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The Pillars of Islam. The Levels of Faith part 3
about islam
الكاتب:د.الاسطورة
تاريخ الإضافة 2008-03-23 19:38:48
The Poor Due or Obligatory Charity (Zakât):
The Zakât, roughly equivalent to the old poor due or tax in England, is the third pillar of Islam. This financial institution is based on the recognition of the fact that Allâh is the Proprietor of all things. Thus, He also has the right to set the statutes of ownership, the means of the acquisition of wealth and the ways of expenditure. Zakât primarily meant purification, increase and augmentation, and that is still the purpose of its payment.
It is due on particular types of properties to be given out to particular classes of poor Muslims as stated in the following Qur'ânic instructions:
Verily, alms (here referring to Zakât) are to be given to the poor, the needy, to those who are employed for collecting it, and those whose conversion to Islam is hopeful, for freeing slaves, for the indebted, in the Cause of Allâh, the stranded wayfarer, as an ordinance from Allâh, and Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (9:60)
Zakât purifies the donor from niggardliness, miserliness and greed. It also signifies the social welfare system that fosters brotherly love, friendship and cooperation among Muslims. It further bridges the gap between the rich and the poor on a basis of mercy and kindness. Moreover Allâh rewards it generously. The Prophet said:
He who pays Zakât, wards-off the evil of his property
Zakât is due on the properties of all Muslims, be they old or young, male or female, sane or insane. It is due on the following properties:
1. Gold, silver and money
2. Livestock
3. Produce
4. Commercial commodities and stocks
5. Treasures and mines
If a person dies before paying the Zakât due on his or her property, then it must be taken from the estate of the deceased before its division among the heirs.
Denying Zakât or any other pillar of Islam amounts to apostasy. Allâh the Exalted has promised severe torment for those who withhold Zakât.
Fasting (Saum):
Saum, fasting of the month of Ramadân, is the fourth pillar of Islam, which Allâh enjoined during the second year of Hijra. 16 The observance of Ramadân is obligatory on every sane, adult Muslim. Such fasting involves refraining from eating or drinking throughout the daily fasting hours, that is, from the crack of dawn to sunset. Fasting helps develop endurance, tolerance, self-restraint and fear of Allâh . It also helps one to sympathize with less fortunate Muslims and increases the reward of charity. During the month of Ramadân, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed. In Ramadân, there is a night that, when observed, garners a reward better than that of a thousand months of worship.
The fast begins when the new moon of the month of Ramadân is sighted and ends with the new moon of the subsequent month of Shawwâl. Its end is marked with `Eid-ul-Fitr, literally the Breakfast Feast.R If one does not fast a day or more in Ramadân for a legitimate reason, he must make up for it after the end of Ramadân.
The following are the things that invalidate fasting:
* Willful eating, drinking or sexual intercourse during the fasting hours
* Menstrual or postnatal bleeding
* Induced vomiting
* Drawing blood (the donation of blood).
Doing any of the above out of forgetfulness does not invalidate fasting.
The Pilgrimage (Hajj):
The Hajj or Pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam. It involves the observance and performance of certain rituals during the lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah in Makkah and certain adjacent sites. The Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime for every adult, sane Muslim, who is physically and financially able to perform it. Allâh's Messenger said:
He who performs the Hajj without violating it by sexual activity or an act of disobedience, will return home as sin-free as the day he was born.
Like any other act of worship, the performance of the Hajj must be preceded with the intention to do it. It also requires the wearing of a garment of consecration, Ihrâm.17 In fact, the donning of such clothing is a concrete form of expressing the intention for the Hajj or an `Umrah, 18 the Lesser Pilgrimage. Once a person enters the state of consecration and puts on the garment, which consists of a large cloth to cover the upper part of the body and another to cover the body from the navel down. The following things become prohibited until the state of consecration is terminated by the end of Hajj or `Umrah
1. Trimming or plucking hair from any part of the body,
2. Clipping fingernails or toenails,
3. Wearing a hat or other head covering,
4. Wearing perfume,
5. Consummating a marriage, and
6. Sexual intercourse.
The pilgrimage begins with seven circuits of the Ka`bah and continues with crossing the distance between the two hills of Safa and Marwah. On the 8th of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, the pilgrims move on to Mina, then to Arafât, then Muzdalifah, then back to Mina to perform certain rituals and end the procedure with the sacrifice of an animal, either a sheep, a goat, a cow or a camel.
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