Doctrines and Tenets of Islam

• Five Basic Tenets
• Five Pillars of Islam
• Five Social Teachings

5 Basic Tenets:

1. There is only one God, Allah, creator of the whole universe, who is just, compassionate, and merciful. The absolute unity and power resides in God. Creator of life and death, the guide to righteous, the friend and protector of the sick and the poor. He chastises eternally the infidels to Hell, and he rewards the faithful with eternal Heaven.
2. Muhammad was the last of the great prophets. Jewish prophets and Jesus were his predecessors.
3. The Koran is the last of the sacred books, which include also the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels of Jesus.
4. Life on Earth is a test and only a preparation for the eternal life to come. The “faithful” are those who adore Allah, praise the Prophet Muhammad, obey the Koran by doing good deeds, and fulfill the 5 pillars of Islam. (Note: The Koran forbids representation of human and animal figures. It denounces usury, games of chance, alcohol and pork. Pride is a cardinal sin.)
5. Final judgement: The faithful will go to eternal Heaven and the infidels to eternal Hell.

5 Pillars of Islam:

1. Profession of Faith, “Shahadah”
2. Prayer: (a) Five times a day (b) Fridays, The “Salat”
3. “Give alms,” “Zakat”
4. “Fasting,” “Sawm,” on the month of “Ramadan”
5. “Pilgrimage to Mecca,” the “Hajj”

1. Profession of Faith, “Shahadah:”

The Shahada: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Both occur in the Koran, but not together. It is called the “shahada,” and the prayer also asserts the belief in the Koran, the angels, and the last judgment. The greatest phrase of the Arabic language: “La ilaha illa Allah,” “there is no God but Allah.” A Muslim is supposed to pray the Shahada at least once in his lifetime correctly, slowly, thoughtfully, aloud, with full understanding, and with heartfelt conviction in its truth.

2. Prayer

(a) Five times a day
(b) Fridays, “The Salat”

(a) Prayer: Five times a day

Facing toward Mecca, the person bows, kneels, and then into a prostate position with the forehead touching the ground, wherever he is.

Before prayer, the body must be purified by water, or sand if water is not available. The hands, feet, face, and genitals all are to be washed. Even the bathrooms are so arranged that the occupant will face in the direction of Mecca. The summons for prayer is announced by a “muezzin” (caller) from atop a “minaret” (tall tower).

The essential prayer is the Shahada just described. And the most common and important in both private and public worship is the Sura 1, “The Opening:”

“Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe! The compassionate, the Merciful, King of the Day of Judgment! You alone we worship, and to you alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, The path of those whom You have favored, Not of those who have incurred Your wrath, Nor of those who have gone astray.”

(b) Prayer: Fridays

On Fridays at noon, Muslims congregate in the Mosques for the “Assembly,” to pray with a special “salat,” and the sermon.

The “Mosque" is most characteristic:

• A “minaret” or tall tower.
• A “niche,” indicating the direction of Mecca.
• The “pulpit.”
• A "fountain” at the entrance for the ablutions. You have to enter the Mosque barefoot, because it is a “sacred place.” There are no seats. The floor is covered with the “prayer rug.” and since every corner of the universe is equally pure, the faithful are encouraged “to spread the prayer rug” wherever they find themselves at the appointed hour of prayer.
• The officials of the Mosque are, the “Iman” (leader), the “Preacher,” and the “Muezzin” (who calls to prayer from the minaret).

3. “Give alms,” “Zakat:”

Every middle and upper class Muslim must give 2½% of all they possess.

4. “Fasting,” “Sawm,” on the month of “Ramadan”

Muslims fast on the 9th month of the lunar year because in this month Muhammad received his initial commission as a prophet, and because 10 years later he made the Hegira from Mecca to Medina on the same month. All people over 14 are required to take no food nor drink, nor engage in sexual intercourse, during the daylight.

5. “Pilgrimage to Mecca,” the “Hajj”

If possible, at least once in a lifetime, remembering the place where God’s climatic revelation was first disclosed, and to kiss the “Kaaba,” the black stone, supposedly the oldest religious structure in the world, built by Abraham and Ishmael, though many scholars doubt that Abraham was ever at Mecca. The pilgrim is referred as a “Hajj.”

