The Religions Book

264 THE CENTRAL PROFESSIONS OF FAITH

Zakat

Almsgiving

By which we affirm that

there is no god but God

and Muhammad is the

messenger of God.

By which we offer worship to

God, proclaiming His greatness.

By which we offer worship

to God, acknowledging His

sovereignty and caring

for those in need.

Shahada

Profession of faith

Salat

Prayer

Sawm

Fasting

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

By which we purify ourselves

before God in His great mercy.

By which we embrace the unity

of the Muslim community

and draw close to God.

IN CONTEXT

KEY SOURCE

Hadith (sayings)

of Muhammad

WHEN AND WHERE

Early 7th century, Arabia

BEFORE

From 1000 BCE The Torah, then

the Talmud, set down the rules

for Jewish life that form part of

God’s covenants with Israel.

1st century CE Christianity

incorporates the Judaic

covenants, in particular the

Ten Commandments.

610 CE The Prophet

Muhammad starts to receive

the revelation of the Qur’an.

AFTER

680 CE Shi‘a Islam introduces

additional pillars that guide

faith and observance.

8th century CE Schools of

Islamic law develop, offering

further interpretations that

guide Islamic life and practice.

A

ccording to a tradition
narrated by Abdallah ibn
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, one
of Muhammad’s companions, the
Prophet summarized Islam by
saying that the religion is based
on five principles: “To testify that
there is no god but God and
Muhammad is God’s messenger;
to offer the prayers dutifully and
perfectly; to pay the obligatory
alms; to perform the pilgrimage
to Mecca; and to observe the fast
during the month of Ramadan.”
Known as ‘ibadat (acts of
worship) to Muslims, and often
referred to as the pillars of Islam,

these five practices lie at the core

of the faith, and all branches of

Islam accept and perform them.

The profession of faith

While not summarizing the whole

of Islam as a religion, the pillars

serve as a kind of outline of

minimal obligations for Muslims

to abide by. Their simplicity and

straightforwardness are intentional,

for Muslims are intended to follow

God unencumbered by the heavy

burden of religious stipulations.

As the Qur’an confirms, “[God]

has not laid upon you in religion

any hardship.” With this in mind,

the first pillar, and central creed of

Islam, is a simple acknowledgment

of the distinctiveness of the one,

true God and the unique place of

his messenger, Muhammad. This

profession of faith, known as the

shahada (witness), is the only

means by which a person may

become a Muslim. The shahada

is whispered in a Muslim’s ear at

birth and at death. It is also offered

as a testimony throughout the day

when Muslims are called to prayer.

Although succinct, the shahada is

made up of two significant parts.

In the first part, Muslims bear

witness to the absolute oneness