second pillar of Islam i.e. “iqamatus salah”. We should remember that Allah, the most Glorious, the most High, initially commanded us to pray fifty times a day and it was eventually reduced to five times (with the reward of fifty prayers). The prayer times are very reasonably spread out throughout the day – it can even help us to properly manage our time – it can help us to manage our affairs, making it possible for the Muslim community to meet during the congregational prayer and care for and help each other which will lead in turn to solidarity. Thus, the prayers should not be seen as a burden as some Muslims might regard them today.
Third Pillar: Zakat ( Charity)
Must we or should we give Charity?
The giving of Zakat has been shown to us by the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, for certain things and in certain ways or percentages and under certain or specific conditions. The Scholars say that knowing the details of Zakat only becomes mandatory when a person owns or acquires the type of property or thing which requires him to give Zakat for. For example, Farmers or traders or other property owners need to have knowledge about the conditions and percentages of Zakat that they are mandated to give. When the rich in society fulfils their responsibility with regards to the giving of zakat, it bridges the gap between the poor and the wealthy, and hence reduces the incidence of commercial begging. This would bring honour to the Muslim community.
Fourth Pillar: Hajj (pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Mecca )
Pilgrimage (Hajj) to the House (Kaabah) is an obligation that we need to fulfill only once in our life time- only if we meet specific conditions, for instance, if we have the financial means, etc. If we meet these requirements then we should perform the Hajj as soon as possible and not to delay it.
Some Scholars say that if we have the means to perform the Hajj several times, then it is better to use this money to help others to fulfill their religious obligations – we will be rewarded for their pilgrimage or to use the money for the betterment of the community.
For each of these Pillars there are conditions, sunnan, ethics (adab), etc., which should be
observed when we carry out these ibadahs. Why do we always hear that every year hundreds of
Muslims lose their lives or get wounded during Hajj? Most of these incidents are as a result of the negligence of the adab or violation of the sunnan. For instance, the throwing of stones at the Jamrat:
Even though we are expected to use small stones, people tend to use big ones and
throw recklessly from a far distance, causing injuries to others. People do not follow the specified orientations when they move, causing many to get crushed by the ‘human waves’ moving in different directions.
People insist on throwing at the peak times, i.e. the busiest part of the day. The elderly, women and handicapped should be reminded to go when it is less crowded.
Thus, it is very imperative that we observe the adab.