THE FIRST DEGREE
Islam: Its pillars are five, they are: Testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger; performing prayer, paying Zakat, fasting in the month of Ramadan and Pilgrimage.
One: Testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger.
The first part of the testimony means that, there is no rightful deity in the earth or in the heavens beside Him alone. He is the only true God and all deities besides Him are false ones. (Deenul-Haqq p. 38.) It also means, purifying all acts of worship for Allah alone and keeping them away from others beside Him. The utterer of this statement cannot benefit from it until he has two things:
1. To say it out of belief, knowledge, conviction and love for it.
2. To disbelieve in all that is worshipped besides Allah. Whoever says this statement and does not disbelieve in all that is worshipped besides Allah, this statement will not benefit him. (Qurratu ‘uyoonul muwahhideen, p. 60.)
Testifying that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah means, to follow him in all that he commands, to believe in all that he informs, to abstain from all that he prohibits and warns against and to worship Allah with only what he legislates. One must also know and bear it in mind that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger to all people, that he is only a slave of Allah and should therefore not be worshipped, but rather be obeyed and followed, that whoever follows him enters Paradise and whoever disobeys him enters Fire. One must also know and bear it in mind that, Islamic injunctions in matters of belief, acts of worship which are commanded by Allah, system of law and matters of legislation and morals in area of building a family, or in area of allowing or forbidding things cannot be received except through this noble Prophet, for he is the Messenger of Allah, who conveys His Law to mankind. (For more details, read, “Kayfiyyatul Salaatin-Nabiyy” by Shaykh bin Baaz.)
Two: Prayer.
(Deenul-Haqq p. 51-52.)
Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. It is rather the pillar of Islam, for it is the link between man and his Lord. He repeats it five times in a day with which he renews his faith, purifies himself from stains of sins and which stands between him and obscene things and sins. When he wakes up from sleep in the morning, he appears in front of his Lord pure and clean before he starts engaging in matters of this world. He magnifies his Lord, affirms His absolute right to be worshipped by prostrating, standing and bowing for Him five times each day.
Before he starts performing this prayer, he must purify his heart, body, clothes and place of his prayer. The Muslim must perform this prayer congregationally with his fellow Muslims – if that is easy for him – while they all face their Lord with their hearts and face the honoured Ka’bah, the House of Allah with their faces. Prayer has been prescribed in the best form in which the Creator requires His creation to worship Him; for it contains His glorification with all parts of the body; from word of the tongue, deeds of the hands, legs, head, senses and all other parts of his body; each part taking his share of this great act of worship.
The senses and limbs take their portion from it and the heart also takes its share. Prayer comprises of exaltation of Allah, praising Him, glorifying Him, extolling Him. It also contains giving the testimony of the truth, recitation of the Qur’an, standing in front of the Lord Who controls him, then humiliating oneself for Him in this position by begging Him with devotion and seeking His nearness. He then goes to bowing position, prostration and then sits down, all in submission, humility and showing helplessness for His greatness and His Might. The heart of this slave becomes broken, his body becomes humble and all his limbs surrenders with humility to his Lord. He then concludes his prayer with giving thanks to Allah and praising Him, and invoking peace and blessings on His Prophet, Muhammad and finally asks his Lord of the good things of this world and the Hereafter. (For more, read “Risaalataani fiz-zakaati was-siyaam” by Shaykh Ibn Baz)
Three: Zakah
(Miftaah daar as-Sa’aadah 2:384.)
Zakah – obligatory charity – is the third pillar of Islam. It is compulsory on the rich Muslims to pay Zakah from his wealth. It is a very little part of his wealth that he gives to the poor and needy and others among those who are entitled to it.
Muslims must pay Zakah to its due recipients willingly. He should neither remind the recipient of that nor harm him in whatever way on account of it. He must pay it seeking for the pleasure of Allah; not desiring by that any recompense or thanks from men. He should rather pay it for the sake of Allah not for showing off or for any fame.
Paying Zakah brings blessings and gladdens the hearts of the poor, the destitute and the needy. It prevents them from begging and it is a compassion on them and protection against negligence and poverty that could have afflicted them if they are left by the wealthy. Paying Zakah when it is due is a quality of generosity, magnanimity, altruism, philanthropy and compassion. It also means freeing one self from traits of stingy, avaricious and valueless people. It is by Zakah that Muslims support one another, that the wealthy shows mercy on the poor, so that there will not remain in the community – if this rite is properly implemented – a poor destitute, a subdued debtor or a traveller who has no more provisions with him.
Four: Fasting
It is to fast in the month of Ramadan from the dawn to the sunset. The fasting Muslim abandons food, drink, sexual intercourse and similar things as an act of worship for Allah and curbs his own soul from fulfilling its desires. Allah has relieved the sick, the traveller, the pregnant woman, the nursing mother and a woman who has just delivered a baby from fasting. He ordained for each of them rules that suit him or her.
