6.3 Fundamental Pillars of Islam, Quranic Knowledge & Prophetic Era

6.3 Fundamental Pillars of Islam, Quranic Knowledge & Prophetic Era

Jurisprudence note: Detailed prayer classifications and travel rules below use common Hanafi/Pakistani textbook conventions; other Sunni schools may classify or count some practices differently.

Core Principle: The Islamiat portion of the AS&RC Academic Test demands rigorous mastery of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), scriptural taxonomy, chronological revelation events, and prophetic traditions. Candidates must master precise numerical thresholds—such as Zakat Nisab, Farz prayer rakats, and Quranic textual structures—without confusing technical categories.

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The Five Pillars of Islam (Arkan-e-Islam)

Islam is erected upon five fundamental pillars (Arkan), affirmed in the renowned Hadith of Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar (RA):

                         THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
                                     |
  +-----------------+----------------+----------------+-----------------+
  |                 |                |                |                 |
1. SHAHADAH     2. SALAT         3. ZAKAT         4. SAWM           5. HAJJ
(Creed of       (5 Daily         (2.5% Charity    (Fasting in       (Pilgrimage
Faith)           Prayers)         on Nisab)        Ramadan)          to Makkah)

1. Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)

The foundational testimony: "Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu" (I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His final messenger). It embodies two inseparable tenets: Tauheed (Absolute Oneness of Allah—monotheism) and Risalat (Finality of the Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad PBUH—Khatam-un-Nabiyyin).

2. Salat (Prescribed Ritual Prayers)

Ordained as a mandatory duty on the night of Isra and Mi'raj (10th/11th year of Prophethood / 621 CE). Originally decreed as 50 prayers, it was reduced by divine mercy to five daily obligatory prayers.

Daily Prayer Breakdown and Total Rakats

Special and Occasional Prayers

• Jumu'ah (Friday Prayer): Replaces Zuhr prayer in congregation; consists of 2 Farz preceded by the mandatory Arabic sermon (Khutbah) delivered by the Imam.
• Salat-ul-Janazah (Funeral Prayer): Classified as Farz Kifayah (collective obligation; if some perform it, the community is absolved; if none perform it, all are sinful). Consists of 4 Takbeers recited entirely standing (Qiyam), without any Ruku (bowing) or Sujud (prostration).
• Salat-ul-Eidain: 2 rakats Wajib with 6 additional Takbeers (3 in first rakat, 3 in second rakat according to Hanafi jurisprudence), followed by the Khutbah.
• Salat-ul-Tarawih: commonly 20 rakats in Hanafi practice, classified as Sunnah Muakkadah offered in sets of two rakats after Isha during the holy month of Ramadan.
• Salat-ul-Istisqa: Special congregational prayer seeking rainfall during drought.
• Salat-ul-Kusoof & Khasoof: Kusoof is offered during a solar eclipse; Khasoof is offered during a lunar eclipse.
• Tayammum (Dry Ablution): Permitted when water is inaccessible, scarce, or physically injurious (revealed in Surah An-Nisa verse 43 and Surah Al-Ma'idah verse 6). Involves three obligatory acts (Farz): 1) Intention (Niyyah), 2) Striking clean dust and wiping the entire face, 3) Striking clean dust and wiping both arms including the elbows.
• Qasr (Shortening Prayers for the Traveler): Under the Hanafi convention commonly taught in Pakistan, a traveler (Musafir) undertaking the qualifying journey and intending a stay of fewer than 15 days shortens 4-rakat Farz prayers (Zuhr, Asr, Isha) to 2 rakats. Fajr and Maghrib are never shortened.

3. Zakat (Purifying Alms)

Made obligatory (Farz) in the 2nd year of Hijrah (2 AH). Zakat is an annual wealth tax levied at a flat rate of 2.5% (one-fortieth / 1/40) on surplus liquid capital, savings, gold, silver, and commercial merchandise retained for one complete lunar year (Hawlan al-Hawl).

Nisab Benchmarks

• Gold: 7.5 tolas (equivalent to 87.48 grams or 2.8125 troy ounces).
• Silver: 52.5 tolas (equivalent to 612.36 grams or 19.6875 troy ounces).
• Cash & Merchandise: Value equal to or exceeding the current market price of 52.5 tolas of silver.
• Agricultural Produce (Ushr): 10% on produce irrigated naturally by rain or river inundation; 5% on produce watered by artificial mechanical methods (tube wells, canals).

