World Culture Term Paper. Islam Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Culture . Islam - Term Paper Example It will also illustrate how the pillars as a group affect the society positively. The first pillar of Islam is the declaring of faith also known as shahadah. This is where in order for someone to become a Muslim; they must declare that they believe in only one Allah. By doing so, they agree that there is no other real god who deserves to be worshiped. By proclaiming their faith, they agree that only Allah is supposed to be worshiped, and he has neither a son nor a partner. Shahadah is regarded as the most essential pillar of Islam (Hussein 4). However, believers are not only supposed to make the statement but should also believe in what they are declaring. Shahadah helps the society in that, by declaring that one believes in only the true God Allah and his servant Mohamed is accepting to become a Muslim. In order for one to be a faithful Muslim, they must follow all instructions of Allah through the Koran. Since the Koran prohibits social evils which include prostitution, stealing, c orruption and drinking of alcohol among other things, such things will be minimal in the society. For example, health issues such as spread of sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS will not affect the society if each and every person in the society declares their faith in Islam. Issues such corruption among government officials will be minimal hence development of the society both in infrastructure and economy. The second pillar of Islam is known as salat. This is an Islamic prayer which believers are supposed to pray five times every day. This prayer takes only five minutes and is regarded as a direct link to Allah (Hussein 26). The first prayer is known as fajir and is said early in the morning before the sun rises. Zuhr is the second prayer and is usually said at noon. The third prayer is asr and is normally said after noon. The forth and the final prayer s are Maghrib and isha which are said after the sun sets and in the late in the evening respectively. These prayers ar e supposed to be said while both kneeling and bowing which signifies submitting to Allah. Believers should purify themselves by washing their hands before reciting these prayers (Hussein 28). Salat helps the society in that it gives believers comfort, inner peace and happiness. This in turn results in good relations between people in the society as they go about their daily activities. This will affect the society positively because people will interact when they are in good moods hence there will be no confrontations. This will result to people living in harmony and helping each other thus a better society. Prayer also brings blessings from Allah thus resulting to the entire society being blessed. Zakat is the third pillar of Islam in Islam. All believers of Islam are required to give 2.5 percent of their material wealth to the less fortunate in the society. However, giving is not limited to the 2.5 percent. It is based on the fact that all wealth belongs to Allah and is given to p eople to keep it safe (Hussein 42) and since God is the one who provides to the needy, they are just doing God’s work. However, there are five guidelines that should be followed when giving zakat (Hussein 45). First of all someone should proclaim to Allah that they wish to give zakat; it should also be given in time; after giving one should not overstate what they have offered during prayer; if a believer is not in a financial position to give, it is not compulsory they can compensate by doing good things to others; finally, zakat given should be shared among the whole community. Zakat improves the society in that; needy people are taken care of by the society itself. They are given food,