In this month, a Muslim curbs his own self from his desires and this act of worship will bring his soul out of the animal-like world to the world similar to that of angels who are near to Allah. The situation of a fasting Muslim may reach a stage that he thinks like someone who has no need in this world more than to achieve the pleasure of Allah.
Fasting enlivens the heart, makes one renounce the world, encourages one to seek what is with Allah, and reminds the wealthy of the poor ones and their conditions so that their hearts may have sympathy for them and know that they are living in the favour of Allah and therefore should increase in gratitude to him.
Fasting purifies the soul and create in it the fear of Allah. It makes individuals and the society feel the control of Allah on them in bliss and hardship and in public and secret; where the society spends a whole month observing this act of worship and being conscious of its Lord; while being spurred by the fear of Allah, the Exalted, by a belief that Allah knows what is hidden and secret, that man will inevitably stand before Him a day in which He will ask him about all his deeds: minor and major. (See “Miftaah daar as-Sa’aadah” 2, p. 384.)
Five: Hajj
(For detailed reading see: “Daleelul-Hajj wal mu’tamir” by a group of scholars and “Explanations in many issues pertaining to Hajj and Umrah” by Shaykh Ibn Baz.)
Pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Makkah. It is obligatory on every Muslim who is adult, sane and capable; who possesses or can afford to hire means of transportation to Makkah and also possesses what is sufficient for him to live on throughout his journey with a condition that his provision should be an excess of the provision of those who are his dependants. He should also be sure that the road is safe and must ensure security of his dependants while he is away. Hajj is compulsory once in the lifetime for whoever is able to perform it.
One who intends to do Hajj should repent to Allah in order that his soul can be free from filth of sins. When he reaches Makkah and other holy sites, he carries out the rites of hajj as an act of worship and glorification for Allah. He must know that the Ka’bah as well as other sites should not be worshipped beside Allah, for they neither benefit nor harm. He should also know that had Allah not commanded the Muslims to embark on pilgrimage to that House, it would not have been proper for any Muslim to do that.
In pilgrimage, the pilgrim wears two white garments. The Muslims gather from all parts of the world at one place, wearing one garment and worshipping One God; with no difference between the leader and the led; the rich and the poor; the white and the black. All are creatures of Allah and his slaves. There is no superiority for a Muslim over another Muslim except by piety and good deeds.
By Hajj, Muslims achieve cooperation and mutual recognition, they remember the Day that Allah will raise all of them up ad gather them at a single place for reckoning, they thereby prepare for what is after death through acts of obedience to Allah.
Worship in Islam:
(See “Al-uboodiyyah” by Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.)
It is to worship Allah in meaning and reality. Allah is the Creator and you are the creature; you are the slave and He is the One that you worship. If that is the case, man must then follow the Straight Path of Allah in this life and follow His Law and the Path of his Messengers. Allah has ordained great laws for His slaves like belief in His Oneness, performing prayers, paying Zakah, observing fasting and performing Hajj.
However, the above mentioned are not the only acts of worship in Islam. Worship in Islam is more comprehensive. It is all that Allah loves and is pleased with of deeds and sayings, apparent or hidden. So, every work or saying that you do or say that Allah loves and He is pleased with is worship. Even, every good habit that you do with an intention to please Allah is worship. Your good relationship with your father, family, spouse, children and neighbours if you seek by that the pleasure of Allah, is worship. Your good conduct at home, in the market and office, done for the sake of Allah is worship. Fulfilling the trust, being truthful and just, abstention from harming others, giving assistance to the weak, earning from lawful means, spending for family and children, consoling the poor, visiting the sick, feeding the hungry and aiding the wronged are all acts of worship if done for the sake of Allah. So, all deeds that you do either for yourself, family or the society or your country in which you intend to win the pleasure of Allah are acts of worship.
Even to fulfil your personal passion in a lawful way is worship if you do that with a good intention. The Messenger of Allah said, “Even if anyone of you satiate his sexual desires, that is an act of charity.”
The companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! Would any of us satiate his own lust and still get a reward?”
He answered, “tell me, if he had done that in an unlawful way would not, he has sinned? Likewise, if he does it in a lawful way, he would get a reward.” (Muslim.)
The Prophet also said, “Every Muslim must pay charity.”
He was asked, “How if he does not find what to pay charity with?”
He said, “He works with his two hands benefits himself by that and then pay charity.”
He was asked again, “But how if he is not able?”
He said, “He should assist the needy who is wronged.”
He was again asked, “But how if he is not able?”
He answered, “He enjoins all that is good.”
And he was asked once more, “But how, if he is not able to do that?”
He answered, “He refrains from doing evil, for that also is for him, an act of charity.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
By Dr. Muhammad bin Abdullah As-Suhaym
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