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  A muslim declares his faith by reciting:

            The arabic words mean:  
                                                                                                                           

                 "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad
                        is the messenger of Allah"

This declaration is called Kalimah Tayyibah. It summarises the
whole of Islamic Belief. The first part (la ilaha illal lah) is about
the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed in Arabic) while the second
part (Muhammadur rasulul lah) concerns the prophethood
of Muhammad (SAW).

                                                      
                                                                                     
Salah is the second pillar of Islam. It refers to the five
 compulsory daily prayers. Salah is offered five times a day
individually or in congregation. We offer Salah to
remember Allah. It brings us closer to him.

  The Quran Says:
                               
   "Establish Salah to remember me (Allah)" (20:24)
Salah is the Practical proof of our faith in Allah
and Islam. It has been made compulsory at
certain fixed times.


The five daily prayers are:

Fajr - From dawn until just before sunrise

Zuhr - After midday until afternoon
Asr - From late afternoon until just before sunset
Maghrib - After sunset until daylight ends
Isha - Night until midnight or dawn

                           
Sawm (Fasting), the fourth pillar of Islam, is another act of Ibadah.
All adult Muslims must fast from dawn to sunset every day
of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
This means abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and
conjugal relations during the hours of fasting. Travellers
and the sick can defer fasting during Ramadan
and make up for it later.

Sawm develops self-control and helps us to overcome selfishness,
greed, laziness and other faults. It is an annual training programme to
refresh us for carrying out our duties towards Allah, the Creator
and Sustainer. Sawm gives us the feeling of hunger and thirst.
We experience for ourselves what it is like to have an empty stomach.
This develops our feeling for the poor and hungry people. Fasting
teaches us to control the love of comfort. It also helps us to keep
our sexual desires within control. Hunger, comfort and sex are
three factors which must be kept under control to
behave as Allahs servants.
It helps us to remain truly obedient to Allah's commands. That is why the Qur'an says:


"O you who believe; Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you are expected to be truly obedient. (2:183)

A truly obedient Muslim is called a Muttaqi and his true obedience
or piety - developed through Sawm - is known as Taqwa in Islam.
Taqwa keeps a person away from sin. The month of Ramadan
is a month of forgiveness, mercy and means of avoiding that
punishment of Hell. The duty of fasting is only for Allah's sake
and there is a very pleasing and attractive reward for
this in the life after death.

The following acts will break the fast:

Deliberate eating or drinking during fasting hours If anything
enters the body through the nose or mouth; this includes smoking
or sniffing any powdered substance Having any conjugal relations
during fasting hours. An injection in the muscle is allowed during
fasting but not an intravenous nutritional injection. Unintentional
eating or drinking due to forgetfulness or rinsing out the mouth
or bathing and putting drops in the eye do not make the fast invalid.

A Muslim is expected to remain away from all bad actions
during his fast. He should not tell a lie, break a promise or do any
deceitful act. The very purpose of fasting is to make a Muslim able
to control his passions, so that he becomes a person of good
deeds and intentions. Anger – a common human weakness–can
also be brought under control by fasting.

In addition to the compulsory fasting in Ramadan, a Muslim
may fast during other times of the year. These facts will be treated
as Sunnah. Fasting is not allowed during menstruation of women.
They are required to make up the days lost during
this period at some other time. A Muslim must not fast:

On the day of Idul Fitr
On the day of Idul Adha

The Qur'an was revealed in the month of Ramadan.
There is a night in the month which is ...

"better than a thousand months" (97:3)

This night is called Lailatul Qadr (Night of Power). According
to Hadith, this night occurs during the last ten days of Ramadan
(most probably the odd numbered nights). It is a night of great
importance; we should worship as much as we can on this night.

An additional prayer known as Tarawih (20 rakah or 8 rakah) is
offered during Ramadan after Isha. This is a sunnah prayer in which
efforts are made to recite as much of the Qur'an as possible. In many
mosques, the whole Qur'an is recited in Tarawih prayer. This prayer is
generally offered in congregation. Those who cannot join a
congregation should offer Tarawih at home.
A pre-dawn meal known as Suhur is taken in Ramadan.

At the end of Ramadan Muslims celebrate Idul Fitr, a day of
thanksgiving and happiness. It is one of the great occasions
for the Muslim community. On this day, Muslims offer
special prayers in congregation and thank Allah
for His blessings and mercy.

     
                                  
Zakah (welfare contribution) is the third pillar of Islam. The Arabic
 word Zakah means to purify or cleanse. Zakah is to be paid once
a year on savings at the rate of two and a half percent. This rate
applies to cash, bank savings and gold & silver jewellery. The rate
for cattle and agricultural produce is different.

Payment of Zakah is a means of keeping our wealth clear
of greed and selfishness. It also encourages us to be honest
in our earnings and expenditure.

Zakah is a compulsory payment and is neither charity nor a tax.
Charity is optional and taxes can be used by the state for any purpose,
but Zakah has to be spent under fixed headings like helping the poor
, the needy, payment of salaries to its collectors, to free
captives and debtors, for travellers in need, to win
 over hearts and for the cause of Allah ( 9:60)

Zakah is an act of Ibadah. Ibadah is an Arabic term which means
 worship and obedience. It includes all activities of life,
if we do them to please Allah. We pay Zakah to gain Allah's favour.

Zakah provides us with the opportunity of sharing our excess wealth
 with those less fortunate than ourselves. In fact we and our wealth
 belong to Allah. He is the real owner and we are mearly the
 trustees of His wealth. We do our duty as trustees if we pay
 Zakah as an obligatory part of Ibadah.
We learned earlier that Islam is a complete code of life which
 includes among other things, the economic side of life.
Islam has its own economic principles. Zakah is one of the
basic principles of the Islamic economy, based on social welfare
 and fair distribution of wealth. In addition to the compulsory
payment of Zakah, Muslims are encouraged in the Qur'an to
make voluntary contributions to help the poor and needy,
and for other social welfare purposes.
This voluntary contribution is called Sadaqah (Charity).

Through the payment of Zakah, the rich share their
 wealth with the poor and thus the process of concentration
 of wealth is checked and fair distribution ensured.

 
                                 
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is a visit to Al-Ka'bah, the house
of Allah in Makkah, once in a lifetime by those Muslims who
can afford to make the journey. It is performed during the period
from the 8th to 13th Dhu'l Hijjah, the twelfth month
of the Islamic calendar.

Al-Ka'bah, known as Baitullah (house of Allah), is a cube-like
one storey building which was built originally by Adam and later
rebuilt by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael). It is the first house ever built for the sole purpose of the worship of Allah. Allah has blessed this Al-Ka'bah. Muslims who can afford to make the journey and are physically fit come here every year from all over the world.

The occasion may rightly be called the Annual International Muslim
Assembly. During Hajj, the Islamic brotherhood becomes particularly
evident and can be experienced in a special way by everyone
who takes part. Barriers of language, territory, colour and
race disappear and the bond of faith is uppermost. Everyone
has the same status in the house of Allah – the status of
His servant.

Watch this space as we will be including a more detailed
article on Hajj. In Sha Allah.


                                
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