Pillars of Islam

Notes

Purely based on the Islamiat notes (NOT from elsewhere)

 Pillars of Islam:

Shahada:
Q) ‘There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’. Describe the
Muslims’ belief about the declaration of faith (Shahada). (10)
General view of Shahadah:
 Shahadah is the first Pillar of Islam which states that Allah is the only one worthy of worship
 The importance of Shahadah is highlighted by the fact that it is repeated in every prayer.
 The Shahadah has two testimonials
Tauhid as the first testimony:
 The belief / theme of the Shahadah is called Tauhid
 It is the main verification which allow a person to be a Muslim
Tauhid-Ar-Rabubiya:
 The Oneness of Allah states there is only One Lord for the creation; the Creator, Supreme Planner,
Sustainer, Lawgiver, Designer, Giver of security etc.
 ‘Say, He is Allah the One and Only, Allah the Eternal Absolute. He begets not nor is He begotten.’
 He guides his creations
Tauhid-al-Auluhiya:
 It is to Allah alone that Muslims direct their worship
 He alone is worthy of prayers, praise, and obedience
 It is a Muslim’s primary duty to worship none but Allah; engage in prayer, fasting, supplication, animal
sacrificing for the love of Allah etc.
 ‘You so we worship and your aid we seek.’
 ‘And your God is one and only; there is no God but Allah, most gracious, most merciful.’
 By reciting Shahadah, Muslims reject the obedience to anything or anyone other than Allah
Tauhid-al-Asma-wa-Sifat:
 His names and qualifications cannot be competed
 The Quran is filled with descriptions of Allah's nature; the Merciful, All-Seeing, Magnificent, etc.
 Muslims should believe in Divine attributes of Allah
 ‘And there is none like unto Him.’
 These names make up an integral part of belief and prayers
Risalah as the first testimony:
 Risalah means being a witness to Prophet (SAW) as the Messenger of Allah
 It deals with the fact that Prophet (SAW) is the Last Messenger of Allah
 He is a model of excellence
 He is the best of creations
 Muslims acknowledge the status and position of the Prophet (SAW)
 Muslims abide by his command and refrain from what he has forbidden
 Allah chose him to spread His teachings to us
 This shows us the inseparable relation between the belief in Oneness of Allah and Prophet (SAW)
 To deny the second part of the declaration would be an incomplete belief
 This declaration prepares human beings to reflect upon Prophet’s (SAW) teachings
 He is the symbol of the message of Allah
 He is also called the ‘Seal of the Prophets’
 ‘Say O Muhammad, if you do love Allah follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins for
Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.’
 To be a Muslim it is the first step to affirm faith in Tauhid and Risalah.
 Q) 'There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.' Write about the significance
of the Shahadah to a Muslim. (10)
‘I testify that there is no God except Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger (SAW)’
Purpose of the Shahadah:
 Shahadah is the most important part of Islam and being a Muslim
 With the Shahadah a person testifies to their faith in Allah and His Messenger
 It affirms one’s intention to enter the fold of Islam
Benefits:
 Living by the Shahadah guarantees one’s place in Paradise
 These 2 simples phrases that make up the First Pillar of Islam
 Importance:
 Uttering words of the Shahadah through the tongue is essential but saying it truly believing in it is also
important
 Shahadah brings a person out of ignorance and into enlightenment and guidance
 Shahadah makes one an official member of the Ummah / the Muslim community which is not bound
by geography, ethnicity, nationality, etc, but common spirituality
 This phrase guides one into the brotherhood of Islam and installs a good relation with all Muslims
Significance:
 The significance of Shahadah reflects in the fact that it is repeated in each prayer
 ‘There is no God but Allah’ proves one’s faith in Allah’s Lordship, Worship and His Attributes
 He is the only Creator and Sustainer of all life
 ‘Muhammad is the messenger (SAW)’; puts one in submission to the teachings of the Last
Messenger-the model of excellence and Seal of Prophets
 Fasting (Saum):
Q) What are the moral, spiritual and other benefits of fasting in Ramadan? (10)

Fasting as a general act:

