Core beliefs and religious practices have remained to be significant expressions of faith and culture in almost all religions across the globe. Moreover, to the Islamic community, Umma , the Five Pillars are the fundamental tenets to which the religious practice of Islam revolving around “submission to God” is based. This paper reviews in details the Five Pillars, also known as the arkan to which the Islam faith ascribes.
Submission to God is a fundamental objective that every Muslim believer adheres to. In order to meet this obligation, every individual must satisfy the requirements of the arkan which are deemed as the reflection of sound and responsible Islamic life. The Five Pillars consists of the Profession of Faith - The Shahada , Daily Prayers - Salat , the giving of alms – Zakat , Fasting during Ramadan - Saum , and finally the Pilgrimage to Mecca also known as the Hajj ( Hitchcock, 2005) .
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At the core of belief for every Muslim faithful is his or her Profession of the Muslim Faith also known as the shahada . The profession reveals Islam as a monotheistic religion with the belief that “ There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet ” (Emeritus & McGraw, 2014) . This profession clearly sets apart the unique nature of the Muslim belief.
Secondly, the Muslim faithful has to carry out the daily prayers – Salat , which is a series of prayers, recited five times a day. While it is not mandatory for a Muslim to conduct these prayers at the Mosque and thus being admissible for them to pray anywhere, they are advised to do so while facing Mecca. As a reflection of their reverence to God, Allah , they ought to kneel and bow with their heads touching the ground several times while praying on a mat.
Entrenched in the third pillar also known as the Zakat or the giving of alms is the Muslim religious practice of generosity. This act entails the need for the Muslim faithful to share his or her well with those who are underprivileged amongst his or her community of fellow faithful (Emeritus & McGraw, 2014) . Muslims need to be generous towards one another so that others do not live in lack.
Fasting is an important undertaking in the life of a Muslim. More so specifically, during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the holy month of Ramadan, it is a requirement for the faithful to hold a fast from dawn to dusk (Emeritus & McGraw, 2014) . Typically, those with physical challenges like the expectant, elderly, and the sick are usually exempted from the fast.
Finally, the fifth pillar describes the at least once in a lifetime requirement for a Muslim to make the pilgrimage to holy city Mecca, the Hajj, and specifically to its holy sites including the Ka’aba (Emeritus & McGraw, 2014) . The faithful has to walk around the Ka’aba seven times while reciting prayers. In accordance with the Islamic Calendar, the Hajj usually takes place in the 12th month.
References
Emeritus, R. S., & McGraw, B. A. (2014). Many Peoples, Many Faiths (10th ed.). London: Pearson.
Hitchcock, J. (2005). The 5 pillars of Islam. Verbum , 2 (2), 43-50.
