Pillars of Islam

“Islamiyat 2058/02”
Notes
 Pillars of Islam:
The Declaration of Faith, Shahada:
 Shahada is the first pillar of Islam. It is the declaration:

 “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and
Muhammad (SAW) is the messenger of Allah”
 This is the testimony or profession of faith, containing
knowledge, commitment and declaration. It consists of two
parts.
 The first, that there is no god but Allah, attests not only to the
oneness and uniqueness of Allah, but it also signifies the
oneness of Lordship, the sovereiegnty, and the authority in the
universe. Allah is accountable to no one, He creates what He
pleases, giving each of His creation the role He desires. The
Quran says:
 “You do we worship and your aid we seek”
 True unity of Allah means that Allah is unique in person, that
there is no other god but Him, unique in attributes, that man
cannot acquire perfection in the attributes of Allah, and unique
in action, that no one can do the works that Allah has done or
may do.
 Associating partners with Allah is called shirk. Shirk is not
only the worship of idols but also offering prayers and
supplications to anyone dead or living, believing that they hold
the same attributes as Allah.
 Thus the belief that Allah is not sovereign or independent or
that deities can intercede with Him and any attempt to implore
any other being besides Allah.
 The Quran considers shirk to be an unpardonable sin. It says:
 “Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with
Him”
 The second part of this declaration is that Muhammad (SAW)
is the messenger of Allah.
 For Muslims, it is necessary to believe that Prophet (SAW)
was the last in the line of messengers sent by Allah, and he is
the seal of Propjets.
 He is distinguished in many ways from the previous
prophets.
 For example, his prophet hood is universal and eternal i.e.
he was not sent for a particular nation or country but the entire
human kind.
Prayer (Salat):
Timings of Prayer:
1. Fajr: from dawn until just before sunrise
2. Zuhr: after midday until afternoon
3. Asr: from afternoon until just before sunset
4. Maghrib: after sunset until the end of daylight
5. Isha: from evening until just before dawn
Preparation of Prayer:
 Wudu: washing of hands, mouths, nostrils, face, arms,
across the head, ears, back of the neck and feet.
 Satar: proper dress code i.e. from navel to knees men must
be covered and for women whole body except hands, feet and
face
 Qiblah: facing the Ka’bah
 Niyat: intention of prayer
Performance:
 After saying the niyat, worshipper stands still with his hands
on his sides and feet on the ground, only slightly apart
 Then he raises his hands up to his ears and says Allah u
Akbar
 He then folds his hands on the navel and recites the Sana
followed by Tasmia and the Qirat
 He then bows down in ruku by placing both his hands on his
knees and says: “Glory to the God, The mighty” thrice
 He then stands erect, hands by his side, in wuquf
 After saying Allah u Akbar again, the worshipper prostrates
by touching his forehead on the ground
 In this position, he says: ”Allah is the highest” at least thrice
 He then sits up in the jalsa position and the prostrates again
 The second prostration completes one rakat
Importance of prayer:
The importance of Prayer in Islam is great as it is the fore most

duty of the Muslims, and the chief of the pillars on which the
structure of Islam stands. It is the first thing that was made
obligatory on Muslims and the first thing they will be questioned
about on the Day of Judgment.
Congregational Prayers:
1. Friday Prayers:
 Take place of the Zuhr prayers of Friday
 Cannot be offered as qaza
 Must be offered in congregation
 Obligatory on all adult men
 Women, slaves, minors, sick are exempted
 2 azaans
 Sermon (Khutba) is delivered
 Listening to it is obligatory
 While the sermon is being delivered no conversation is
allowed, not even reciting the Quran
 The sermon consists of 2 parts
 In the first part the Imam recites and explains Quranic
passages and then after a short rest stands up again to deliver
the 2nd part which includes general prayers for the welfare of
Muslim Ummah
 2 obligatory rakat are offered after the khutba
2. Eid prayers:
 2 eids in one Islamic calendar
 Eid-ul-Fitr on 1st Shawal
 Eid-ul-Azha on 10th Zilhajj
 A day of thanksgiving when Muslims assemble in a brotherly
atmosphere
 Congregational prayer for men only
 Women, minors, travelers, sick are exempted
 Can be offered from sunrise to noon
 Offered in large empty grounds
 No replacement of any other prayer
 Cannot be offered as qaza
 Consists of 2 rakats
 After rakats, imam delivers khutba in two parts which focuses
on Sadqah tul Fitr in Eid ul Fitr and importance of sacrifice on
Eid ul Azha
 Muslims exchange greetings after offering prayers
 Take alternate routes while coming and going to meet as
many people as possible
Private Prayer (Dua):

