Five Pillars of Islam Questions

1. Why is the pronouncement of the shahada central to a Muslim’s identity and
practice of the Islamic faith?


The pronouncement of shahada is cental to a Muslim’s identity and practice of the Islamic faith because it is the affirmation of the belief of one God and His prophet. Such as the National Anthem unifies spectators along with opposing teams during a sporting event, the pronouncement in one true God does the same.


2. How does the practice of the salat both mentally and physically help Muslims to
live in obedience to the will of Allah?


The pronouncement of salat is central to a Muslim's identity and practice of the Islamic faith because slat(prayer) unifies Muslims all over the world. For example, during the five times Muslims pray during the day, they are to face the holy city of Mecca. This unifies all that pronounce salat. God commanded the prophet Muhammad to pray five times a day thus making prayer a central practice because Islam is submission to the will of God. Prayer mentally rests Muslims.


3. In what ways does the practice of zakat influence Muslims as a community of faith? In other words, what does this practice say about the Muslim community and its commitment to the poor and marginalized?

The practice of zakat shows that Muslims are a people of giving. Muslims have made a commitment to helping their fellow human beings by donating 1/40 of their total income to the poor. This may seem small but with millions of Muslims doing this the whole world can benefit from their example.


4. How does the practice of sawm both mentally and physically help a Muslim to live in obedience to the will of Allah?


I must say that the pillar of sawm is my favorite pillar because it is the one that I am most intrigued by. Sawm is fasting. I find especially admirable that Muslims fast during Ramadan to personally experience what it feels like to be hungry. This is both a mental and physical way Muslims live in obedience to the will of Allah.


5. Why do you think that the hajj is a pillar of the Islamic faith? How is this practice similar and different from other world religions?

I believe that the hajj is a pillar of Islamic faith because Muhammad performed a hajj known as the hijra. Also, Muslims pry to the kabba in Mecca everyday therefore it is only fitting to visit the center of their faith. This practice is similar to other world religions because all religions have holy sites and all world religions have pilgrims. It is different from other world religions because unlike Christians going to St. Peter's Basilica and walking around, Muslims go to Mecca for many days with specific events for each day and all rituals must be done correctly.

6. What do you think are some of the challenges of practicing a life in relationship to the Five Pillars?

Some challenges to living a life in relationship to the five pillars would be finding time to practice salat. In such a busy world where we barely have enough time to ourselves I believe that it would be hard to find time to pray five times a day at specific times. Another challenge would be taking the hajj because it is very expensive to travel to Saudi Arabia.

Ninety-Nine Names of God

When looking at the ninety-nine names of God there are four that stick out to me that I think are used a lot when God is being mentioned. They are the Compassionate, the Vanquisher, Life-Taker, and Acceptor of Repentance. The Compassionate is one of God’s feminine names because for Him to be compassionate, he cares about us, through high and low situations that we put ourselves in. God cares even if we do not know it, like a mother with her child. Through everything we do or say that can go against God or what he plans for us to accomplish, he always forgives us and is filled with love for us even during the challenging times of our lives.

            A masculine name for God is Life- Taker because no matter how much control we think we have over ourselves it is God who truly rules over use. He already knows our past, present and future as well as knows our faults before they even happen. We, as humans, may think we take control of our lives so we can make it of what we want but ultimately, God is the one who has a real control over what will happen in our lives. God has everything under control, even though some people might not believe it He cares and loves us and we will always be under his protection because He will always be with us step by step in our lives.

             Another feminine name for God is Acceptor of Repentance because He wants us to forgive each other for what we have done. He know that no human is perfect and it’s for that reason that God wants us to repent because again He shows His care and love toward us as well as our faults. All of us sin because it’s natural and as I said before no human is perfect. Nonetheless, when we sin, God wants us to come and talk to him to ask for forgiveness because he wants us to be forgiven and to move on. He is called the Acceptor of Repentance a lot of times because he is open as well as understanding to the fact that we all make mistakes and sin; talking to God and asking for repentance is big because we are accepting our faults to him and he is giving us the chance to renew ourselves, like a mother forgiving their child when they have done something wrong.

            One last masculine name for God is the Vanquisher because even though God has created life he can destroy it just the same. Meaning that God can destroy man and destroy evil as well. He has the power to do so if he finds it necessary and because of that vanquish comes off to me as very masculine when referring to God. This is because I believe that God being the Vanquisher adds to the effect of how people are to fear him and not think that God is a push over just because he forgives all of our sins.

