Alms Giving

The third Pillar of Islam is Zakat, alms giving. Zakat literally means purification. It is both an act of self-purification and a social obligation. It purifies not only a person’s soul, but also what is given or distributed to people. It reminds Muslims that their wealth is a gift from God. They have an obligation to share that wealth with others.

Zakat and Salah are often mentioned in the same Quranic verse, reinforcing its significance. Indeed, an early Muslim proverb says “Prayer carries us half-way to God, fast brings us to the door of his palace, and alms procure for us admission”.

The Zakat is constituted of a 2.5 % tax on an individual’s total wealth and assets, not merely on annual income. Today, modern forms of wealth; banks accounts, real states, stocks, etc; are included. Zakat is not viewed as voluntary. It is not simply a voluntary charity, it is an obligation. All those who received from God have an obligation to give back. It is a way of taking care of those who are poor, those who travel, those who are on pilgrimage and those who seek religious knowledge. Zakat functions as an informal social security system. It is a way in which the poor in society can receive help from those who are in a better situation.

In early Islamic times, the Zakat was collected by the government, held by central treasury, and used to help schools, hospitals, hostels and other expenses. In modern times, Zakat has been left to the conscience of individuals. Many people give it to poor members of the family and those in their surrounding areas. However, some governments in recent decades, like in Pakistan, have attempted to reintroduce the State collection and distribution of Zakat. Many people worry about how the government would actually use their taxes. Those who do not wish to pay all that they should be paying worry about the government going right into their bank accounts and taking the money.

Muslim Prayer

The Second Pillar of Islam is prayer or worship, Salah. Muslims worship five times a day. In this way, the entire day is sanctified. One experiences the presence of God through the day. In many Muslim countries, calls to prayer echo across the rooftops. Modern technologies developed novel ways of handling this. From audio and visual reminders to wrist watches, clocks and computer programs.

Salah consists of recitation from the Quran in Arabic. It is accompanied by standing, bowing, kneeling, touching the ground with one’s forehead and sitting. Muslims could pray in any clean environment. They can pray alone or together. In a mosque or at home. At work or on the road. Indoors and outside. It is still not uncommon when traveling Muslim countries to see people stop up on the street to pray, or even on a business meeting. Or to see, as I have, people praying on an airplane.

Wherever a Muslim prays, although not required, it is considered preferable and more meritorious to pray with others. This demonstrates and reinforces the sense of belonging to a common brotherhood.

When they pray, Muslims face Mecca. They face the holy city of Mecca that houses the Kaaba, the house of God, believed to have been built by Abraham and his son Ismael. Originally, Muslims faced Jerusalem. Muhammad had expected that the Jews would in time accept the message of Islam. When it became clear that that wasn’t the case, Muhammad received the revelation directing the change of the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca.

Communal Prayer

In addition to praying five times a day, once each week on Friday, Muslims have a congregational prayer, the Jumu'ah prayer. On Fridays, they go to mosques or Islamic centers to pray. This does not mean that one ceases work on Friday. This varies from country to country. What is held in common is this obligation to the common congregational prayer of Friday. This takes place every week in a mosque.

A mosque literally means a place of prostration. It is a building with a flat open space for Muslims to assemble to pray. Mosques, like churches and synagogues, can be small and simple or they can be cathedral-like structures. On one of the walls is a niche, or Mihrab, that indicates the direction of Mecca. Nearby, there is a pulpit or minbar, from which the sermon at the Friday congregational prayer is given.

In the garden, there would be a place for the faithful to perform their ritual purification before prayer. Shoes are removed before entering the mosque. At the end of formal ritual prayer, individuals are free then to offer personal prayers. These are prayers of petition or thanks giving to God.

The Muslim Confession of Faith

The first pillar of Islam is the declaration or confession of faith: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah”. This declaration, called the Shahada, would be pronounced and heard some 14 times each day by Muslims who pray 5 times a day. In fact, it would be pronounced in many other times and occasions during a Muslim’s life.

Allah is the Arabic word for God. Who is this God? Allah is a God of mighty majesty, compassion and judgement. He is the creator, preserver, sustainer and law-giver of the universe. The reveler and just judge. As the Quran says: “He is Allah, there is no God but He”. He is the knower of the invisible and the visible. He is the merciful and the compassionate. He is sovereign, the holy the peaceable, the keeper of faith, the preserver, the mighty, the sublime.

To become a Muslim, one need only make this brief and simple confession of faith. For those of us who are used to Christian creeds and going to Christian services, one can appreciate the difference between what seems to be this simple but profound sentence and the rather lengthy varieties of Christian creeds.

The proclamation of this declaration affirms Islam’s absolute monotheism, its uncompromising belief in the oneness of God, and the idea that associating anything with God is idolatry. To associate not only other Gods but to associate other people and values. This is an unforgivable sin for those who do not repent. Thus, Islamic religious art tends to rely upon the abstract. You would not see a representation of God or Muhammad. Indeed, the human form tends to be marginalized, although there are exceptions.

The Prophet of God

The second part of the confession of faith asserts that Muhammad is not only a prophet, but also a messenger of God. It may take some of us a second to realize this distinction. In Islam, you have both prophets and messengers. Muhammad is not only coming as a prophet, but he is a messenger, somebody who brings revelation. For Muslims, Muhammad is the final prophet. He brings the final and complete revelation of the Quran.

Like Jesus Christ in Christianity, Muhammad serves as the preeminent role-model through his life and example. Unlike Jesus, Muhammad is only a human being. Muslims believe that he was a perfect follower of God. So, the believers’ effort is to follow Muhammad’s example. He is the model. The practices and sayings of the Prophet came to be collected in a corpus of traditions, called the Hadith.