There are things about a Muslim that are easily identifiable. Through these things a Muslim can be marked in society as being such. A Muslim dresses modestly, a Muslim does not drink or a Muslim carries herself with adab or a proper manner. These are signals through which the Muslim tells the world who she is. And although all these things are very important, they are not among the basic tenants of faith. Islam is built on five pillars of faith which are the foundation of belief. Some say that when you abandon any of these pillars, you have abandoned Islam.
In the Quran, Allah tells us the importance of having a strong foundation: "Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people." (Quran, 9:109)
The Prophet peace be upon him tells us more about a good foundation: "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 Ramadan." (Bukhari and Muslim)
The realization that I had was that Islam, my deen, was only between Allah and me. My Islam may guide my actions, it may motivate what I care about, how I contribute to society or how I treat people
but ultimately my Islam is only my personal relationship with Allah. The five pillars of Islam are a strong evidence that the foundation of our religion is about that personal relationship.Shahdah
To become a Muslim, one simply has to say the Shahdah, or declaration of faith, (I bear witness there is no God but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhummad is His messenger.) with since belief in their heart. This tenant of faith is strictly between the heart of the individual and Allah. Although many people take their Shahdah in a musjid, there is no requirement to do so. And even if a person takes the Shahdah in front of many people, the true element of this pillar, the sincerity in one's heart is not something that others can see or know. Shahdah is only between you and Allah.
Zakah
"And establish prayer and give zakah, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah, surely, Allah sees what you do."
The second pillar of Islam is Zakah, or to give the poor's due. A Muslim is required to give 2.5% of her capital to the needy. Since all things come from Allah, a person's wealth also belongs to Allah and we merely hold it as a trust. When a Muslim gives Zakat, only she knows if she is being honest or not. There is no Muslim IRS who checks to see if a person is counting all their assets or that they are distributing their money every year. Zakah is only between you and Allah.
Salah
The third pillar of Islam is the Muslims duty to pray regularly. In the Quran, Allah tells us to pray regularly.
"And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times." (Quran, 4:103)
Through the actions of the Prophet we learn exactly how to perform those prayers and how many times a day we must pray. If we are with our Muslim friends, it is easy to remember to pray and to do it at the correct times. Sometimes, like in Ramadan, we try to do most of our prayers in the Musjid if this is an option for us. There are certainly times when we pray in the public forum, but from day to day, there is no one who is around you all the time that knows if you are praying your five prayers with sincerity and with regularity. Salah is only between you and Allah.
Sawm
The fourth pillar of Islam prescribes the Muslims observe sawm, or fasting, in the month of Ramadan.
The fast is more than an abstention from food, water and satisfying our desires. It is also a means towards purification and so when we fast we are also ordered to attain perfection in our self- to reject impure thoughts, hurtful words and other incorrect behaviors.
The Prophet tells us, "If a person does not give up accusations and bad behavior while fasting, Allah has no need of his giving up food or drink."
We know that a person can pretend to be fasting publicly but eat in secret but the private aspect of fasting extends far beyond that. Only a person themself knows if they are not backbiting someone, being jealous or having other bad thoughts. Sawm is only between you and Allah.
Hajj
The fifth and final pillar of Islam tells us to perform the Hajj, or holy pilgrimage. Unlike the first four pillars we have discussed, this pillar is carried out mostly in public but like the others only Allah knows our intention for doing it. We know many, many people who perform the Hajj and come back unchanged. They come with stories of food they didn't like, people who mistreated them and of chaos but not with stories of renewal, peace and rebirth. So, a person goes on Hajj and millions of people witness if they were there but their acceptance of Hajj anchors on their heart and not merely on the act. Hajj is only between you and Allah.
This post is long because Taraweeh is long and I had lots of time to think about these pillars of faith, about what they meant to me and how my relationship with God is reflected through them. There is something so satisfying about knowing that to perfect our religion we cannot rely merely on the pressure of others or on wanting to appear to be a certain way in society. Instead to perfect our deen, we must look inside of ourselves, assess our true beliefs and then honor our commitment to that belief through private action day after day. Subhan'Allah!
No comments:
Post a Comment