Islam As It Is
The Five Pillars of Islam
~ 104 ~
in this world–the air, the light of the sun, the rain,
the water of rivers, lakes and seas being the most
basic to his needs. But because these things come to
man with little or no effort on his part, he tends to
take them for granted. He does not see them for the
great blessings that they are. He does not pause to
consider how all of them have been specifically
created to meet his own precise needs. Were one of
these amazing blessings to be completely withheld,
life would become intolerable. It is only when he
observes the ritual of fasting that he truly realises
their significance and has proper sense of gratitude
for them. It is when, in the evening, after a day of
hunger, thirst, exhaustion and discomfort, a man
consumes food and drink, that his awareness of
God’s bounty is most intense. That is when he feels
truly grateful to the Creator and Sustainer of life.
Were he to give up his whole life to the service of
God, he would feel that it was nothing compared to
the limitless blessings bestowed on him by his
Maker.
The life which a believer is required to live on earth
is, from beginning to end, a life of patience. He
must confine himself to what is lawful and keep his