The Islamic religion and the Muslim beliefs are all centered on the Koran and the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life. The true meaning and the beliefs of the Islamic religion, many do not understand. This paper will be going into the depths of the Muslim beliefs and trying to explain what the Islamic people are all about. .
Islam means to the will of God and Muslim means one who submits to God, that is, a believer in Islam (Ibrahim 1). The Five Pillars of Islam are the foundation of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, giving zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able. These five pillars are to be followed by every Muslim .
The first pillar of Islam is the testimony of faith. This is saying that there is no true God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet. This means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone and that God has no partners or sons (Kateregga 1). The declaration of faith is called the Shahada; this is something that all the faithful pronounce in Arabic and should be said with conviction in order to convert to Islam. The testimony of faith is the most important pillar of Islam. .
The second pillar of Islam is prayer. The Muslims pray five times a day at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. Salat is the name for the prayers that are performed at these intervals during the day (Smith 10). These prayers are mostly supposed to be done in a mosque or with a group of people but a Muslim can pray almost anywhere that they want to, such as in a field, at a school, or in a factory. There is a public prayer on Friday in the middle of the day to worship Allah. Prayer is always done facing Mecca and chanting the prayers that are in the Koran. Through these prayers, the Muslim people feel inner peace and comfort.
