The Five Pillars of Islam are a great example of a comprehensive and fully adequate religious program. By outlining a structured way of life for its followers, the Pillars help the faithful to attain that for which every human strives: transcendence of the ordinary human experience. Human life, which is often fraught with suffering, disappointment and sorrow, is something which people have both the desire to escape from, and the desire to understand. Having faith in a higher power, guiding principle, or a 'god' helps a person overcome and understand the negative and harmful aspects of life, by allowing them to trust that their lives are unfolding towards a greater purpose. As described by A. Reza Arasteh, Islam does this with great success in the following ways:

"(1) it makes man aware of his situation; (2) it gives him a conviction, which makes life meaningful; (3) it gives him certain behavioural rules which help to foster inner personal peace and contribute to human fellowship and peace among men; (4) it gives him a personal security; and (5) above all, it gives purpose to a man's life and predicts the continuation of life after physical death."1

It is through the enactment of the Five Pillars, beginning with Faith (Shahada), the assertion that "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"2, that a Muslim comes to the above realisations. It is this foundation upon which both the Muslim faith and all the other pillars rest.

The second Pillar, Prayer (Salat) is the repeated daily affirmation of the declaration of faith. This prayer is performed five times daily - at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and late evening, and Muslims are encouraged to make prayer a group ritual, particularly on Fridays at noon3. The prayer itself it preceded by a ritual act of cleansing, where the Muslim cleanses firstly his hands and arms, followed by his mouth and nostrils, and finally his feet and ankles4. This act of cleansing is as integral to the practice of prayer as the prayer itself, for it acts as an external symbol of the inner purification which prayer provides. This prayer is an extremely effective mechanism for self-transformation5, as it consistently reinforces the belief and faith of the Muslim in Allah in a much more frequent fashion than in other major religions such as Christianity and Judaism.

The third Pillar, Fasting (Sawm), is performed every year during the month of Ramadan. During this month, adult Muslims are prohibited from taking food, drink or engaging in sexual activity from dawn to dusk every day6. This is a time for intense prayer and self-reflection, where the devotion to physical sacrifices reflects the devotion that one holds to Allah. This culminates in a huge festival banquet on the last evening of Ramadan, which, along with the fasting itself, serves to unite the Islamic community in their conviction to their faith and way of life.

The fourth Pillar, Almsgiving (Zakat) is the annual compulsory donation of two and a half percent of a Muslims savings. This ensures that the needy in the community are taken care of, and also that the Muslim attains the sense of humility and self-worth that flows from generosity to the less fortunate. It is also an important part of reinforcing the Muslim's faith, as it is "paid with the consciousness that the wealth of the person actually belongs to Allah, and that the person owning it is merely a trustee"7.

The final Pillar, Pilgrimage (Hajj) is an annual event which is obligatory upon every Muslim to perform at least once in his lifetime. It entails a journey to the holy city of Mecca, and is a peak experience in the life of a Muslim. The time spent on this pilgrimage marks "a separation of the individuals from their daily lives to which they can now return with a renewed sense of commitment to God and to the [Muslim community].8" Hence it fosters a sense of self-worth, self-transformation and holy commitment.

Thus the Five Pillars together provide Muslims with a comprehensive and fully adequate religious program, by not only strongly reinforcing the Muslim's individual faith and sense of community, but by also acting as a vehicle for transcendence and profound self-transformation, which is the core of the religious experience.

1 A. Reza Arasteh, Growth to Selfhood (London: Arkana, 1982), p. 18.

2 David Waines, An Introduction to Islam (Cambridge: University Press, 1995), p. 89.

3 Azim Nanji, "Islam" in The Religious World: Communities of Faith, Richard C. Bush, Ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993), p. 374.

4 Azim Nanji, "Islam", p. 374.

5 A. Reza Arasteh, Growth to Selfhood, p. 21.

6 David Waines, An Introduction to Islam, p. 91.

7 Moulana Abdul Quddous Al-Azhari, An Introduction to Islam (Holland Park: Islamic Society of Holland Park, 1993), p. 21.

8 Azim Nanji, "Islam", p. 381.