Islam: The Five Pillars Of Islam

Religions Essay

It is noon in the streets of Boston. Suddenly a woman gets down to her knees and prays towards the south-east direction. Meanwhile, a man in Beijing does the same, instead he prays towards the west. This scene is repeated as another and another man bends down. What are they doing? Why are they praying towards the same direction? The answer is that they are a part of the same community. Millions and millions of Muslims goes down to their knees at the same time, all praying together towards the same direction of Mecca. Although scattered across the world, they are connected to other Muslims by their religious beliefs. In a similar design, religious groups such as Confucianism and Judaism are also close knit; many of its members

This action of prayer is called the Salat, and is part of the Five Pillars of Islam, or the 5 core actions and beliefs that Muslims must follow and accomplish in order to fulfill the covenant of Allah. The covenant of Allah says if Muslims do good, they will be promised a godly life, in contrast if they do bad, they will be punished. Another important part of the Five Pillars is the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca. During the Hajj, Muslims from all around the world gather together, wear uniformed clothes-- two pieces of white cloth during this trip. All Muslims, despite their differences, are viewed equally in the eyes of Allah, and this sense of equality establishes a connection in the Muslim community. According to the Quran, all Muslims should strive to protect their community by engaging in jihad. Jihad is an Islamic term which can be interpreted as holy war or struggle for the faith, and it must be performed if anyone or any group does any action that can be harmful to the Muslim community and/or the Islamic faith. Muslims must take action and start a war. By protecting their community, all Muslims show a strong sense of pride in being part of the same group. Muslims all over the world follow the same beliefs and performs the same actions; however, it’s not just Muslims who are knit

Their society unites all people, calling them one family, or “Jia”. In Confucian beliefs, all Confucians are viewed as family members. They are a part of one large, welcoming community. Yet it is surprising to hear that before Confucianism, China was broken and fallen apart. During this period of constant warfare, or the Warring States Period, Confucius, a philosopher, wrote a set of rules that united the fallen states. His set of rules is now known as Confucianism. Even until today, in Confucian public schools, students learn the teachings of Confucianism, and live by the message of uniting the