The Pillars of Islam and the Muslim Golden Age

What are the basic ideas of Islam and what were the contributions of the Muslim Golden Age? The basic ideas behind the religion of Islam are fivefold. These five things are more than mere concepts. For the Muslim, they are obligatory. They are conveniently named in what Islam calls the Five Pillars of Islam. Namely,
1. The Shihada
2. Prayer
3. Zakat
4. Fasting
5. Pilgrimage
The first pillar of Islam is the Shihada, or the statement of faith. The Arabic word Shihada is loosely translated as the witness. The Shihada is simply a statement of faith, or belief. It states, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." This is the doorway to faith for the Muslim. It is stated repeatedly during Muslim prayers as well.
Salat is the second pillar of Islam. Prayers are made daily to Allah by Muslims the world over. Each believer faces in the direction of Mecca and is required to perform prayers five times a day at specified times. Before praying, the Muslim must perform a ritual cleansing with water as well. Men and women usually pray apart from one another, but can pray in the same place if necessary.
The third pillar of Islam, Zakat, is the Arabic word meaning obligatory giving. This usually takes place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Giving takes various forms throughout the Muslim world, but the emphasis is on giving to the poor.
The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. This is quite serious business. From sunrise to sunset no food or drink is permitted. Abstinence from smoking, is required too. Allowances are made for pregnant women or the infirmed.
Lastly, the Haaj, (pilgrimage) to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia is 'required' if one has the means to make the trip. This is usually a highlight of any Muslim's life and holds deep significance.
These five main pillars sum up the main tenants of Islam. The simplicity of each aspect is alluring and aided the spread of the new religion long after Muhammad's death.
As noted in "Western Civilization - Ideas, Politics and Society", by Marvin Perry, "In the eighth and ninth centuries, under the Abbasid caliphs, based in Baghdad, Muslim civilization entered its golden age. Islamic civilization creatively integrated Arabic, Byzantine, Persian, and Indian cultural traditions. During the Early Middle Ages, when learning was at a low point in Western Europe, the Muslims forged a high civilization." (203) This period is known as the Muslim Golden Age.
Medical advances included surgery, such as amputations, and the removal of cancerous tissues. They developed new medicines and used anesthetics when performing operations as well. Advances in mathematics included work in algebra and trigonometry, not to mention the Arabic numerals. Additionally, the discipline of physics saw successful challenges to the works of Euclid and Ptolemy in the field of optics.
Of note among the many Muslim scholars of this Muslim Golden Age were Al-Fabari (c.870-950), Ibn-Sina (980-1037) and Ibn-Rushd (1126-1198). These and others employed Greek thought and philosophy to catalog and refine Muslim doctrine, write poetry, philosophy and practice medicine.

Curtis Bradley is the father of three and a full time writer and entrepreneur, residing in Connecticut. He holds a B.S. Finance, Summa Cum Laude, from Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT). Curtis is an avid reader and enjoys learning immensely. Currently, he's reading through his list of the top books of all time and writing extensively.

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Islam's 5 Pillars - Back To Basics

Islams 5 pillars are all ingrained in the minds of every Muslims. So much so that we tend to take them lightly to the point of neglecting them. Today let us revise Islams 5 pillars and rediscover what our hearts should naturally incline to. I say should, because unfortunately our hearts are so covered up in disease that we have developed a hardness of the heart and our hearts no longer inclined to the basic things that they were created for. They incline to our desires more than anything. When they should incline to worship of Allah, The irresistible. We were created for that purpose alone and with Islams 5 pillars, taught to us by our beloved prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) we know exactly how. So let's go over them so that they may be implemented.
1. Shahada (testimony Of Faith): The first thing a person says that brings them in the fold of Islam. It consists of the following statement " I testify that there is no god (or deity worthy of worship) but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is his last and finally messenger." When you say these words, while meaning and understanding them, you become a Muslim. A Muslim is a person that "Submits to God's will".
2. Salat (Performing 5 daily prayers): A Muslim must perform 5 daily prayers at their prescribed times (On time). While in pray the worshiper is in direct link with his Lord (Allah). The performance of the prayer is mention in the Qur'an, but the details of how it is to be performed was given to us by the prophet Muhammad ( May the blessings and peace from Allah be upon him) Some people think that we could combine all the prayers for the end of the day, but that is incorrect. They must be performed at a set time which is determined by the position of the sun.
3. Zakat (Paying of the Alms tax): The Arabic meaning of the word Zakat is "purification" or "growth". Paying zakat to the needy serves the purpose of purifying our wealth and helping the poor. It has been set at 2.5% of the money set aside in a full year. Every Adult, free, and mentally sane and financially able Muslim, male or female, is obliged to pay his zakat every year.
4. Sawm (Fasting the month of Ramadan): Muslims have been advised that when the month of Ramadan arrives, they are to fast from sun up the sun down. Fasting means abstaining from food and water and from sexual intercourse during the prescribed hours mentioned. The reward for fasting is great and is only truly known by Allah. So we should not miss out that at all.
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia): It has also been prescribed by Allah, that we perform hajj at least once in our life time. On hajj, we are guests of Allah. A set number of rituals must be performed exactly in order for our pilgrimage to be accepted. If accepted, hajj completely washes you of all your sins and leaves you as sinless as a new-born baby.
Well here it is, Islams 5 pillars...
Make sure to implement them in your daily lives. Of course the explanation above was a brief one. For more info on Islams 5 pillars search Islam tomorrow on Google.

Mimi is a long time convert to Islam who has found fullfilment and peace in it. for more info on here web site visit [http://www.tawheedquest.com]

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