THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Taken from: "eeqadhul-Himam Al-Muntaqa min Jami'il Uloom Wal Hikam " Sheikh Saleem Al-Hilaali hafidhahullaah
Translated by:
www.asaala.net
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Narrated Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):
1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity).
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
The Interpretation of the Hadeeth:
• Islam has been clarified in the previous hadeeth (No.2).
• And what is meant in this hadeeth is that Islam is based on these five principles, and thus they are like pillars and foundations for its structure. Accordingly, Islam is compared to a construction in which these five principles are its pillars; hence, the construction will not stand still without them. The rest of the characteristics of Islam comprise the completion of the construction, so when one of them is missing, then the construction becomes imperfect but standing. Hence, the loss of these five characteristics altogether will destroy the construction of Islam, without doubt, and it also (i.e. Islam) will clear away upon losing the two testimonies.
• The two testimonies mean having faith in Allah and His Messenger.
And it was narrated by al-Bukhaaree ta'leeqan (without chain of narrators):
"Islam is based upon five: Having faith in Allah and His Messenger",
In a narration by Muslim:
"…on five: that you single out Allah, the Exalted, with worship", and in a third narration (also by Muslim):
"that you worship Allah and disbelieve in everything else (i.e. in terms of worship).
And thus it becomes known that the faith in Allah and His Messenger falls under Islam as stated previously in hadeeth No.2.
• As for establishing the prayer, there are several hadeeths that state that who neglects the prayer becomes cut off from Islam: In the Saheeh of Muslim, from Jaabir—may Allah be pleased with him--, from the Prophet—peace be upon him--:
"Verily, between the man and the Kufr (disbelief) or Shirk (polytheism) is the negligence of prayer"
And in another hadeeth from Mu'aadh—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Prophet—peace be upon him—said:
"The chief part of the matter is Islam, and its pillar is the prayer"
And thus, he (the Prophet) made the prayer like the prop upon which the large tent stands, so the tent will fall without this prop.
'Abdullah Ibn Shaqeeq said:
"The Prophet's—peace be upon him—companions would not consider neglecting anything to be Kufr except for the prayer".
And this say has been adopted by a group of the Salaf and their predecessors; it was also adopted by Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad, and Is-haaq. Is-haaq reported the unanimity of the people of knowledge upon it. Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Mirwazee said: "it is the say of the plurality among the people of Hadeeth ". And a group of them (i.e. the people of Hadeeth) go for the say that who neglected one of the five pillars of Islam deliberately is Kaafir because of that; and this was narrated from Sa'eed Ibn Jubair, Naafi', and al-Hakam, and it is a narration from Ahmad that has been chosen by a group of his companions; and it is also the say of Ibn Habeeb of the Maalikiyah.
• And one should know that these five pillars are tied to one another, rather it was narrated that none of them is to be accepted without the others; however, the decline of acceptance here does not mean the decline of soundness, nor does it mean the obligation of repeating the act upon neglecting, rather it means the absence of pleasure upon it, the praise of its doer, the praise of him and the vying in glory with him before the Angels. Thus, who establishes these pillars properly will gain the acceptance of them under this category, and who establishes some of them without the others will not gain it, whereas he is not to be punished upon that which he established the same as he would be upon that which he neglected. Rather, he is to be saved the punishment of neglecting them, or he may be rewarded on them.
Thus, it becomes clear that committing some of the sins upon which the faith will decrease will be an obstacle against the acceptance of some other acts of worship (ibadaat), even if it was one the pillars of Islam under this category. In this respect, the Prophet—peace be upon him—said:" Who drinks alcohol will be restrained the acceptance of his prayers for forty mornings (i.e. days)" , and said also: "Who visits a diviner ('Arraf) and asks him about anything will be restrained the acceptance of his prayers for forty nights (i.e. days)" .
• The hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar—may Allah be pleased with him and his father—denotes that when the appellation comprises many parts, then it will not clear away upon the disappearance of some of them. And thus, it becomes void to say that if the faith comprises actions, then it must clear away upon the disappearance of any action under it. And such saying becomes void because the Prophet—peace be upon him—made these five the pillars and foundations of Islam and upon which interpreted Islam in the hadeeth of Gabriel. However, the opponents in the issue of faith say: "If one or (even) four pillars of Islam have not been applied except for the two testimonies, then this does not cut off the doer from Islam".
The scholars have given an example about faith by a tree that has roots and branches; hence, the name of a tree comprises all of that. So, when some of its branches are cut, then it is still named a tree. However, it can be said that it is an incomplete tree, and that other trees may be more complete.
In the same manner, Allah, the Exalted, says:
"See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? - A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high)" (Ibraaheem: 24).
And what is meant with the "word" is the word of monotheism, its "root" is the firmly fixed monotheism in the heart, and its fruits are the good actions that are resulted from it.
The Prophet—peace be upon him—also set forth a parable of the Muslim and Mu'min with the palm tree. Thus, if any of its branches were removed, still it will be called a palm tree although it is incomplete with reference to branches or fruit.
• Moreover, the Jihaad was not mentioned in this hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar even though it is the best of all deeds. In another version, It was mentioned that it was said to Ibn 'Umar, "what about Jihaad?"; he said: "Jihaad is good", but this is how the Prophet—peace be upon him—said it.
In the hadeeth of Mu'aadh Bin Jabal:
"The chief part of the matter is Islam, its foundation is Islam, and the top of its hump is Jihaad".
The top of its hump means the top of it, but it is not among its foundations from two sides, the first of which is that Jihaad is considered a fard kifaya (collective duty) by the plurality among the people of knowledge, and that it is not a fard 'ayn (an individual obligation) in contrast with the aforementioned pillars. And the second, Jihaad will not last until the end of this world, but rather it is going to be put down upon the coming of 'Eesaa (Jesus) when none except the Religion of Islam shall remain. Then, the war will come to an end, Jihaad shall be in no need of. However, the aforementioned pillars are obligatory upon the Muslims until Allah's command comes to them (i.e. end of this world)...
And Allah knows best!
Source:
http://asaala.net/viewSunnaTopics.php?sunnaTopicID=3