking water from the well of Zamzam.

d. Praying at Mena and Arafat Mountains, and stoning a rock formation which represents Satan.

e. Visiting Muhammad's grave in Medina (city in Arabia) and praying in Muhammad's mosque.

Note: Non-Muslims are forbidden into Mecca and Medina.

f. Visiting the graves of:

Abu-Bakr, the 1st Caliph (successor to Muhammad), Omar: the 2nd Caliph, and Fatima, Muhammad's step daughter, the daughter of Khadija, his first Christian wife. Fatima was also the wife of Ali, Muhammad's cousin and the 3rd Caliph.

g. The Pilgrimage to Mecca ends with the Sacrifice Feast where Muslims sacrifice an animal to celebrate Abraham's sacrifice of a ram in place of his son Isaac (Gen 22:2). Some Muslim scholars believe Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Ishmael, but there is no evidence to support this, even in the Koran. The Koran does not name the son that Abraham was going to sacrifice (K 37:102).

6. HOLY WAR OF ISLAM (JIHAD)

a. Jihad is an Arabic word that means holy war. It is the most significant belief of Islam.

b. According to the Koran, Jihad is:

* Striving and fighting for the sake of Allah.

* A military war associated with the will of Allah and launched by his permission to kill the infidels (non-Muslims) if they refuse to convert to Islam.

"If anyone wants a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him." (K 3:85)

c. Muhammad and Muslims must be aggressive to non-Muslims.

"Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, and those who follow him (Muslims) are compassionate among themselves but aggressive to the infidels (non-Muslims)." (K 48:29)

d. Jihad is like doing business with Allah. It is a commercial relationship between Muslims and Allah. If Muslims kill infidels (non-Muslims), Allah will grant them a sensual paradise in the afterlife, where they will enjoy food, alcohol, and sex with big breasted white virgins (K 78:33).

"Allah has purchased the souls of the believers (Muslims) and their possessions; for theirs in return is the paradise; they slay and are slain fighting for his sake." (K 9:111)

"We (Allah) shall give a great reward to he who fights for my sake, whether he is slain or wins victory." (K 4:47)

The only assurance any Muslim has that he will get into paradise is given to those who are killed while trying to kill non-Muslims. Even Muhammad was not assured he was going to paradise.

Muhammad said, "None of you (Muslims) will get into paradise except by Allah's mercy."

One said, "Not even you, messenger of Allah!" Muhammad said, "Not even me unless Allah would have mercy on me." (B 1)

Also, Muhammad's prayer was, "I take refuge in you, Allah from the torment of the grave and from the torment of hell." (B 1)

This is only a brief introduction to the holy war of Islam. (see "Holy War of Islam" Part 1" for details)

GLOSSARY

* Islam originally is a political revolution led by Muhammad Bin Abd Allah in Arabia in the 7th century. Islam was not derived from the Arabic word "salam", which means "peace" as Muslims claim. It was derived from "istislam" which means "surrender or die", the word Muhammad shouted while pursing his opposition. His militant commands and pagan beliefs are contained in the Koran, the book of Islam.

* Mecca is the city in Arabia where Muhammad began his campaign (610-622 AD) to gain followers. At that time, because he had no military support, he took no action against people who chose not to follow him.

* Medina is the city in Arabia where Muhammad moved after his mother's tribe offered him military support. In Medina (622-632 AD) he and his mother's tribe waged wars to force people to follow them or be killed. In the Koran, one can clearly see the difference in Muhammad's tolerant teachings in Mecca and his harsh teachings in Medina. Today, Muslims continue to wage wars, wherever they have political power, to force people into Islam.

* The Koran is the book of Islam that Muhammad claimed was revealed to him by Allah, the pagan moon god of Arabs.

(K 1:1) stands for (Koran chapter 1: verse 1)

* The Bukhary is a collection of Muhammad's sayings.

(B 1:1) stands for (Bukhary volume 1: saying 1)

* Jihad, the holy war, is the most sacred duty of Muslims and is carried out by militant Muslims, politically known as terrorists. Their goal is to spread Islam by force and, as instructed by the Koran, to kill whoever refuses to convert.

Copyright © by Kamil International Ministries Organization All Right Reserved.

Published on: 2007-08-23 (1241 reads)