FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM CHECKPOINT

Five Pillars of Islam Checkpoint Karla Wade HUM130 June 18, 2011 Richard Kirk

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM CHECKPOINT Five Pillars of Islam Checkpoint I believe the main and central belief of Islam is that there is no other God but Allah and

Muhammad is his Prophet. This is what they share, that Allah must come before anything else in life, that Allah is all that a person needs in his or her life. It is interesting to me to read from our textbook how very similar many of the scriptures of the Quran and the New Testament of our Bible are. Love, peace, and good deeds seem to be the main theme. I also enjoy seeing that according to Quran at least, there is equality of women to men. I see that daily prayers, support of education, and a more proper way of life are also part of their beliefs. This is why Islams view of America is so harsh. Our way of life and pursuit of personal happiness goes against the very fundamental beliefs and their very moral teachings. The five pillars, which are like the 10 Commandments, are guidelines for which the Islamic people live their lives. To spread the word and be a witness to Allah, the first pillar, is almost what Jesus told his disciples to do for his Father. Daily prayers, again like Jesus, with the exception, I do not believe Christians have a specific set number of prayers per day that we are to perform; although I can see where the enormity of all Islamic people gathering five times a day and facing Mecca would provide a sense of unity. Tithing or Zakat is the third pillar; the Islamic people are to give two and a half percent, which I believe is more than what Jesus told the disciples to give. Fasting is the fourth pillar and is mandatory during the month of Ramadan with other more frequent fasts thrown in throughout the year. Fasting is thought to bring the believer closer to Allah. The fifth pillar is the great pilgrimage to Mecca; believers are to make this journey at least once in their lifetime if possible. While in Mecca, there are a number of rituals, which must be performed, and all people do them the same, again so that all Islamic people are of one accord.

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM CHECKPOINT The most challenging pillar for me would be the pilgrimage, for a couple reasons. I do

not like crowds, the pilgrimage is a huge event, and the enormous number of people would make me physically ill; and secondly the cost involved would be more than I could ever afford. The least challenging for me would be the witnessing. I share my personal walk with God daily, and as a nurse, this is relatively easy and I enjoy it. I do not necessarily preach to others, more like provide care and kindness where I see a need, share a prayer with family members and I do my best to be a shining light in the world of darkness. I have enjoyed broadening my education on the beliefs of this religion; it is too bad that others cannot learn what I have this past week.