Hadith No. 3: The Five Pillars of Islam

hivizman

The Five Pillars of Islam
These have already appeared in Hadith No. 2, and the commentator notes that Imam An-Nawawi probably repeated them because they are the elements that provide the framework for the structure of Islam. The Five Pillars are all actions (witnessing, praying, giving, journeying, fasting), but the commentary makes it clear that the actions by themselves are not enough - it is necessary to have a true and sincere intention.

There's so much involved in the Five Pillars that we could spend ages discussing any one of them. As I come to Islam from a Christian perspective, looking particularly for similarities and differences, I am always struck when I think of the Five Pillars by how much of them I could assent to in a general way, although in most cases there would be differences in detail. Christians pray regularly (though not as often as Muslims), so there's one similarity. A difference, though, is that, while there's a lot of commonality across different Christian groups as to wording, everyone has his or her own personal repertoire of movements. Some people like a lot of bowing, crossing and genuflecting, others limit themselves to standing, sitting and occasionally kneeling. Although we don't have an obligation like zakah (tithes went to support the clergy rather than as charity), there is an expectation that Christians will give rather than receive. Pilgrimages still take place, though the concept of a pilgrimage as something that everyone who can manage it should undertake at least once has rather died out. Christians fast during Lent, although this nowadays is often a giving up of specific things rather than refraining from food and drink altogether during the day.

Also, at least the first half of the Shahadah is something that Christians attest to whenever they repeat the Nicene Creed: "We believe in one God". I don't want to get into the Trinity here (the more I study, the less confident I am that I understand the doctrine), but I'm pretty clear that the Trinity is a belief in one God (who has three "persons" but one "substance"), so Christianity is a monotheistic faith. The problem comes with the second half: as soon as you believe that Muhammad is the Prophet of God, you cannot at the same time deny the truth of what was revealed to Muhammad. That's why, I guess, the commentator suggests that violation of the Shahadah is the most dangerous thing for faith.

I hope that I'm not offending anyone by opening up the discussion of the Five Pillars of Islam in this way. I'd be interested in what practising Muslims think. Do you see them as obligations, as burdens? Is there any particular Pillar that causes you the most difficulty, either intellectually or in practising your faith? Do you think I'm being naive in looking for parallels to the Five Pillars in Christianity?

the_new_mr

Thanks for starting up this thread in my absence hivizman but, if it's okay with you, perhaps we can keep this closed until the thread on hadith 2 is done with to avoid confusion and to keep some sort of linear system going?

Hope you don't mind. PM me if you do.