Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Coffee Hour on Street Prophets. This is our communities’ open thread where we can talk about what’s happening in our lives, our thoughts on current events, and anything else that strikes your fancy. I thought it might be interesting today to start the conversation with the Five Pillars of Islam.
The most important practices of Islam are known as the Five Pillars and define actions which support the entire religion.
Shahadah:
The first Pillar of Islam is the profession of faith:
I bear witness that there is no god but God and Mohammad is his Messenger.
The person who speaks these words sincerely in the original Arabic is a Muslim. These are the first words that a child should hear and the last words that a dying person should hear.
Salah:
Five times each day, Muslims pray together facing the Kaaba in Mecca. The times for prayer are at dawn, just after noon, at mid-afternoon, at sunset, and in the evening. This act is intended to focus the mind on Allah. It a personal communication with Allah, expressing gratitude and worship.
Zakat:
Muslims has a personal responsibility for easing the economic hardship for others and to eliminate inequality. Zakat consists of spending a fixed portion of one’s wealth for the benefit of the poor or needy.
Sawn:
The fourth pillar, Sawn, is the practice of fasting during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, drink, and sexual relations in the hours from dawn to dusk. The old, the sick, young children, and pregnant women are excused from the fast.
Hajj:
All able-bodied Muslims are obligated to make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca during the during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah at least once in their lifetime, if they can afford it. Hajj is to be an expression of devotion to Allah, not a means to gain social standing. During the pilgrimage, there are no distinctions of class, wealth, or race. All are equal in the presence of god.
Open thread:
This is an open thread. Feel free to talk about what’s happening in your life, what you have been thinking about, and, most important, what’s for dinner?