Huston Smith Part 3

Chapter 6- The Five Pillars

- Islam is used as a directive the to keep Muslims on the right path, straight- explicit.
- The Five Pillars are instructions on how to lead life.
- The Shahadah is a proclamation that there is no god but God.
- This is focused by a daily prayer requirement to create a foundation for all Muslims, and a Koranic revelation told everyone to pray towards Mecca.
- Charity, Ramadan, and the Hajj are the remaining pillars and provide further instruction on how to live a life.

The Five Pillars are one of the most important parts of Muslim life. They are used as a guide to how
to act and practice properly. It creates a foundation among all Muslims and their practice and creates an explicit way to praise God. Doing good is praised and the life of a Muslim is guided by these 5 requirements.

Chapter 7- Social Teachings

- Islam stresses equality and the brotherhood of all Muslims. This is represented by the peace that overcame Arabia after its introduction and the difference to before.
- The explicitness of interpersonal relations is key to its importance in Islamic society, and therefore eliminates personal interpretation.
- Economics shows up in the Koran through breaking traditions like inheritance to the eldest son.
- Womens rights changed dramatically with Islam; however, traditions like polygamy are frowned upon from the west.
- Tolerance and in aggression are encouraged as well as living equally with other races. This is supported by the violence found in other religions.

Islam has a strong social standing in the lives of all Muslims. This is found through the social standards and expectations that are outlined in the Koran. Equality and peace as well as brotherhood and tolerance are all encouraged. However, these, like in any religion, are not seen in every Mulsims practice everywhere. The social standards of Islam changed Arabia of its time. It may now be seen as falling back on these goals from the west, but the religion must be judged in respect of its core beliefs, not few extremists.