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Derived from the Arabic word salaam or peace, Islam, literally translated as submission, is the complete submission to the will of Allah (God). One who thus submits is considered a Muslim. Muslims believe that the will of Allah was revealed to a merchant and trader named Muhammad (fully, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim) living in seventh century Arabia. Considered the final prophet of Allah by Muslims, Muhammad was entrusted with a divine message for all of humanity, the Qur'an, which perfects and, thereby, supercedes the messages of those prophets before him including Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus and others.In order to promote the awareness and remembrance of Allah in daily thought and action, the basic framework of the faith is based upon five pillars. With these guidelines, then, Muslims hope to attain the God-consciousness, taqwah, that is critical to their faith.The first pillar is shahada, the declaration of faith, where a Muslim acknowledges that "there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." Essential to this statement is the unity of Allah or tawheed. The second pillar is salaat, prayer. A Muslim prays five times daily at specifically proscribed times: dawn, afternoon, late afternoon, sunset and evening. As a means to remember and cultivate a relationship with God, the prayer consists of a definite sequence of actions completed with the individual facing the direction of the Ka'ba, the holy site that is believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, in Mecca (see Mecca).The third pillar is zakaat, charity to the poor. Muslims are required to make an annual payment of two and a half percent of their savings to those in need. In Islam, it is believed that all wealth originates from and belongs to Allah and, accordingly, all have the right to financial assistance and support. Indeed, it is in this fashion that Muslims believe an individual's wealth is purified, underscoring the necessity of charity. The fourth pillar is sawm, the fast. For the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims believe Muhammad first received divine revelation, Muslims annually observe a daylong fast, abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations, and hope to strengthen their devotion through increased worship and study of the Qu'ran, their holy book. Fasting allows Muslims to better empathize with those less fortunate who are regularly without proper nourishment. Additonally, necessitating personal restraint and resolve, it serves as a means of self-purification.The fifth pillar is hajj (see hajj), the pilgrimage. Required once in the life of every able Muslim, the journey to Mecca (see Mecca) occurs during the twelfth month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar and annually draws millions of Muslims to the holiest city in Islam. Situated in the Great Mosque in Mecca is the Kaaba, a small cubic shrine that, Muslims believe, the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Essmaeel (Ishmael) rebuilt, after having originally been erected by prophet Adam, to the worship of Allah. During the hajj, Muslims perform a series of ritual acts, each uniquely signifying a different critical aspect of the faith, and by doing so believe that all their past sins are forgiven. The arduous nature of the journey tests the faith and determination of each Muslim.
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