Spotlight On Islam

Core Beliefs and Practices in Islam: Between Devotion and Doctrine

Subtitle:

The Five Pillars define Islam’s outward practice, but it is Islam’s underlying theological system—Tawhid, Shariah, Akhirah, and the Sunni-Shia divide—that truly shapes Muslim belief, behavior, and society.

📍 Introduction

To understand Islam, one must look beyond just the rituals. Yes, Muslims pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan, and give to charity—but these practices rest on a rigid theological framework that governs not only belief, but law, governance, morality, and afterlife expectation.

This post breaks down Islam’s Five Pillars, key doctrines, and the foundational split between Sunni and Shia Islam, offering a candid look at how the world’s second-largest religion constructs and commands the lives of nearly 2 billion people.

🕌 1. The Five Pillars of Islam: Outward Acts of Submission

These are the core practices required of every Muslim. They serve as expressions of faith and submission (Islam means submission) to Allah.

1. Shahada – Declaration of Faith

“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”

This is the foundational creed of Islam.
Uttering it with conviction is the requirement for conversion.
No belief in Muhammad = not a Muslim, regardless of other monotheistic beliefs.

Implication: Even belief in God is not enough; one must also accept Muhammad’s role as the final prophet.

2. Salah – Prayer (Five Times Daily)

Prayers are performed at prescribed times: dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and night.
Must be said in Arabic, facing Mecca.
Includes physical postures (standing, bowing, prostrating).
In Muslim-majority societies, the adhan (call to prayer) is broadcast from mosques over loudspeakers.

Implication: Islam requires total bodily, linguistic, and directional conformity in worship.

3. Zakat – Almsgiving (2.5%)

Obligatory for Muslims who meet a minimum wealth threshold (nisab).
Funds are distributed to:
- The poor
- Those in debt
- Those "in the cause of Allah" (fi sabilillah), including jihad by many classical interpretations.

Implication: Zakat can be weaponized—historically and doctrinally—as support for religious militancy or the spread of Islamic law.

4. Sawm – Fasting During Ramadan

Abstention from food, drink, and sex from dawn to sunset for one lunar month.
Aims to cultivate self-restraint and God-consciousness.
Breaking the fast without valid reason is a major sin.

Implication: Like other pillars, it is not optional. Its violation is considered rebellion against Allah.

5. Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca

Once-in-a-lifetime obligation if physically and financially able.
Involves rituals like circumambulating the Kaaba, stoning the pillars (symbolizing Satan), and animal sacrifice.
Takes place in Dhul Hijjah (the final month of the Islamic calendar).

Implication: Only Muslims may enter Mecca; non-Muslims are banned by Saudi law from the holy city.

🧠 2. Additional Core Doctrines Beyond Ritual

The Five Pillars structure practice, but Islamic theology is built on deeper doctrinal concepts that shape belief and law.

📌 Tawhid – Absolute Monotheism

The central tenet of Islamic theology: God is one, indivisible, and unique.
Any association of partners with God (shirk) is the gravest sin in Islam—worse than murder or theft.
Christians are often considered guilty of shirk due to belief in the Trinity.

“They do blaspheme who say: Allah is Christ the son of Mary.”
— Qur’an 5:72

Implication: Interfaith compatibility is limited. Tawhid is exclusive, not pluralistic.

📌 Shariah – Divine Law

Derived from Qur’an, Hadith, Ijma’ (consensus), and Qiyas (analogy).
Covers criminal law, family law, economic regulations, clothing, diet, blasphemy, and more.
Enforced fully in theocracies like Iran, and partially in hybrid states like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.

Implication: Sharia is not just personal morality—it is total legal governance.

📌 Akhirah – Afterlife and Judgment Day

Belief in resurrection, heaven (Jannah) and hell (Jahannam).
Eternal punishment or reward is based on:
- Deeds
- Belief in Allah and Muhammad
- Obedience to Islamic law
Martyrdom in jihad guarantees immediate entry into paradise.

Implication: Islamic eschatology reinforces conformity through fear and incentive.

☪️ 3. Sunni vs Shia: Islam’s Great Divide

📌 Origins of the Split:

After Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, there was no clear succession plan. The dispute led to civil war and permanent sectarian division.

Sunni View:

Leadership should go to the most qualified—resulting in the election of Abu Bakr as first Caliph.
Recognize the first four caliphs as “Rightly Guided.”

Shia View:

Leadership should stay within Muhammad’s bloodline.
Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, was the rightful successor.
Imamate: Shia Muslims follow a line of divinely guided Imams, beginning with Ali.

📊 Demographic Breakdown:

Sunni Muslims: ~85–90% of global Muslims
→ Dominant in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, etc.
Shia Muslims: ~10–15%
→ Concentrated in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, and parts of Pakistan.

⚔️ Sectarian Conflict:

Historical and modern Sunni-Shia relations have been marked by violence:
- Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988)
- Syrian Civil War (Sunni rebels vs Shia-aligned Assad regime)
- Yemen (Sunni-led coalition vs Shia Houthi rebels)

Implication: The Sunni-Shia split is not just theological—it’s geopolitical and militarized.

📚 Sources and Suggested Reading

The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology, ed. Sabine Schmidtke, Oxford University Press, 2016
Pew Research Center. The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2015
→ https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/
Qur’an 2:282, 4:11, 5:72, 9:5 – Core theological and legal verses
Hadith collections – Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim (via https://sunnah.com)

🧨 Final Thoughts: Ritual Masks Rigidity

While the Five Pillars provide the surface rituals of Islam, it’s the underlying doctrines—Tawhid, Shariah, and Akhirah—that define Islam’s demands on the believer and on society.

Far from being just a personal faith, Islam offers a comprehensive system that claims authority over law, politics, identity, and destiny. Understanding its core beliefs is essential to understanding why Islam is not merely a religion, but a total worldview.