DUTY OF MUSLIM

The five duties incumbent on every Muslim: Shahadah, the

Muslim profession of faith; Salat or prayer, performed in a
prescribed manner five times each day; Zakat, the alms tax
levied to benefit the poor and the needy; ṣawm, fasting during
the month of Ramadan; and hajj, the major pilgrimage to Mecca,
if financial and physical conditions permit.

 The Five Pillars of Islam:

The ritual obligations of Muslims are called the Five Pillars.
They are acknowledged and practiced by Muslims throughout
the world. The Five Pillars are the core beliefs and practices of
Islam:

1. Profession of Faith (Shahada): 

The Shahadah is the Muslim declaration of belief in the
oneness of Allah (SWT) and acceptance of Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬
as Allah (SWT) prophet. The Sunni declaration reads: ‫ال إله إال‬
‫( هللا محمد رسول هللا‬lā ʾilāha ʾillallāh, Muḥammad rasūlu-llāh)
which translation is “There is no Allah (SWT) but Allah, and
Muhammad is his messenger”.

2. Prayer (salat): 
Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon,
mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a
recitation of the opening chapter (sura) of the Holy Qur'an,
and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat used
expressly for this purpose. Muslims can pray individually at
any location or together in a mosque, where a leader in prayer
(Imam) guides the congregation. Men gather in the mosque
for the noonday prayer on Friday; women are welcome but
not obliged to participate. After the prayer, a sermon focuses
on a passage from the Holy Qur'an, followed by prayers by
the imam and a discussion of a particular religious topic.

3. Alms (zakat):
In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed
portion of their income to community members in need. Many
rulers and wealthy Muslims build mosques, drinking
fountains, hospitals, schools, and other institutions both as a
religious duty and to secure the blessings associated with
charity.

4. Fasting (sawm):
Muslims are required to fast from dawn to sunset during the
month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar.
People gather in the evenings for a festive breaking of the
fast. When fasting, Muslims refrain from food, liquid, and
sexual activity. During Ramadan, Muslims are also supposed
to abstain from negative behaviors such as lying, gossip, petty
arguments, and negative thoughts or behaviors, including
getting angry. Muslims are required to start fasting when they
reach puberty, although some younger children may also fast.
People who are sick, traveling, menstruating, and pregnant or
nursing may break their fast, but may make up the days later
in the year. The elderly and people with disabilities are
excused from fasting.
 Ramadan was the month in which the revelation of the Holy
Qur'an to Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬began. Therefore Muslims are
encouraged to read the Holy Qur'an during this month and
often gather in the evenings in mosques to listen to recitations
from the Holy Qur'an.

Eid al-Fitr (eed' al fi'-ter), or the "Festival of the Fast-

Breaking," one of the major Muslim holidays, celebrates
the completion of the Ramadan fast and occurs on the first
day of the month after Ramadan. This is a day of
celebration, prayers, feasts and gift giving.

5. Pilgrimage (hajj):
Every Muslim is required to make the pilgrimage to Mecca,
located in Saudi Arabia, once in their lifetime if financially
and physically able. Mecca is home to the first house of
worship of Allah (SWT), the Kaaba, said to have been built
by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. Muslims all
over the world face towards the Kaaba when they pray. All
outward symbols of rank and wealth are erased during the
pilgrimage, as Muslim from every part of the globe come
together for the purpose of worshipping Allah (SWT).
Muslims who complete the pilgrimage are referred to as
"Hajji" and greeted with great celebration and respect in their
communities when they return.
Eid al-Adha (eed' al ad'-ha), or the "Festival of the
Sacrifice," is the second major holiday in Islam. It
falls on the tenth day of the month at the conclusion of
the pilgrimage, and is celebrated by all Muslims with
special prayers, feasts, gifts and the sacrifice of an
animal (usually a lamb or goat). The meat is
distributed to relatives, friends and the needy.

 Belief Of A Muslim:
Islam teaches the importance of both belief and practice; one is
insufficient without the other (except for some Sufis). The
following six beliefs are those that are commonly held by
Muslims, as laid out in the Holy Qur'an and hadith.

Six Major Beliefs:

1. Belief in the Oneness of Allah (SWT):
Muslims believe that Allah Almighty is the creator of all
things, and that Allah Almighty is all-powerful and all-
knowing. Allah Almighty has no offspring, no race, no
gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of
human life.

2. Belief in the Angels of Allah (SWT):

Muslims believe in angels, unseen beings who worship Allah
(SWT) and carry out Allah (SWT) orders throughout the
universe.

3. Belief in the Holy Books of Allah (SWT):

Muslims believe that Allah (SWT) revealed holy books or
scriptures to a number of Allah (SWT) messengers. These
include ,Torah, Zabur, Injil, and Quran Majeed. Muslims
believe that these earlier scriptures in their original form were
divinely revealed, but that only the Holy Qur’an remains as it
was first revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad(‫)ﷺ‬.

4. Belief in the Prophets or Messengers of Allah

(SWT):
Muslims believe that Allah (SWT) guidance has been
revealed to humankind through specially appointed
messengers, or prophets, throughout history, beginning with
the first man, Adam, who is considered the first prophet.
Twenty-five of these prophets are mentioned by name in the
Holy Holy Qur'an, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬is the last in this
line of prophets, sent for all humankind with the message of
Islam.

5. Belief in the Day of Judgment:

Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgment, humans will be
judged for their actions in this life; those who followed Allah
 (SWT) guidance will be rewarded with paradise; those who
rejected Allah (SWT) guidance will be punished with hell.

6. Belief in the Divine Decree:

This article of faith addresses the question of Allah (SWT)
will. It can be expressed as the belief that everything is
governed by divine decree, namely that whatever happens in
one's life is preordained, and that believers should respond to
the good or bad that befalls them with thankfulness or
patience. This concept does not negate the concept of "free
will;" since humans do not have prior knowledge of Allah
(SWT) decree, they do have freedom of choice.
 DAILY LIFE OF MUSLIM
Islam contains many rules for daily life and human relationships.
The first source of these rules is the Holy Quran and the second
is the Hadith or reports of the Prophet Muhammad's (‫ )ﷺ‬words
or actions.
1. Prohibitions:
In Islam, everything considered harmful either to the body,
mind, soul or society is prohibited (Haram), while whatever is
beneficial is permissible (halal). Islam prohibits Muslims
from consuming pork, alcohol or mind-altering drugs.
Muslims are required to eat meat that is butchered and blessed
in an Islamic way. This meat is called "halal." Muslims are
also prohibited from gambling, taking interest, fortune-
telling, killing, lying, stealing, cheating, oppressing or abusing
others, being greedy or stingy, engaging in sex outside of
marriage, disrespecting parents, and mistreating relatives,
orphans or neighbors.

2. Role of clergy:
There is no hierarchy of clergy in Islam, nor do Muslim
religious leaders have the power to forgive people of their
sins. Every individual has a direct relationship with Allah
(SWT) without any intermediary. There are religious leaders
or scholars, called ulema, who have studied and are experts in
different aspects of Islam, such as Sharia, hadith, or Quran
recitation. It is also important to note that there is not one
Islamic authority; so there are differences among Muslim
scholars.

3. Conversion to Islam:
Muslims are encouraged to share their faith with others.
However, Muslims are told not to attack others' beliefs or
engage in conflicts or debates about matters of religion. There
is no formal ceremony for conversion. People must merely
believe in and recite the Shahada to convert to Islam.