A belief system is essential for any religion. The religious ideology provides the framework and the foundations for practice, theology, and tradition. In Islam, there are five pillars in which every Muslim is required to believe in and practice. These five pillars provide Muslims with a system of practices that express devotion and faith to God. These pillars are considered to be manadatory and seen by Muslims as a commandement from God. They are Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj. To be a true Muslim, one is required to believe in and do all of these five practices.

Shahada is the declaration of one’s faith in Allah and the prophet Muhammad. It is the cornerstone of Islam, because it sets the framework for Muslim theology and practices. There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God, is the oath one must declare to be considered a Muslim. This belief affirms the existence of Allah as the one and only God. This maxim is vital for Islam, because the whole religion is built upon this one principle.

Salat or prayer is the second pillar of Islam. Every Muslim is commanded by God to pray five times a day. Through this exercise a Muslim expresses his devotion to God and is reminded of God’s absolute existence. During every prayer, one declares his faith in Allah and asks him to show the straight path. The prayers are taken directly out of the Quran, which makes the prayer that more meaningful. The fact that a Muslim must pray five times a day shows the emphasis Islam places on this practice. By performing Salat, Muslims reaffirm their belief in one God.

Hajj is the fifth and last pillar of Islam. It is a pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca, where one reconnects with the Islamic heritage and reaffirms his belief in Islam. Mecca is believed to be a city where Abraham and his family resided. When Muslims go on Hajj they revisit the sacred places that Abraham and his family built and their trails through the mountains. On this journey, Muslims spiritually reconnect with their patriarch and prophet Abraham and reaffirm their belief in Allah. It is believed that God told Abraham to build Kaba, a holy site in Mecca, where he was supposed to bring all of mankind. This belief provides the foundation for Hajj and reasons for Muslims to perform this ritual. This practice, which is obligatory on all Muslims, makes a meaningful contribution to the Islamic faith because going on this journey and participating along side millions of Muslims creates a new experience, which many Muslims consider transformational.

The Five Pillars encompass the essential five practices that reaffirm Islam as a monotheistic religion. The belief in one God and Muhammad as the last prophet provides Muslims with the doctrine which reverberates in every aspect of the Islamic faith. The Islamic theology and practices are built around this credo, which the Five Pillars reinforce. The Pillars provide the groundwork for faith to commence.

-Arthur Meyster

Smart identifies “Six Dimensions of Religion”, among those the Doctrinal Dimension. In his opinion, the Doctrinal Dimension in all religions is the basic religious beliefs, especially those that are revealed through faith, ritual, and scripture. Smart’s Doctrinal Dimension, especially the doctrines of the vertical relationships Muslims have with God and the horizontal one they have with one another, can be applied to the Five Pillars of Islam. In particular, three pillars, Zakat (legal charity), Sawm (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) reveal this concept.

The concept of both the vertical and horizontal relationship is manifested in the pillar of Zakat. Zakat, is the mandatory giving of a certain proportion of one’s income to charity. It is different from, for example, the Jewish concept of Tzedakah in that it is required by Islamic law to give, rather than encouraged and expected (although that concept exists within Islam as well). The horizontal and social aspects of Zakat are fairly obvious. Giving Zakat shows a concern and empathy for others, both individuals and a community at large. Zakat is an outward sign of charity, and shows the solidarity one has with all humans. The fact that it is commanded reveals the vertical relationship Muslims have with God; Muslims perform Zakat out of a connection and reverence to Allah. In addition, Muhammad once said to the Muslim community “you will never be Believers until you show charity.” By his saying this, he shows that Zakat and the concern for humankind is, in fact, a feature of faith, and is part of a belief in God and acceptance of Islam.

Another pillar which contains the doctrines of both the vertical and horizontal relationships Muslims have is Sawm. Sawm is the month-long fast during Ramadan, in which Muslims are commanded not to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. Ramadan is a period of joy and celebration, but also of reflection. It is believed that the Quran descended during the month of Ramadan, and perhaps because of this, it is encouraged to read the Quran more than usual during this time. Ramadan allows Muslims to reflect on their relationship with God and the Quran, as well as their dependence on God for religious guidance and physical sustenance. In addition, fasting during Ramadan raises one’s awareness of the solidarity one has with others, especially the poor and hungry. Like on Yom Kippur, by choosing to deprive oneself of food, one is forced to think of those who do not have a choice and who must do so out of necessity, and feel compassion, empathy, and solidarity towards them.

