Day 4: Affirm the Pillars

INTRODUCTION

While I was a kid, I always wondered whenever I heard the statement:“Islam is built upon five pillars”. It was difficult to picture the building albeit its pillars. It took maturity to realize it was a metaphorical statement used to establish an important concept. The pillars of Islam are strong fortresses that affirms one’s belief and submissiveness to Allah through actions. Without the pillars, the structure wouldn’t stand. So falling short in belief or fulfillment of these five pillars makes one’s Islam invalidated.

INSPIRATION

On the authority of Abu 'Abd al Rahman 'Abdullah bin 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhuma, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Islam has been built upon five things - on testifying that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah; on giving the zakah; on Hajj to the House; and on fasting during Ramadhan."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

REFLECTION

• The first pillar is the shahadah — testification to faith. It comes in two parts: upholding the belief in Allah as the Sovereign Lord without partner and following the ways of the noble Messenger SAW.
• The first part of the Shahadah has seven conditions vis-a-vis:
  
  1. Knowledge - understanding what it means.
  2. Certainty - having no doubt about anything confirmed in the Quran or Sunnah
  
  3. Acceptance - believing in the heart and proclaiming with the tongue whatever the Shahadah implies
  4. Submission - putting into action with enactment by deeds
  
  5. Truthfulness - saying the Shahadah sincerely, with honesty and to actually mean it
  
  6. Sincerity - doing this solely for the sake of Allah
  
  7. Love - loving the Shahadah, its implications and what it stands for.
• The second part of the Shahadah carries the following six conditions:
  
  1. To believe in the Prophet SAW and in whatever he came with
  2. To obey him in whatever he commanded us to do
  3. To stay away from whatever he commanded us not to do
  
  4. To emulate him in our worship, manners and way of life
  
  5. To love him more than we love ourselves, our family and anything else in this world
  
  6. To understand, practice and promote his Sunnah in the best way possible, without creating any chaos, enmity or harm.
• The second pillar is establishment of solat with purity and piety at it’s fixed stated time.
• The third pillar is giving zakat to those in need. This is based on certain conditions with a fixed percentage on certain items.
• The fourth pillar is hajj — doing pilgrimage to the house of Allah if we have the means, once in a lifetime.
• The fifth pillar is fasting in the month of Ramadan. This is a spiritual training that detoxifies the body and soul.

CONCLUSION

All the Pillars of Islam have rulings, conditions and mannerisms applied to

them. It is important that we know these and regularly remind ourselves,

especially before Ramadan or before performing Hajj. This will enable us perform the Pillars properly and in line with the methodology of the one whom Allah has sent with the truth.