The Five Pillars of Islam - Essay Example

Islam has five pillars that characterize the obligatory concepts of worship. Therefore, this paper will explain the five pillars of Islam and the central beliefs in the Islamic religion as per the five pillars.  It will also highlight the easiest pillar and which will be the most challenging to fulfill.

            Ideally, the Islamic faith has central beliefs that there believe in only one God and that one should pray to maintain a healthy relationship with Him. This becomes the most fundamental pillar in Islam, which is Shahadah. The second pillar in the Islamic religion is Salat, which is the prayer schedule that each follower should be adherent. The prayer schedule should be in the early morning, at noon, mid-afternoon, before sunset, and in the evening. Ideally, this makes the number of times to be five in a day. As a mandate, the faithful has to cleanse their bodies before any prayer session and needs to bow down as a sign of submission to Allah. Thirdly, Islam religion has Zakat as its other pillar of religion that requires the faithful to give alms to the poor in the society (Natana, 2010). In essence, every Muslim faithful must try to eliminate economic imbalance. This can be through donating part of their money, time, and services to those who are underprivileged. Essentially, families and businesses give two and a half percent of the total cost of their valuables and savings.

 In addition, the religion has Sawm as the fourth fundamental pillar, which is ritual fasting as a sign of repentance. This comes in to pay especially during the Holy month of Ramadhan. During this month, Muslims abscond from eating drink or having any sexual relations during the daytime. The fasting helps the faithful to appreciate Allah for His provision, to repent their sins, and to keep the poor in mind. However, only young children and those with severe medical conditions may not fast. Lastly, the fifth of Islam is Hajj which is simply the pilgrimage to Mecca before the faithful dies. This is to mean that Muslims should make the journey once in their entire life to fulfill the five fundamental pillars. Mecca is the holiest place on earth as per the Islamic faith in that the Muslims pray facing this city. On this journey, pilgrims wear white clothing when performing various rituals around the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a stone building at the center of Mecca city in which the faithful perform rituals like throwing stones to fight off evil (Natana, 2010).

            In conclusion, the pillar that is easiest to fulfill for me would be the second pillar which is Salat. Prayer is a routine in my life in that when I do not follow the schedule I feel lost and unable to perform my daily tasks. On the other hand, the Hajj would be the most challenging pillar in Islam that might prove challenging to execute. In essence, the finances involved in taking this journey during the month of Dhul-Hijah might be too costly. Ideally, it will only be possible if my economic status would improve at some point in my life. This is to mean that the fulfillment of this pillar will depend on financial ability just like for many Muslims. Chances are that many Muslim faithful leave this world without fulfilling this pillar because of the expenses involved.