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There were five pillars of Islam known as Arkan al Islam. Together they formed the framework of Muslim life. They were Shahadah (faith), Swam (self-purification), Salah (obligatory prayers), Zakat (concern for the needy), and Hajj (the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who were able). Shahadah was a simple formula which all the faithful declare, "There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God. There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is his prophet." This statement of faith was made when a person made a choice to convert to Islam and testified to the certainty that there was no other deity and that Muhammad was his messenger. By making this declaration, the believer announced his or her faith in all of God's messengers and the scriptures revealed to them.
In most Islamic
traditional schools, the sincere and honest recitation in Arabic of the Shahadah
before two Muslim witnesses was all that was required for a person to become a
Muslim.
Sawm (Siyam) teaches believers of Allah and the Qur'an patience and self-control. They abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations from the first light of dawn when a white line can be seen on the horizon (Fajr) until sundown when the disc of the sun sinks below the local horizon (Maghrib) for the twenty-nine or thirty days of Ramadan. They are also expected to refrain from anger, backbiting, envy, greed, lust, violence, and make an extra effort to get along with everyone. By temporarily eliminating worldly comforts, they grow spiritually and gain true sympathy for the needy and the less fortunate in the world. The sick, the weak, the elderly, those traveling, laborers, soldiers on the battlefield, children before the age of puberty, and pregnant, menstruating, or nursing women are permitted to break the fast and later in the year make up an equal number of days.
If physically unable to
fast, they must feed a needy person for every day missed if they can afford to.
Besides fasting, during this time Muslims also spend more time praying...
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