Islam Case
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In Islam, Muslims put their beliefs into practice by performing certain acts of worship. There are five pillars recommended that they have to follow such as the declaration of Faith (shahada), prayer (salat), charity (zakat), fasting (sawn) and the last one which is the Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). However, the declaration of faith is the most that portrays the religion itself. We will explain why do we consider the first pillar of Islam as the most important.
The first pillar, the Shahada: “I bear witness that there is no god except God and Muhammad is his messenger”. Firstly, this affirms that only one God exist, there is any god other than Allah. It means that we fear no one and nothing except Allah that our greatest feeling of love and gratitude are kept for Allah, because we know that he is the real Provider of all we have. Secondly, it means a persons acceptance to prophet hood and hence the truth of his message, as it is so well stated in the book. In other words, it is primordial to accept that Mohammad was the link between the creator and us, human beings and that means also that the person will carry one to obey Allah and walk in the footsteps of our Holy prophet (peace be upon him). To become a Muslim, this profession of faith must be made first. People have to believe in God and Muhammad (his messenger) in order to be able to follow the four other pillars properly. As one of the Pillars, the shahada must be recited correctly aloud with full understanding and internal assent at least once in every Muslims lifetime. When a person becomes a Muslim they belong to the community, regardless of their background (whether they did something bad or good in the past). A feeling of love remains between people who sincerely seek to practice Islam according to the Quran and Sunnah. Such people are in a race to do well and be those with whom Allah is pleased.
Moreover the shahada is more than a doctrine, it is also practice. It becomes a usual thing and maybe sometimes we say the words without considering their meaning. Muslim has to assimilate and live with it on a daily basis. It must be here everyday in their lives such as all the actions and decisions they have to take.
To sum up, without this inner dimension of the shahada, Islam loses its meaning as a faith dimension. In addition, the shahada help people to have a certain determination to struggle, strive and sacrifice along the right path.