            All four of these names are only a few of the ninety-nine names that God is mentioned as. Each of them are linked to each other because they refer to the same God. He is everything, when we need something or want to talk to someone he is there. He is compassionate, a vanquisher, a life-taker and an acceptor of repentance. God is loving towards us as well as protective. He looks after us and wants us to always better ourselves in his name. He gave us everything on this Earth and even though he is to be loved, God should be feared just the same. He rules us and controls our lives and even though he gave us free will he knows what we will do before us. We are under his protection and guidance helping us to move forward. Nobody’s perfect so when we sin, we ask God for forgiveness. However sometimes, asking for forgiveness can be hard; but still he welcomes us to do so to show his love and care he has towards his creations.

Blog Post 24: Islam Webquest

Task #1:

1.     What is the highest estimate for the total number of Muslims that live in the world today? 2.1 billion

2. List 10 countries who have a Muslim population of 86% or greater. Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Iran, Iraq
3. What country has the largest Muslim population? Morocco
4. How many Muslims are there in the Unites States? 2,595,000

Task #2:

5.     Summarize each key beliefs below in a complete sentence:

·      Belief in God:  Muslims believe in one unique God, who has no son or partner. No one shares his divinity.

·      Belief in Angels: Muslims believe in the existence of the angles and that they are honored creatures. The angles worship God alone.

·      Belief in God’s Revealed Books: Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind as guidance for them.

·      Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God: Muslims believe in messengers of God starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus.

·      Belief in the Day of Judgment: Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to their beliefs and deeds.

·      Belief in Al-Qadar: Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but his belief in Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill.

6.     Go to the following website and put 3 of Muhammad’s sayings in your own words:

·      “ Struggling is going against oneself and submitting themselves to Allah (God).”

·      “Honesty and staying pure while moving forward is the best way to live life and makes up the Divine words of wisdom.”

·      “Anger, dictatorship and being bias are sins, meaning going against God’s purpose.”

Task #3:

7.     What does the Quran provide? It deals with the subjects that concern human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, transactions, law etc.

8.     In what language(s) does the Quran exist? Why? Only Arabic because it was revealed in that language. But in English translation as well.

9.     During which month was the Quran sent down from Heaven? 9^th month

10. What did the angel Gabriel command Muhammad to do? What happened next? Commanded Muhammad to read and then he taught Muhammad some verses from the Quran, which Muhammad memorized.

Task #4:

11.  List and explain the 5 pillars of Faith:

·      Shahada (Testimony of faith): Most important pillar. One is required to say with conviction at least once in his or her life.

·      Salat (Prayer): Muslims pray 5 times a day- dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night. Prayer often occurs in a mosque, but Muslims may pray anywhere.

·      Zakat (almsgiving): Charitable giving is a requirement of faith for all Muslims. Used to benefit the poor.

·      Slyam (Fasting): literally means any ritual fasting, but is generally understood to refer to ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan. From dusk to dawn for the entire month, Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual relations.

·      Hajj (Pilgrimage): During the last month of the Islamic calendar, about two million Muslims ascend to the city of Mecca for the Hajj.  Every able-bodied Muslim is required- if finances permit to make it at least once in their life.

Why are they important?:  Helps to strengthen their faith in and service to Allah.

Why is cheating on the 5 pillars impossible?: Because all Muslims strive to perform, regardless of anything.

Compare the 5 pillars with similar activities in other religions: In Christianity, we have times of lent where we do not eat meat. Asking God for forgiveness. The Quran is similar to the Bible in Christianity.

Task #5:

12. What is Ramadan? 9^th month of Islamic calendar

13. What restraints are placed on Muslims during Ramadan? Not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting.

14. What can destroy the good acquired during Ramadan? Telling a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath and greed or covetousness.

15. Why is the 27^th day of Ramadan significant? Muslims celebrate the Night of Power. It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran.

16. What happens when Ramadan ends? It is celebrated with one of two Islamic festivals.

17. What are 3 reasons Ramadan is important? Constitutes a period of atonement. The gates of Heaven are open. And the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained up in Hell.

18. Why is easier to do good during Ramadan? Good actions keep the devil away since he is chained in Hell.

Task #6:

19.  List 5 interesting facts you learned from the websites above:

·      Muslims account for one-fifth of the world’s population.

·      Islamic art isn’t restricted to religious work, but includes all the artistic traditions in Muslim culture.

·      Islam means “submission” from a word meaning “peace”.

·      Islam and Judaism go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham and their three prophets are directly descendents from his sons.

·      When pilgrims go to the Kaaba, they say, “At Thy service, O Lord” in response to Abraham’s summons.