On the authority of Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu
‘anhuma, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say:
“Islam has been built upon five things – on testifying that there is no god
save Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah;
on giving the zakah; on Hajj to the House; and on fasting during Ramadhan.”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Background
This hadith is part of the previous Hadith (2). Most Scholars say that the reason why al-Imam al?Nawawi included this hadith in his collection, even though it seems that it repeats some portions of Hadith 2, is because of the importance of the 5 pillars of Islam.
This Hadith stresses the fundamental aspects of the outward submission to Allah. This
submission is based on some pillars, similar to a structure. If a person fulfills these aspects, he
has laid a solid foundation for his deen as a ‘home’.
The other acts of Islam, which are not mentioned in this hadith, can be taken as fine touches to
complete this structure. If a person fails to fulfill these obligations (building the pillars), then the entire structure of his
deen/iman may be threatened. This depends on how much is being violated – e.g. violation of the shahadah is the most dangerous.
Lessons
The use of metaphors and similes
This hadith uses a metaphor (i.e. the image of the structure of a building) to affirm certain
important meanings. This use of metaphors and similes can be found in many Surahs in the
Quran and in many other hadiths. For example: ? In Surah At-Taubah (9): ayat 109, a similar metaphor is used – the structure of the
Mua’min’s deen/iman is based on a sound foundation, whereas the structure of the deen
of the Munafiq is based on weak ground which may lead to the collapse of the structure,
resulting in the Munafik entering the Hellfire.Hope these evidences are enough to satisfy you. If you think they are not still enough, follow me keenly and get before you other equally thirst quenching evidences about the subject. In fact you can even educate others about it better than I’m doing. Be concerned about what concerns you yet seek knowledge, for ignorance is a prison wherein the inmates are those who are reluctant when it comes to seeking knowledge.
When you learn, you lead others aright and save them from captivity. But you don’t just learn anything, you seek beneficial knowledge and wisdom from the right sources with the proper ethics. Look for the write up on ethics of seeking knowledge. And as usual, when you sleep over the bed of heedlessness in your youth, then be sure to tread on the path of regret during old age. Let me hasten to reiterate that seeking knowledge frees you from the captivity and prison of ignorance and darkness. So my good friends, brothers and sisters in Islam, seek beneficial knowledge and wisdom with the correct ethics, aiming to benefit society with the knowledge and hoping for reward from the Almighty Allah. Laziness is very attractive to ignorance, so wherever there is laziness in the quest for knowledge, be certain to find ignorance married happily to Mr. laziness, making a perfect couple with darkness as their residence. Corrections, criticisms and the like are welcome as usual. They keep me on my toes and on the look out for much information. Since information is key in this day and age.
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