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The Five Pillars

2/28/2017

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Personally I am an atheist, although I am not necessarily anti-religion, but I want to acknowledge that my ruminations on religion are about as valid as someone who is colorblind commenting on art.  And I'm certainly not an expert on Islam, but I do have some reflections on my limited experiences in Morocco.
Wherever you are in Morocco you are probably within sight of a mosque.  The tall minarets punctuate the landscape, and the call to prayer, or azan, is the first sound of dawn.  Islam permeates the daily life of a muslim and is inseparable from Moroccan culture.  If I had to delineate the most apparent manifestations  of this culture I would site humility, compassion and piety.  In addition to the mosques, Muslims pray out in the open, or in a small room of their home.  The simple act of getting down on all fours and touching one's head to the ground has a salutary effect that is as much physical as spiritual.  Try it, and see if it doesn't pull you out of an egocentric orbit.  
The Five Pillars of Islam are: 
  • Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith.
  • Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day.
  • Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy.
  • Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan.
  • Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca.
These are the things that all devout muslims must strive to do.  The focus on supporting the poor is not unique to Islam, but it is a critical pillar and I think it permeates many social activities and interactions.  I think it also accounts for the incredible hospitality that Moroccans show towards strangers and travelers. 
This video was created by the Moroccan students who hosted our Ithaca students and was shared prior to the trip.
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