5 Social teachings of Islam:

1. Brotherhood and Prejudice:

Brotherbood

The “brotherhood of Islam” is a reality, as preached by Muhammad in his “farewell pilgrimage” to Mecca, “Know ye that every Muslim is a brother to every other Muslin, and that you are now one brotherhood.” This is why every Muslim helps the other Muslim, his neighbor friend, or even a Muslim country.

Prejudice

“Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people” ( Sura 3:118); “Muhammad is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another” (Sura 48:29).

The Koran cites Jews and the Christians as “people of the Book,” mostly in a pejorative way, warning against their bad influence and life, forbidding their friendship, calling the Jews “like a donkey laden with books” (Suras 3:60-74, 5:56, 62:5, 5:16).

2. “An eye for eye...a tooth for a tooth”

“Each man shall be judged only by his labors” (53:41) “As for the man or woman who is guilty of theft, cut off their hands” (Sura 5:38). The “mullahs” interpret and apply this Koranic law, and a thief may have his hands cut off, or, in the case of a second theft, his legs cut off.

3. Women, marriage and the home:

Women’s rights?

A Muslim woman is recognized by her “veil” and “chador,” a robe covering the entire body, because women are desirable sex objects for men, and must be secluded, properly robed, and protected from male advantages. There is strict “segregation of the sexes” outside of the home both in the mosques and the streets. A Male doctor is forbidden to examine female patients. Female students cannot attend classes taught by male professors etc.

Through most of Muslim history, women entering mosques have not been welcomed by men. Mosques have in many cases been closed to women, either regulated by local rules or by habit. Women have therefore resorted to pray in their homes.

Marriage and the home

Polygamy is still in force in Islam, up to 4 wives! (Sura 4:3). Although Muhammad had 10, and King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia had 300 wives in the early 1900s, 80% of Muslims have only one wife. Today, many Muslims insert in the marriage deed a clause by which the husband formally renounces his right to a second concurrent spouse.

For a Muslim, marriage and family are one half of the good life and the other half is obedience to the Koran. Home is believed to be the main place for the wife, and indeed the Muslims homes are a beauty, spotless, full of warmth. You may be in a dirty town with a horrendous street, but when you enter the home of even the poorest Muslim you find a “Paradise.”

4. “Holy War” (a “jihad”):

The Koran and the life of Muhammad, indeed encourage “Holy War” ( a “jihad”). The Koran offers Paradise to the one who dies for Allah, plus the good care of his family by God while he is in Paradise (Sura 3:169). Anyone who dies in holy war is a “martyr” assured of heaven.

The main reason for “Holy War” is idolatry. “Idolatry is more grievous than bloodshed...fight against them until idolatry is no more and God’s religion reigns supreme” (Sura 2:91-93). The previous verse says “do not attack them first, God does not like aggressors.”

The definition of a “right war” is that it “must either be defensive or to right a wrong.” The life of Muhammad in Medina, is in itself a sample of “Holy War.” He left many traditions regarding the decent conduct of war: agreements are to be fulfilled, treachery avoided, the wounded well treated etc.

5. The traders and economics:

Islam is acutely aware of the physical basis of man’s life. Far from being irrelevant, the needs of his body are of crucial importance, for until they are met his higher concerns cannot flower.

The “giving of alms,” is part of this concern, as well as the measures that broke the barriers of economic caste and reduced the injustices of special privilege. The production of wealth is good since the owners could give larger amounts of money for charities. The main point of Muslim economics is that the wealth should be widely spread.

The Koran, in general, blesses commerce, business, and agriculture, though it never went so far as to approve the “capitalistic system” of free enterprise in which the marketplace, not the government, would determine the value of goods and labor. In the modern world, Islam may be nominally anti-capitalist, but the “oil resources” in Muslim states show that the Islamic faith can embrace capitalistic enterprise with enthusiasm.

This article is licensed under the Free Documentation License. It uses material from the World Religions and 101 Cults article “Pillars of Islam.”