Islam has five tenants, also called pillars. They are declaration of faith, obligatory prayers, compulsory giving, fasting, and pilgrimage.
The declaration of faith is simply the belief in one God, and Mohammed as the final messenger. Muslims believe Jesus is a prophet. “Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Scriptures and the Prophets” (2:177). The single most important belief in Islam, and arguably the central theme of the religion, is that there is only one God. The name of God is Allah, which is simply Arabic for “the (al) God (Ilah).”
Obligatory prayers are an important aspect of Islam. The ritual of prayer, or salat, is performed five times a day: at dawn (al-fajr), midday (al-zuhr), afternoon (al-‘asr), sunset (al-maghrib) and evening (al-‘isha).
The third pillar is almsgiving is a central activity in Islam. The Quran explicitly requires it (9:60) and often places it alongside prayer when discussing a Muslim’s duties. (“Perform the prayer and give the alms.” 2:43, 110, 277)
For those who are greedy and use their money outside of the will of Allah, the Quran has harsh words: the fires of hell will heat up the coins and the greedy will be branded with it (9:34-35).
The fourth pillar is fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan commemorates the revelation of the Quran to humanity during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. All Muslims for go food, drink, and sexual relations from sun up to sun down. Because Islam follows the lunar calendar so it changes every year.
The final pillar is pilgraimage to the Holy city of Mecca. Hajj as it is called is the requirement for every able -bodied Muslim at least once in his/her lifetime. It is a time where all Muslims regardless of culture or home country come together as one. The beauty of Hajj is pilgrims of all socioeconomic status stand as one during the completion of Hajj.
Hajjis are required to complete rituals that include walking seven miles to the Kabaa, touching the black stone, and traveling seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah termed, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina.
This ritual is not easy as it takes place in Saudia Arabia where the heat is extreme and millions of pilgrims are completing their holy requirement. History has proven deadly during the annual Hajj. Just last year 717 individuals died during the pilgrimage. Prior to that, in 1990 1,426 pilgrims died.
But the keepers of Mecca, the Saudis, over the years have made great progress in minimizing the deaths even though each year they continue to host more and more individuals. Tunnels and side walk ways, they are as wide as streets here in America now show the correct path. Additionally, they try to control the crowds but alternating start times.