 Fasting is an act of worship with various individual and communal benefits
 The meaning of fasting is to learn Taqwa which the person attains by refraining from evil acts
Spiritual benefits:
 Muslims who fast experience benefits such as closeness and consciousness of Allah
 Fasting strengthens spiritual powers of the believer as it protects one from all temptations
 They get great satisfaction as they demonstrate deep love for Allah by obeying His orders
 ‘Fasting is mine and it is I Who give reward for it. (A man) gives up his sexual passion, food and his
drink for My sake. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy when breaks his fast
and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in
Allah’s estimation than the smell of musk.’ (Hadith Al Quds)
 By learning self-control, Muslims control their temper
 The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened
and the gates of the hell are closed and all the devils are chained.’
 A Muslim experiences mental peace, as a result of obeying and worshipping Allah
 It increases patience and generosity
 Fasting brings the sense of hope and optimism in Allah’s grace and forgiveness
 The Prophet (SAW) said, ‘Fasting is a shield and protection from the fire and from committing sins.’
 Muslims keep their fast loyally, in secret and in public
 ‘Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when
he meets his Lord.’
 The Prophet (SAW) said, ‘Allah said, All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except
fasting which is for me. And will give the rewards for it. The rewards of good deeds is multiplied by 10
to 700 times.’
 Fasting teaches gratitude as well as modesty
 Previous sins of a person are forgiven, giving them another chance to follow the right path
 The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Whoever established prayers on the night of the Qadr out of sincere faith
and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven, and whoever fasts in the
month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins
will be forgiven.’
Moral Benefits:
 Fasting has various moral benefits
 A believer renounces food, drink, and abstains from all pleasures willingly in obedience Allah
 It builds the believers’ moral character as it teaches self-control
 Fasting purifies the mind
 It helps modify behaviour and change bad habits into good ones
 The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in
need of his leaving his food and drink.’
 Fasting makes Muslims remain calm and refrain from harming others, verbally or physically
 Fasting helps refrain from acting upon the whispers of the Satan
 They also make an effort to stay away from evils like backbiting, slandering etc.
Health Benefits:
 Abstinence from food and drink for a full month staves off obesity and lowers our heart rate and blood
pressure
 Social Benefits:
 Fasting ensures harmony and unity of society bringing about social benefits
 Experiencing hunger and thirst makes them show sympathy to the poor and needy
 It brings the rich closer to the poor; financially supporting them
 Fasting gets rid of jealousy in their heart
 Brotherhood is promoted
 Invitations for Iftar are put forth
 Muslims are ready to be generous towards their relatives and neighbours
Economic Benefits:
 During the month of Ramadan, the rich spend generously on the poor
 The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘During Ramadan, the provisions of the believers are increased.’
 People like to pay more Zakat during Ramadan increasing financial aid for the needy
 The old and sick people feed the poor and the needy openhandedly during this Month as fidyah, to
make up for themselves not being able to fast
 ‘And upon those who are able (to fast, but with hardship) – a ransom (as substitute) of feeding a poor
person (each day). And whoever volunteers excess, it is better for him.’

Q) Write about the features of fasting during Ramadan and which Muslims are exempted from
it. (10)
Fasting as a general act:
 Fasting is the fourth Pillar of Islam
 Ramadan, in which Fasting is obligatory, is regarded as the Holiest Month since Quran was revealed
in this month
 There are two main components of fasting, intention and abstinence; Abstaining from dawn to dusk
from everything that invalidates fasting
 ‘Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may refrain
against sins.’
 Unlike other forms of worship, fasting is the takes around 15-16 +hours a day to be completed
 Muslims wake up early to eat a pre-dawn meal called Suhoor, making an intention for the fast and
then not eating after a certain time known as Imsak
 During the fast, Muslims are obliged to abstain from eating or drinking and anything considered Haram
 They do not have disputes, indulge in arguments, or do anything that is forbidden
 They should try to discipline themselves morally and ethically, besides gaining physical training and
discipline
Extra work done by fasting Muslims:
 Observers should not make show of their fasting by talking too much about it, or by showing dry lips
and a hungry stomach, or by showing a bad temper
 Increasing acts of charity and worship e.g. reading of the Quran is beneficial and highly rewarding
 The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened,
and the gates of hell are closed, and the devils are chained.’
 The Prophet (SAW) also said, ‘Everything has a best season and the best season of the Quran is
Ramadan.’
 Muslims carry out their normal day-to-day activities with these conditions in mind
Worship:
 Taraweeh, the night prayers, are offered communally, led by Huffaz who recite the Quran
 On the Night of Power, which is either of the last 10 odd days of Ramadan, the reward of praying is
more than worshipping for a 1000 months
 During Itiqaf, Muslims dedicate their time to prayer and worship
 How the fast is broken:
 The fast is broken at the time of Maghrib prayer, called Iftar
 ‘And Eat and drink until the white thread of (light) dawn appears distinct to you from the black thread
(darkness of night).’
 The fast is broken by reciting, ‘O Allah! I fasted for you and I believe in you and I put my trust in you
and with the sustenance you have given me, I now break the fast.’
 The way of the Prophet (SAW) to break the fast was by drinking water and eating a date and then
offering the Maghrib Namaz
 The fasts of Ramadan continue until the new moon of Shawal
 People who are unable to fast because of being sick etc. must pay the Fidyah, which is giving a day's
meal or equivalent amount of money to a needy person
 If breaking the fast before sunset is intentional, then a person has to pay the Kaffara in which he has
to fast for 60 days consecutively, in addition to Qaza, but in case of an illness, feeding 60 people twice
a day