The Eight Heads of Zakat Expenditure (Masarif-e-Zakat)

Explicitly ordained in the Holy Quran in Surah At-Tawbah, verse 60:

1. Al-Fuqara: The destitute poor who possess no assets or income below Nisab.
2. Al-Masakin: The needy whose expenses exceed their meager earnings but who do not solicit charity.
3. Al-Amilina Alayha: The designated administrative collectors and distributors of Zakat.
4. Al-Mu'allafatu Qulubuhum: Those whose hearts are to be reconciled and inclined towards Islam.
5. Fir-Riqab: Freeing slaves and ransoming prisoners of war.
6. Al-Gharimin: Heavily indebted individuals unable to clear legitimate debts.
7. Fi-Sabilillah: In the cause of Allah (striving in defense, religious education, and dawah).
8. Ibn-us-Sabil: The stranded wayfarer or traveler cut off from financial resources.

Exemptions: Personal residential home, private transport vehicle, daily clothing, work tools, and personal library are exempt. Zakat cannot be given to direct ascendants (parents, grandparents), direct descendants (children, grandchildren), one's spouse, or members of Banu Hashim (descendants of the Prophet PBUH).

4. Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan)

Made obligatory in the month of Sha'ban, 2 AH. It requires total abstention from eating, drinking, smoking, and marital relations from true dawn (Subh Sadiq / Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib) with conscious intention (Niyyah).

• Kaffarah (Penalty for Deliberate Breach): Emancipating a slave, or fasting for 60 consecutive days, or feeding 60 destitute persons two full meals.
• Fidyah (Compensation for Inability): Feeding one needy person for each missed fast, permitted only for the chronically ill or elderly unable to ever fast.
• Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power): A night superior to a thousand months (Surah Al-Qadr), sought in the odd nights of the final ten days of Ramadan (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th).

5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah)

Made obligatory in 9 AH. Obligatory once in a lifetime for every adult, sane Muslim who possesses physical health and sufficient financial provision (Istita'ah).

The Three Obligatory Pillars (Farz Rites) of Hajj

1. Ihram: Donning two unstitched white cloth sheets (for men) with the intention of Hajj at designated geographical borders called Miqat, and chanting the Talbiyah ("Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk...").
2. Wuquf-e-Arafat: Standing and supplicating on the plains of Mount Arafat from midday (Zawal) until sunset on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah. This is the supreme pillar (Rukn-e-Azam); the Prophet (PBUH) declared: "Al-Hajj Arafah" (Hajj is Arafat).
3. Tawaf-e-Ziyarat (Tawaf-e-Ifadah): Circumambulating the Holy Kaaba seven times counter-clockwise between the 10th and 12th of Dhul Hijjah.

Essential Wajib Rites of Hajj

• Sa'i: Walking briskly seven circuits between the hillocks of Safa and Marwah, commemorating Hazrat Hajra's desperate search for water for infant Hazrat Ismail (AS).
• Overnight Stay at Muzdalifah: Resting under the open sky on the night of 9th–10th Dhul Hijjah and collecting pebbles for stoning.
• Rami al-Jamarat: Pelting pebbles at the three stone pillars in Mina (Jamarat al-Aqaba, al-Wusta, al-Sughra) symbolizing the rejection of Satan.
• Nahr / Qurbani: Sacrificing an animal on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah in Mina.
• Halq or Taqsir: Shaving the entire head (Halq) or clipping hair (Taqsir) to exit the state of Ihram.
• Tawaf-e-Wida: The farewell circumambulation performed before departing Makkah.

