5 pillars of Islam in the Bible
By
Shais
The five pillars of Islam are mentioned in the following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh)
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
Allah's Apostle said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):
1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but God and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) .
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
These are only the five pillars of Islam but that is not the complete Islam. If the pillars are strong the structure inshallah will be strong too. The same 5 pillars of Islam exist in the Bible.
- To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but God and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
This is the testimony of Muslim’s faith. Any human being who wants to become a Muslim must agree and testify that There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad (pbuh) is his messenger.
Lets first deal with the first part.
“To Testify that none has the right to be worshipped but God
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
“Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Mathew
“Hear, O
Now lets deal with the second part
“Muhammad is Allah’s apostle”
There are many prophecies of Muhammad (pbuh) in the Bible. I have expounded two of them till now.
Gospel of John 16:12-14 clearly prophesizes the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
Salaat (Prayer) is the second pillar of Islam and the most important obligation of a Muslim. Read the following article
1. Abandoning Salaat (The prayer) a pathway to hell-fire
All the Prophets of God prayed to Almighty God and worshipped him. We Muslims are obliged to pray minimally 5 times everyday.
(a) The most important part of the prayer is prostration. We put our forehead on the ground and say “Subhan-e-Rabi al A’ala” which means “Glory be to the Lord who is Most High”. All the Prophets of God did the prostration before the Almighty INCLUDING JESUS (pbuh). The Bible says
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying…(Genesis 17:3)
And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them (Numbers 20:6)
And he (Jesus) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, (Mathew 26:39)
There is no better way of falling on the face and praying to God then the Muslims do. This is how we Muslims pray by falling on the face.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/230/images/muslim-praying.jpg
(b) We Muslims wash ourselves before we pray. The Holy Quran says
“O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles” (Quran 5:6)
The same is mentioned in the Bible
“31. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
32. When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 40:31-32)
3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) .
Its 2.5% on wealth that is above the nisab level i.e. 85 grams of gold. The reason for the Zaka’at the Quran gives is, so that the wealth does not circulate only among the rich people (Quran 59:7)
The Bible says
“2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” (Mathew 6:2-3)
“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8)
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to
Every adult Muslim who is healthy and can afford it is obliged to perform the pilgrimage to the Holy city of
“5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.” (Psalms 84:5-6)
Baca is another name for
“The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka” (Quran 3:96)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
A Muslim is obliged to fast for one whole month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset. The Quran says
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-“ (Quran 2:183)
The purpose of fasting is to create self-restraint and piety and get the human being closer to Almighty God. Jesus Christ also fasted and commanded to do so.
“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” (Mathew 4:2)
“16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Mathew 6:16-8)
So we see that fasting is also mentioned in the Bible
Conclusion:
The five pillars of Islam are there in the Bible. The details are not the same because Jesus (pbuh) came 600 years before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Jesus Christ (pbuh) did tell the people that the spirit of truth will come after him who will guide mankind to all truth (John
Gospel of John 16:12-14 clearly prophesizes the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