 No Qiblah
 No wudu
 No satar
 No fixed language
 No Niyat
 Not obligatory
Delayed Prayer:
 If a Muslim misses an obligatory prayer, he must make up for
the loss
 These qaza prayers must be offered as soon as possible
 Only Farz and Witr can be offered as Qaza
 Conditions in which it is allowed to miss a prayer:
1. In battle field
2. Taking care of seriously ill patients
3. If a person sleeps with necessary arrangements but fails
to wake up on time
4. If a person is sick or injured
Mosque:
 A place where believers get together for religious purposes
 Educational, political and social centres of society
 House of Allah
 One should enter the mosque with respect, in clean clothes
and footwear must be removed.
 Indulging in wordly affairs is not allowed in mosque
Zakat:
How it is performed:
 Zakat consists of giving set proportions of possessions for
the poor
 Compulsory on all adult rich muslims to gibe zakat which
they’ve had in their possession for more than one calendar
year
 Its rate on annual savings is 2.5%
 If a person has 7.5 tolas or more of gold, 2.5% of it is due as
zakat
 If a person has 52.5 tolas or more of silver, 2.5% of it is due
as zakat
 If a person has 40-120 goats, then one goat is due in zakat
 No fixed date of payment
 However, usually paid in the month of Ramzan
 Reciepients of zakat:
1. Poor
2. Needy
3. Newly converts to Islam
4. Travelers
5. Slaves
6. Those appointed by state to collect Zakat
7. Those who are in bondage or in debt
8. Those who can’t fulfill an obligation
2. Significance in the community:
 Helps poor people stop starving
 Sense of brotherhood develops between rich and poor
 It reduces financial difference between rich and poor
 Encourages a bond of social responsibility
 Brings the society closer
 Encourages unity in society
Fasting:
1. The Way it is Observed:
 Carried out in the month of Ramzan
 Starts from the sighting of the moon of Ramzan and ends at
the sighting of the moon on Shawal
 All adult Muslims should fast suring day light hours i.e. from
dawn to dusk
 They take their sehr before dawn
 After that they refrain from eatinf or drinking until sunset
 During a fast, Muslims abstain from smoking, indulging in evil
and indecent acts, abusing etc
 They remember Allah throughout the day by offering prayers
and reciting the Quran
 However, they cannot ask for concessions is their work and
must lead the normal daily routine
 At the Maghrib prayers, they break their fast with dates and
water
 After the Isha prayers they offer 20 rakat of taraweeh prayers
 During the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramzan, they
search for Laila tul Qadr, the night when Quran was revealed
 Muslims even withdraw to mosques and sit in Aitkaaf for the
last ten days, i.e. they avoid any contact with the world and
submit themselves to Allah.
Those exempted:
 Sick
 Pregnant women
 Travelers
 Elderly people
 Minor
Pilgrimage (Hajj):
1. The Main Observances Involved:
DATE PLACE OBSERVANCE

8 Zilhajj
th
Meeqat - perform wudu
- wear Ihram
- offer 2 rakat
- make niyat
- recite Talbiah
8th Zilhajj Ka’abah - perform tawaf-e-
qudum, encircling
Ka’abah 7 times
- kiss the black stone
8th Zilhajj Multazim - say private prayer
8th Zilhajj Maqaam-e-Ibrahim - offer 2 nafal
8th Zilhajj Safa and Marwa - Sayee, starting at
Safa and ending at
Marwa, 7 times
8th Zilhajj Mina - Offer Zuhr, Asar,
Maghrib, Isha prayers
9th Zilhajj Arafat - listen to sermon
- offer combined Zuhr
and Asar prayers
- perform wuquf-e-
arafat
9th Zilhajj Muzdalifah - perform Maghrib
and Isha prayer
combined
-collect pebbles for
rami
- spend night in
rememberance of
Allah
10th Zilhajj Mina - stone Jamarat-ul-
uqba 7 times with
pebbles
-offer sacrifice
- men cut their hair
and women clip a
lock
11th – 12th Zilhajj Mina - perform rami,
symbolic stoning of
satan
- perform tawaf-e-
ziyarat between one
of these days in
Ka’abah
- perform tawaf-e-
wida before leaving
Makkah
QUESTIONS:
Now, try a few questions your selves to check your understanding.
Good Luck!
Q) What is the individual importance of fasting?
Q) What is the communal importance of fasting?
Q) What is the individual importance of hajj?
Q) What is the communal importance of hajj?
Q) Explain the significance of the following with reference to
Islamic history:
(a) Arafat
(b) Sacrifice
(c) Ka’abah

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“Islamiyat 2058/02”

The Declaration of Faith, Shahada:

 Shahada is the first pillar of Islam. It is the declaration:

The importance of Prayer in Islam is great as it is the fore most

Private Prayer (Dua):

DATE PLACE OBSERVANCE

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