Pillars of our Deen: An Nawawi 3

On the authority of Abdullah, the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, "Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakat (obligatory charity), making the hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadan." - Bukhari and Muslim

First Pillar: The Shahadah

There are seven conditions of the Shahadah:

• Knowledge in what you are saying, to understand what it means [Muhammad:19]

• Certainty in what you are saying, - to have no doubt about anything confirmed in the Quran or Sunnah. [Al-Hujurat:15]

• Sincerity in your worship, to do it solely for the sake of Allah [Al-Zumar:2]

• Truthfulness in what you are saying. [Al-Zumar:54]

• Love for what you are saying and what it entails. [Al-Baqarah:165]

• Submission to what it entails. [Al-Nisaa’:125]

• Acceptance in everything that it entails. [Al-Ahzab-36]

The second part of the Shahada carries the following conditions:

• Affirming his message and believing in it inwardly within the heart. [Al-Hujurat:15]

• Saying the Shahadah and affirming it outwardly upon the tongue. [Al-Hujurat:15]

• Following him by acting upon whatever he has come with from the truth and abandoning whatever he has prohibited from falsehood. [‘Aal-Imran:31]

• Attesting to whatever he has informed of from enjoining the good and prohibiting the evil and the unseen affairs of the past and in the future and other than that. [Al-Hashr:7]

• Putting his statement over the rest of the people, regardless of whoever they might be, and to act upon his Sunnah. [Al-Hujurat:1]

• To magnify, honour respect, exalt, and revere what he came with from Allah, the Quran and Sunnah. And that cannot occur, except by acting upon the two of them and loving them more than one loves himself. [Al Fath:8,9]

(The prophet SAW) said, “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to them than their father, children, and all of mankind” [Reported in Bukhari & Muslim])

Virtues of “la ilaaha illa Allah”:

• He whose last words are la ilaaha illa Allah will enter paradise

The prophet Saw said, “Whoever says la ilaaha illa Allah will enter Jannah” (Reported in ibn Hibban).

• It is a salvation from the hellfire

• It necessitates being forgiven

• It is the best of all good actions

• It wipes away sins

• It renews the eeman that is planted in the heart

• It outweighs on the scales the records of sins

• It traverses all barriers until it reaches Allah, the Majestic

• It is the best of what all the prophets have said

• It is the best form of remembrance

• It is a protection from the shaytaan

• It is a means of safety from the darkness of the grave and the terror of the gathering

• It will be a distinguishing sign for the believers when they emerge from their graves

• To know it is the best blessing that Allah has blessed us with

Second Pillar: Salah

Salah is a direct connection between the worshipper and Allah, it is a constant reminder of our submission and dependence. Through performing five daily prayers, we express our gratitude, seek forgiveness, and ask for guidance. Salah is a means to purify our hearts and cultivate mindfulness of Allah in our daily lives.

The Scholars say this implies:

• Doing the wudu in the proper way

• To do the salah in its time

• To do it in congregation - where the reward is 27 times than praying alone

• To fulfill the six conditions of salah

• To observe the adab - such as praying with the heart, soul, with awe and with khushoo, reciting of a complete manner, with full concentration and fear of Allah

• To follow sunnah in our salah

Ibn Al-Qayyim said prayer is of five degrees:

• The one who is careless and is therefore punished

• The one who prays on time but at the same time he is distracted and is therefore admonished

• The one who fulfils his prayer by fighting the devil and is therefore redeemed

• The one who is entirely concerned with his prayer and is therefore rewarded

• The one who performs his prayer while only being preoccupied with Allah and is therefore rewarded and brought closer to Allah

The Messenger SAW) was talking about obligatory prayers and he said, “whoever abandons it purposely, then bari’at minhu al dhimma (Islam is free from him)” (ibn Majah)

Remember that Allah commanded us to pray fifty times a day and it was eventually reduced to five times with the reward of fifty. The prayers should not be seen as a burden.

Third Pillar: Zakat

Zakat purifies our wealth, and its distribution helps bridge the gap between the affluent and the less fortunate, fostering societal harmony fostering a sense of community .

And establish prayer and give Zakat, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah of what you do, is Seeing." (Quran 2:110)

Benefits of giving zakah

• It frees oneself from miserliness which Allah ordered us to stay away from. [Al-hashr, 59:9]

• It refines your character

• It increases your wealth. [Saba’, 34: 39]

• It helps you to strive against your own nafs (soul)

• It shows that Islam is not an individualistic faith

• It helps in tasting the sweetness of Imaan

Fourth Pillar: Fasting

The Prophet SAW when asked what the best way is to finish reading the whole Quran, said to do it in one month, i.e. one Juz per day. This is something we should practice all the time and not have to wait for Ramadhan to do it. If we cannot achieve this, at least try to read one or two pages a day (a quarter of a hizb).

Similarly we should try to do the night prayers (tahajud), be it only two raka'at and not everyday, outside of Ramadhan.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." - Sahih Al Bukhari 38

Benefits of fasting:

• Helps in attaining piety

• Decreases one’s desire

• Has unlimited reward

• Reward can never be taken away from us

Fifth Pillar: Hajj

Hajj is an obligation that we need to do at least once in our lifetime if we meet certain conditions, e.g. if we have the financial means,

Benefits of hajj:

• You have all of your sins forgiven

• Entails all the five pillars of Islam

• You glorify and manifest the emblems of Allah

• Helps a person in submitting to Allah

• Teaches us that Allah’s wisdom and knowledge is greater than ours

Action points:

• Increase in saying la ilaaha illa Allah- it is a great form of remembrance of Allah

• Understand the correct meaning of la ilaaha illa Allah

• Adhere to the Prophet’s SAW way of giving dawah- refute what is wrong, then affirm what is right

• la ilaaha illa Allah is the key to paradise, but every key has teeth which enable it to open the door, and the teeth for this key are the conditions of la ilaaha illa Allah so you adhere to them for this key to work

• Ensure you establish the prayer: pray on time, pray in the Masjid, aim to achieve the highest level of khushoo

How to increase in khushoo (piety)

• Preparation before you pray

• Tranquillity of the body

• Remind yourself of death in the prayer

• Understand and reflect on the meaning of the verses

• Maintain the etiquettes of reciting the Qur’an

• Realise that Allah loves this

• Look at the place of prostration

• Vary what you say in the prayer

• Remember who you are standing before

• Read the stories of the pious predecessors

• Reflect upon the reasons on why we give zakah ; include them in your intention when you give zakah or sadaqah, Study the fiqh of zakah

• Intend to do hajj at the earliest opportunity and ensure you do so

• Try to attain the extra special level of fasting as defined above

• Increase in voluntary fasts: especially Mondays + Thursdays, at least 3 days of the month, preferably being the white days, which are the 13th, 14th and 15th of the Hijri month