Islam

Iman or Faith is the first pillar of Islam. It is through iman that a person enters into the fold of Islam. When one acknowledges God as one's Lord and Master, one is entering, as it were, into a 'contract' with God, a covenant which excludes all other beings and makes Him all in all. Then it is around Him alone that all one's thoughts and emotions will revolve; it is in Him alone that one will place complete trust. With the passage of time it will be to no one but the Almighty that all one's hopes, fears and supplications will be addressed.

Every religion or system has a set of terminology, which is necessary to understand in order to have a proper appreciation of that particular religion or system. These are called the tenets of the religion. The religion of Islam too has its set of terminology or tenets. Besides the five pillars of Islam there are certain other terms and concepts that need to be understood to have a clear understanding of Islam. They are as follows:

1. Islam (Surrender to God)

In order that he may lead his life properly in this world, Quran (the word of God) and Hadith (the words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) provide man with an action plan known as the ‘Five Pillars of Islam.’ These are Iman (faith), Salat (prayers), Zakah (almsgiving), Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) and Sawm (fasting).

Every religion revealed by God was, in its original form, eternal in character, just as the sun and the moon, the air and the water have a timeless character about them. Religion, in fact, is another name for eternal values, which in their nature are timeless and uniformly applicable in all situations and at all times.