Islam – 104 – The 5 Acts of worship – Pillars of Islam

ISLAM – 104

The 5 Acts of worships or pillars of Islam

Verse 002:004 lays out three of the five Acts of worships – also called the pillars of Islam. The Holy Qor-aan mandates other worships elsewhere, often repeating them in several verses.

All Moslems are mandated to practice these worships, voluntarily, of their own accord, and are responsible for doing them to please God as a personal matter between them and the Almighty. 

1^st worship — Practiced every moment = Proclamation of the belief in the Unseen that no human has physically seen.  Such Belief includes believing in the following Unseen and the Seen.

1. The One and the Only One Almighty God – verse 002:178, 002:286 and many others.
2. His Accounting laid in 002:178 and explained in the whole Chapters 078, 079, 080, 081, 082, 083, 084, 085, 088, 089 besides several other places as to what is the Hereafter, the Day of Judgment and when Hell or Heaven will be awarded.
3. His Angels – verses 002:178 and 002:286.
4. His Scriptures – verses 002:178 and 002:286.
5. His Messengers – verses 002:178 and 002:286.

2^nd worship — Practiced every day = Prayers many times daily mandated by verses 002:044, 017:079, 098:006 and others. The Holy Prophet s.a.w by his practice established the following pattern.

1. Mandatory prayer Fajr offered before dawn.
2. Mandatory prayer Zohr offered around noon.
3. Mandatory prayer Asr offered late afternoon.
4. Mandatory prayer Mugh-rib offered at sunset.
5. Mandatory prayer Isha offered at early night.
6. Highly recommended Ta-huj-jud offered about 1.5 hr before sunrise – 017:080
7. Highly recommended Ish-raaq offered around two hours after the sunrise.

3^rd  worship — Practiced every earnings = Paying Zakaat (see Commentary Islam – Zakaat) or contributing to charity in the causes of Almighty God is mandated by verses 002:044, 098:006 and at least 18 others verses.  A worker may receive wages daily, weekly or monthly and a farmer may harvest once a year but Zakaat is payable when earning is received.

4^th worship — Practiced every year = Fasting during the month of Ramadhan every year as mandated by verses 002:184 to 002:188.

5^th worship — Practiced every life = Performing Hujj or Haj  mandated by verse 002:197 and others.  This worship includes visiting and praying in the Kauba, Holy Mosque, Arafaat, Mush-aril-haraam, Mooz-da-le-faah, doing the To-waaf and Sa-ee, stoning the Satans and performing other prescribed rituals.

Besides the above, verse 002:178 gives a detailed account of other basic elements of the Faith.  Also, “Gratitude for God’s gifts is one form of worship” – Note 172 by A Yusuf Ali.