بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ
أَن
لاَ إلهَ إِلاَّ
اللهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللهِ، وَإقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإيْتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ
الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ
وَمُسْلِمٌ
On the authority of
Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah bin 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhuma, who
said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:
"Islam has been
built upon five things - on testifying that there is no god save Allah, and
that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah; on giving the zakah; on
Hajj to the House; and on fasting during Ramadhan."
[Al-Bukhari &
Muslim]
Background
This hadith is part
of the previous Hadith (2). Most Scholars say that the reason why al-Imam
al-Nawawi included this hadith in his collection, even though it seems that it
repeats some portions of Hadith 2, is because of the importance of the 5
pillars of Islam.
This Hadith stresses
the fundamental aspects of the outward submission to Allah. This submission is
based on some pillars, similar to a structure. If a person fulfills these
aspects, he has laid a solid foundation for his deen as a 'home'.
The other acts of
Islam, which are not mentioned in this hadith, can be taken as fine touches to
complete this structure.
If a person fails to
fulfill these obligations (building the pillars), then the entire structure of
his deen/iman may be threatened. This depends on how much is being violated -
e.g. violation of the shahadah is the most dangerous.
Lessons
The use of metaphors
and similes
This hadith uses a
metaphor (i.e. the image of the structure of a building) to affirm certain
important meanings. This use of metaphors and similes can be found in many
Surahs in the Quran and in many other hadiths. For example:
• In Surah At-Taubah (9): ayat 109, a similar metaphor is used - the
structure of the Mua'min's deen/iman is based on a sound foundation, whereas
the structure of the deen of the Munafiq is based on weak ground which may lead
to the collapse of the structure, resulting in the Munafik entering the
Hellfire.
• Surah An-Nur (24): ayat 35, uses the metaphor of light as the light
of guidance in the heart of the Mua'min.
• A metaphor used to condemn those who fail to fulfill the amanah
(i.e. religious obligations) can be found in Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62): ayat 5. The
Bani Israel, having failed to obey Allah's commandments in the Taurah, are
described as a donkey which is burdened with heavy books on its back but
doesn't understand anything from them. Scholars have said that this metaphor
also applies to other nations, which fail to fulfill their amanah.
• In one hadith the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, divided the
status of his ummah into three categories: those who benefit from the Message,
those who benefit partially and those who fail to benefit at all. He,
sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used the metaphor of rain (as the Message) falling
down on different types of land, producing different results.
Using metaphors to
convey the Message is a very important 'tool' and it is the methodology used in
the Quran and by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam. There are many modes
of expression used in the Quran and Hadith and they are used for different purposes.
E.g. Dealing with the misconceptions and false assumptions of the disbelievers,
the Quran and Hadith use rational thinking. When describing Jannah and the
Hellfire, the style used by the Quran and Hadith is the visual mode of
expression - they are described in such detail that it is like we can actually
visualize Jannah or the Hellfire in front of us.
One of the Sahabahs
said that he had already seen Jannah and the Hellfire. The other Sahabahs were
puzzled and asked him how this could be so as nobody is able to see them until
the Hereafter. He replied, "I saw them through the eyes of the Prophet,
sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam. If I were to be given the chance to see Jannah and
the Hellfire with my own eyes, I would not trust my sight. I trust the eyes of
the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, more than I trust my own eyes."
Here we can conclude that if we read and understand the Quran and the Hadiths
we too can visualize the paradise and the Hellfire.
These modes of
expression (thinking styles) used by the Quran and Hadith should be well
understood and used by Muslims today to convey the Message of Islam when doing
da'wah as it is the most effective way. Different styles should be used to
reach/convince different people - some people are more emotional, some are more
rational, etc.
First Pillar :
The Shahadah
The first part of
the Shahadah is testifying that there is none worthy of worship except Allah.
There are seven
conditions of the Shahadah:
• Knowledge - to understand what it means
• Certainty - to have no doubt about anything confirmed in the Quran
or Sunnah
• Acceptance - by the tongue and the heart of whatever the Shahadah
implies
• Submission/compliance - the actual physical enactment by deeds
• Truthfulness - to say the Shahadah sincerely, with honesty, to
actually mean it
• Sincerity - to do it solely for the sake of Allah
• Love - to love the Shahadah and to love its implications and
requirements and what it stands for
The Shahadah is not
simply saying it with our tongue. We need to adhere to these conditions. If we
say the Shahadah sincerely and with honesty, we will not do anything which
contradicts with or violates the Shahadah.