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The Holy Quran: Structure, Compilation, and Divine Scriptures

                               THE HOLY QURAN
                                     |
  +------------------+---------------+------------------+------------------+
  |                  |               |                  |                  |
114 SURAHS        30 JUZ         VERSE/RUKU/SAJDA COUNTS
(Makki/Madani classifications and detailed counts vary by convention)

Revelation Timeline

• Start of Revelation: In Ramadan, traditionally associated in many accounts with the 27th night, around 610 CE in Cave Hira on Jabal al-Noor near Makkah, through Archangel Hazrat Jibreel (AS).
• First Revealed Verses: Surah Al-Alaq (Chapter 96), Verses 1–5 ("Iqra bismi Rabbikalladhi khalaq...").
• Duration of Revelation: Spanned approximately 22 years, 5 months, and 14 days (~23 years): roughly 13 years in Makkah and 10 years in Madinah.
• Makki vs. Madani Surahs:
  • 86 Makki Surahs: Revealed prior to Hijrah; characterized by concise, rhythmic verses emphasizing Tauheed, the Day of Resurrection, moral rectitude, and stories of ancient prophets.
  • 28 Madani Surahs: Revealed post-Hijrah; characterized by extended legal passages outlining civil laws, societal governance, criminal penalties, inheritance rules, and warfare.

Structural Metrics

• Longest Surah: Surah Al-Baqarah (286 verses, 40 rukus).
• Shortest Surah: Surah Al-Kawthar (3 verses, 10 words).
• Surah without Bismillah: Surah At-Tawbah (Bara'ah); lacks opening invocation due to its stern repudiation of treaty-breaking polytheists.
• Surah with Two Bismillahs: Surah An-Naml (Chapter 27); contains Bismillah at the beginning and within verse 30 (in the letter from Prophet Sulaiman AS to the Queen of Sheba).
• Ayat-ul-Kursi: Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 255; revered as the greatest single verse in the Quran.
• Thematic Designations: Surah Yaseen is described as the Heart of the Quran; Surah Ar-Rahman as the Beauty (Aroos) of the Quran; Surah Al-Ikhlas equals one-third of the Quran's reward.

Preservation and Compilation History

1. Prophetic Era: The Quran was memorized by hundreds of Companions (Huffaz) and inscribed under the Prophet's direct supervision on leather parchments, palm fronds, flat stones, and shoulder bones by approximately 40 scribes of revelation (Katibeen-e-Wahi), chief among them Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit (RA), Hazrat Ali (RA), Hazrat Ubayy bin Ka'b (RA), and Hazrat Muawiyah (RA).
2. Caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) (Compilation into Single Codex): Following the Battle of Yamama (12 AH) against the imposter Musaylima, over 70 Huffaz were martyred. Alarmed, Hazrat Umar (RA) implored Caliph Abu Bakr to assemble the scattered verses. Abu Bakr tasked Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit (RA) to head the editorial committee. Zaid applied a rigorous dual-witness verification standard, producing the first complete master codex (Suhuf). This volume remained with Abu Bakr, passed to Umar upon his succession, and then to Umar's daughter, Mother of the Believers Hazrat Hafsah bint Umar (RA) (Mushaf-e-Hafsa).
3. Caliphate of Hazrat Usman (RA) (Standardization & Universal Distribution): During military campaigns in Armenia and Azerbaijan, commander Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (RA) observed alarming dialectical pronunciation disputes among Syrian and Iraqi troops. He urged Caliph Usman to unite the Ummah on a single standardized recitation. Hazrat Usman acquired the master Suhuf from Hazrat Hafsah and commissioned a four-man committee led by Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin az-Zubayr, Sa'eed bin al-Aas, and Abdur Rahman bin al-Harith. They transcribed authentic copies according to the dialect of Quraysh, dispatched verified copies to regional capitals (Makkah, Madinah, Kufa, Basra, Damascus), and ordered non-standard private manuscripts destroyed. For this historic preservation, Hazrat Usman earned the enduring title Jami-al-Quran (The Standardizer of the Quran).

Heavenly Divine Books and Archangels

The Four Archangels and Their Divine Duties

1. Hazrat Jibreel (Gabriel) AS: Archangel of Revelation (Ruh-ul-Qudus / Ruh-ul-Ameen); conveyed divine revelations and scriptures to all prophets.
2. Hazrat Mikaeel (Michael) AS: Entrusted with the provision of sustenance, weather, and directing rainfall and vegetation.
3. Hazrat Israfeel (Raphael) AS: Appointed to blow the Trumpet (Soor) on the Day of Resurrection, announcing the termination of the cosmos and the commencement of judgment.
4. Hazrat Izraeel (Malak-ul-Mawt) AS: The Angel of Death; assigned to take the souls (Ruh) of all living beings upon the expiration of their appointed lifespan.