Islam As It Is
The Five Pillars of Islam
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devotee to give his wholehearted attention to the
substance of the prayer. The fact that he has to
forego his sleep in order to recite the prayer
inculcates the virtue of self-denial. Then there are
the congregational prayers on Fridays and Eid
festivals, funeral prayers and many others, such as
the prayer to be said on visiting a place for the first
time.
The important thing about prayer is that it induces;
the correct attitude in the devotee, as though the
spirit of his prayers were keeping a watchful eye on
everything he says and does. When going about his
worldly affairs, it is as if the whole world were a
mosque; his actions, therefore, at all times and in all
places cannot be other than in consonance with
what his worship requires of him.
FASTING
The ritual of fasting, the third pillar of Islam, is ob-
served each year by Muslims throughout the entire
month of Ramadhan, the ninth month of the
Muslim calendar. The period of fasting each day
lasts from the first light of dawn until sunset, thus
