Advice of Scholars - THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM (PART 2)

The third principle of Islam is to give the zakât of one’s property. It is certainly necessary to give zakât. You should give zakât willingly to the persons whom the Sharî’at commands you to give it to. Allahu ta’âlâ, who is the real owner of all blessings and possessions, commands the rich to give Muslims one-fortieth of their blessings He has given them and promises that as a recompense for this He will give them many blessings and many more rewards. [He declares: “Certainly I will increase the property of the zakât which has been given, and I will bless you with using it at useful occasions. As for the property of the zakât which has not been given, I will make you spend it unwillingly through nuisance or calamity; I will take it away from you and give it to your enemies, and you, seeing this case, will be burned and scorched about it. ”] It will be such a great absurdity, obstinacy not to give such an insignificant amount [to any one of your Muslim brothers whom you want].

The fourth principle of Islam is to fast every day in the holy month of Ramadân. We should be sure to fast every day in the blessed month of Ramadân. We should not miss this important fard for any reason. Our Prophet declared: “Fasting is a shield that protects the Believer against Hell. ” If one cannot fast for some indispensable reasons, such as sickness, one should eat secretly and, immediately after the excuse is over, one should perform it. We are all His born servants. We are not independent or without an owner. We should live within the commandments and the restrictions of our owner so that we may be saved from Hell. Those who disobey the Sharî’at are obstinate born servants and perverse, disobedient agents; they must be punished.

The fifth principle of Islam is the hajj [once in a life, to go to the city of Mecca and perform the duty of hajj]. The duty of hajj has certain requirements. All of them are written in fiqh books. It is declared in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “An accepted hajj does away with one’s past sins. ”