Agree or Disagree with ISLAM - Research Paper Example

This paper will examine closely one of them, namely Islam, examining its main beliefs and practices as well as present the opinion of the author about this religion. One should point out that there is a peculiar concept of Five Pillars of Islam: a set of principles and practices that define the identity of a Muslim. Thus, the first pillar which will be explored is called Shahada. To put it simple, this is a concise message that all true believers repeat, acknowledging their faith in one God and his only messenger Muhammad (Cornell 9).

One would make no mistake pointing out that this has become one of the most famous phrases that are used to recognize Islam. The latter is a monotheistic religion so proclamation that God is one is the key thesis of it. In addition to that shahada also argues that there is no other source of wisdom that the one which was presented by Muhammad, namely the Quran. The next pillar which is essential for the understanding of the religion is question is called salat. Originally, this word means prayer or more closely – the practice of praying.

Indeed, the Muslims are known to pray much more than the representatives of the other religions, five times a day. There are five prayers which true believers of Islam should perform: the one at daybreak, noon, midafternoon, sunset and in the evening. As one can easily see, they are separated among the day at almost equal intervals so that people are able to pray and to achieve their personal goals as well. In addition to that it allows a person to concentrate one’s mind on the devotion to God.

The third pillar which is able to contribute to a correct understanding of Islam as a system is called zakat. As some of the researchers put it, “zakat is a good demonstration of Islam’s commitment to social justice” (Rane 23). Indeed, this pillar stands for a certain amount of money that all the Muslims are required to pay so that the money will be directed to the