World Religion

Wiley Black, SID #64305         December 20, 2013,
GED 250 World Religions
Unit # 4



Question # 2: Describe in detail the set of religious observances known as the Five Pillars of Islam.


The Five Pillars of Islam are described as; the confession of faith, prayer five times a day, giving alms to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
The first of the pillars was confession of faith, which is to believe that the only god is Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God. The Muslim’s believe that Muhammad is the one God chose to deliver his message and his final commandments to the world. Muhammad was not a saint or a great mystic like Buddha nor a great philosopher like Confucius. He birth was a normal birth and he did no miracles. However, he did deliver the Qur’an. His true and only calling was to be the spokesmen’s for God.
The second pillar was prayer which was is done five times a day. These prayers begin and end with the person standing upright with bowing and prostration. The prayers are also done in Arabic, which was the language of Muhammad. The first prayer will be done early in the morning before the sun has risen to its fullest. The second prayer will be done at noon or early afternoon and the third prayer will be late afternoon. The fourth time will be done directly after sunset and the fifth prayer will be done at night.
The third pillar is the giving of alms to the poor, which means to give a small percentage of your wealth to the poor and needy in the Muslim community.   This could mean just giving a helping hand to a neighbor. This alms giving should be done out of religious commitment rather than compulsion.
The fourth pillar is the fasting in the month of Ramadan, which is a lunar month of twenty eight days in the Muslin calendar.   During this time you are not permitted to eat or drink between daybreak and dark. Your attention should be on prayer and religion.   At the end of Ramadan there is a...