The ‘Declaration of Faith’

[color=brown]There are five simple but essential observances that all
practicing Muslims accept and follow. These “Pillars of Islam” represent the
core that unites all Muslims.[/color]


[b][color=brown]1) The ‘Declaration of Faith’[/color][/b]



[color=brown]A Muslim is one who testifies that “none deserves
worship but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” This declaration is known as the “[i]shahada[/i]”
(witness, testimony). Allah is the Arabic name for
God, just as Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God. By making this simple
proclamation one becomes a Muslim. The proclamation affirms Islam’s
absolute
belief in the oneness of God, His exclusive right to be worshipped, as
well as the doctrine that associating anything else with God is the one
unforgivable sin
as we read in the Koran:[/color]


[color=brown]“God does not forgive anyone for associating something with
Him, while He does forgive whomever He wishes to for anything else. Anyone who
gives God partners has invented an awful sin.” (Quran 4:48)[/color]


[color=brown]The second part of the testimony of faith states that
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, is a prophet of God
like Abraham, Moses and Jesus before him. Muhammad brought the last and final
revelation. In accepting Muhammad as the “seal of the prophets,” Muslims
believe that his prophecy confirms and fulfills all of the revealed messages,
beginning with Adam’s. In addition, Muhammad serves as the role model through
his exemplary life. A believer’s effort to follow Muhammad’s example reflects
the emphasis of Islam on practice and action.[/color]


[b][color=brown]2) The Prayer ([i]Salah[/i])[/color][/b]



[color=brown]Muslims worship five
times a day: at daybreak, noon, mid afternoon, sunset, and evening. It
helps keep believers mindful of God in the
stress of work and family. It resets the spiritual focus, reaffirms
total
dependence on God, and puts worldly concerns within the perspective of
the last
judgment and the afterlife. The prayers consist of standing, bowing,
kneeling,
putting the forehead on the ground, and sitting. The Prayer is a means
in
which a relationship between God and His creation is maintained. It
includes recitations from the Quran, praises of God, prayers for
forgiveness and other
various supplications. The prayer is an expression of submission,
humility, and adoration of God. Prayers can be offered in any clean
place, alone or together, in a
mosque or at home, at work or on the road, indoors or out. It is
preferable to
pray with others as one body united in the worship of God, demonstrating
discipline, brotherhood, equality, and solidarity. As they pray,
Muslims face Mecca, the holy city centered around the Kaaba - the house
of God built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.[/color]


[b][color=brown]3) The Compulsory Charity ([i]Zakah)[/i][/color][/b]



[color=brown]In Islam, the true owner of everything is God, not man.
People are given wealth as a trust from God. [i]Zakah[/i] is worship and
thanksgiving to God by supporting the poor, and through it one’s wealth is
purified.. It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual’s
wealth and assets. Therefore, [i]Zakah[/i] is not mere “charity”, it is
an obligation on those who have received their wealth from God to meet
the needs of less fortunate members of the community. [i]Zakah[/i] is used to support the poor and the
needy, help those in debt, and, in olden times, to free slaves.[/color]


[b][color=brown]4) The Fast of Ramadan ([i]Sawm[/i])[/color][/b]



[color=brown]Ramadan is the ninth
month of the Islamic lunar calendar
which is spent in fasting. Healthy Muslims abstain from dawn to sunset
from
food, drink, and sexual activity. Fasting develops spirituality,
dependence upon God, and brings identification with the less fortunate.
A special evening
prayer is also held mosques in which recitations of the Quran are
heard. Families
rise before dawn to take their first meal of the day to sustain them
till
sunset. The month of Ramadan ends with one of the two major Islamic
celebrations,
the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast, called Eid al-Fitr, which is
marked by joyfulness, family visits, and exchanging of gifts.[/color]


[b][color=brown]5) The fifth Pillar is the Pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca[/color][/b]



[color=brown]At least once in a lifetime, every adult Muslim who is
physically and financially able is required to sacrifice time, wealth, status,
and ordinary comforts of life to make the Hajj pilgrimage, putting himself
totally at God’s service. Every year over two million believers from a diversity
of cultures and languages travel from all over the world to the sacred city of
Mecca[url=http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/3/#_ftn10719][1][/url]
to respond to God’s call.[/color]


[b][color=brown]Who are Muslims?[/color][/b]



[color=brown]The Arabic word
“Muslim” literally means “someone who is
in a state of Islam (submission to the will and law of God)”. The
message of
Islam is meant for the entire world, and anyone who accepts this message
becomes a Muslim. There a over a billion Muslims worldwide. Muslims
represent
the majority population in fifty-six countries. Many people are
surprised to
know that the majority of Muslims are not Arab. Even though most Arabs
are
Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. Only 20
percent of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims come from Arab countries.
There are
significant Muslim populations in India, China, Central Asian Republics,
Russia, Europe, and America. If one just takes a look at the various
peoples who
live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to
Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all
different races, ethnic
groups, cultures and nationalities. Islam has always been a universal
message
for all people. Islam is the second largest religion in the world and
will
soon be the second largest religion in America. Yet, few people know
what
Islam is.[/color]