The second part of
the Shahadah carries the following conditions:
• To believe in the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, and in
whatever he told us and conveyed to us
• To obey him in whatever he commanded us to do
• To stay away from or avoid whatever he commanded us not to do
• To follow or emulate him in our ibadah, akhlaq and way of life
• To love him more than we love ourselves, our family and anything
else in this world
• To understand, practice and promote his Sunnah in the best way
possible, without creating any chaos, enmity or harm
Second
Pillar : Establishing the Prayers (Salah)
Some interpretations
of this hadith translate "iqamatus salah" as 'performing' the salah.
"Iqamatus salah" is a broader concept than what the term 'performing'
means. The Scholars say "iqamatus salah" implies:
• Doing the wudu in the proper way
• To do the salah in its time
• To do it in congregation (jama'ah) - where the reward is 27 times
than praying alone
• To fulfill the six conditions of salah
• To observe the proper manners (adab) of doing it such as submission
and humility
• To follow preferable actions (sunnan) in our salah
It is important that
we follow these conditions and not violate them if we want to truly fulfill the
second pillar of Islam i.e. "iqamatus salah".
We should remember that
Allah initially commanded us to pray fifty times a day and it was eventually
reduced to five times (with the reward of fifty) - the prayer times are very
reasonably spread out throughout the day - it can even help us to manage our
time - it can help us to manage our affairs, allowing the Muslim community to
meet during congregation and care for and help each other which will lead in
turn to solidarity. Thus, the prayers should not be seen as a burden
as some
Muslims might regard them today.
Third Pillar :
Zakat
The giving of Zakat
has been pointed out by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, for certain
things and in certain ways or percentages and under certain conditions.
The
Scholars say that knowing the details of Zakat only becomes an obligation when
a person owns the type of property or thing which requires him to give Zakat
for. E.g. Farmers or traders or property owners need to know the conditions and
percentages of Zakat that they are obligated to give.
Fourth Pillar :
Hajj
Pilgrimage (Hajj) to
the House (Kaabah) is an obligation that we need to do only once in our
lifetime - only if we meet certain conditions, e.g. if we have the financial
means, a way of travelling peacefully, etc. If we meet these conditions then we
should perform the Hajj as soon as possible and not to delay it.
Some Scholars say
that if we have the means to perform the Hajj several times, then it is better
to use this money to help others to fulfill their obligations - we will be
rewarded for their pilgrimage or to use the money for the betterment of the
community.
For each of these
Pillars there are conditions, sunnan, ethics (adab), etc., which should be
observed when we perform these ibadahs. Why do we always hear that every year
hundreds of Muslims lose their lives or get injured during Hajj? Most of these
incidents are due to the negligence of the adab or violation of the sunnan. For
example, the throwing of stones at the Jamrat:
• Even though we are supposed to use small stones, people tend to use
big ones and throw recklessly from a far distance, causing injuries to others.
• People do not follow the specified directions when they move,
causing many to get crushed by the 'human waves' moving in different
directions.
• People insist on going to throw at the peak times, i.e. the busiest
part of the day. The elderly, women and handicapped should be reminded to go
when it is less crowded.
Thus, it is
important that we observe the adab.
Fifth Pillar :
Fasting
Ramadhan is a
training program for all Muslims to go through, performing good deeds to become
better Muslims. However, we should continue with these good deeds outside of
Ramadhan - praying in the mosque, Tahajjud, Qiamu alil, reciting the Qur'an,
helping and caring for others etc.
The Prophet,
sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, when asked what the best way is to finish reading
the whole Qur'an, said to do it in one month, i.e. one Juzuk per day. This is
something we should practice all the time and not have to wait for Ramadhan to
do it. If we cannot achieve this, at least try to read one or two pages a day
(a quarter of a hizb).
Similarly we should
try to do the night prayers (tahajjud), be it only two raka'at and not
everyday, outside of Ramadhan.
We should not make
personal commitments in performing these preferable actions where the Shariah
has not made this itself. This might lead us to giving up on our commitment and
hence, the good deed. The best way is to do it on ease and convenience aiming
at the continuity of these good deeds.
Conclusion
All the Pillars of
Islam have rulings, conditions and mannerisms (ahkam wa adab) applied to them.
It is important that we know these ahkam and adab and regularly remind
ourselves, especially before Ramadan or before performing the Hajj, so that we
perform the Pillars properly and according to the Shariah.
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