The third pillar that relates to the relationships Muslims have with God and with each other is Hajj. Hajj is the commandment that Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, so all Muslims are connected in the experience. Between two and three million people from over 70 countries visit Mecca on Hajj each year. Everyone wears uniform attire: men wear two white sheets, and women wear loose dresses and headscarves. Muslims from all over the world, of all different nationalities come together, are equal in the eyes of God, and see themselves as a part of a unified religious community. Another way both of these relationships is manifested is through visiting sites of historical and religious importance. Pilgrims visit the Kaba, which is where God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build. By visiting it as a place of worship, it shows how Muhammad truly was the last and greatest of the prophets (which connects to one of the articles of faith). It reveals the impact Muhammad had on turning the region from a polytheistic one to a monotheistic one, which relates to the pillar of Shahadah, the declaration of the oneness of God. In addition, Muslims go seven times between two small hills in order to reenact the story of Hagar’s search for food and water. By visiting places of historical significance, Muslims are able to feel the connection they have to other Muslims through their shared history, as well as the relationship they have with God through the relationship their ancestors and God had. Many Muslims, after going on Hajj, say that it renewed their connection to God and commitment to Islam as a shared religion.

Smart’s Doctrinal dimension of religion can be applied to the five pillars of Islam. The doctrines of the vertical relationship Muslims have with God and the horizontal one they have with other Muslims are revealed through several Islamic rituals. Specifically, the pillars Zakat, or commanded charity, Sawm, fasting during Ramadan, and Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, reveal these doctrines, foster a sense of community between Muslim, and allow them to feel spiritually and religiously connected and committed to God.

-Adina Marx-Arpadi

Nasir Al-Amin, Founder of the Alliance Investment Fund (ALIF), spoke about the personal experiences that led him to convert to Islam and to build an international anti-poverty organization. He spoke about his work and travels in Ethiopia and about a program he ran at Fordham University linking the Pillars of Zakat (the obligatory poverty tax) to Sawm (fasting during Ramadan) through student contributions of money they otherwise would have spent on daily meals.

During the break students catch up and discuss the begining of the meeting. From left to right: Fatima Waziry, Ramla Hussain, Sarielle Luger and Hallie Swidler.




Chatting after lunch - from left to right: Brenne Rimberg, Maya Matalon, Ramla Hussain and Fatima Waziry. (Syed Razvi and Co-Facilitator Dror Post are facing away from the camera in the foreground.)




From left to right: Sarielle Luger, Dror Post, Syed Razvi, and Timur Meyster.




From left to right: Brenne Rimberg, Maya Matalon, Fatima Waziry and Ramla Hussain.




During a break, Artur and Timur Meyster from Heschel play hackeysack with Senior Facilitator Ahmad Amara and Al-Iman student Syed Razvi. (Robyn Spector and Adina Marx-Arpadi are seated in the foreground.)




After lunch the group comes together to prepare for the discussion. From left to right: Ahmad Amara (Senior Facilitator), Brenne Rimberg, Maya Matalon, Fatima Waziry, Dror Post (Co-Facilitator) and Syed Razvi.

Sahaba are the companions or close friends of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). Ahl ul Bayt are people of Prophet Muhammad (P.BU.H) or "people of the house" [of the prophet]. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The differences between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual differences, but political ones. Over the centuries, however, these political differences have spawned a number of varying practices and positions which have come to carry a spiritual significance. Ali is the central figure at the origin of the Shia / Sunni split which occurred in the decades immediately following the death of the Prophet in 632. The division between Shia and Sunni dates takes back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable. On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali.

Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." From this initial question of political leadership, some aspects of spiritual life have been affected and now differ between the two groups of Muslims. Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves. Shia Muslims also feel animosity towards some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad based on their positions and actions during the early years of discord about leadership in the community.

Farah Younas