The Five Pillars of Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Five Pillars of - Essay Example ncerely 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†. (bbc.co.uk, 2009) The first pillar, Shahadah requires that Muslims recite â€Å"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger† (bbc.co.uk, 2009). This is an important requirement, a breach of which might amount to blasphemy and even apostasy. This rule ensures that an individual member of the faith completely and unconditionally submits himself to Allah and his messenger Prophet Muhammad. The Salat, the second pillar of Islam is a way to discipline the mind and body by offering prayers five times a day. The ideal times to perform these prayers are dawn, midday, late afternoon, after sunset and before midnight. This habit is inculcated into children as young as seven years of age, so that they will continue it in their adult lives. Since Islam was founded in the Middle-East, which is close to the equator, the Salat helped organize a day into different parts. There is evidence to suggest that the Salat has been practiced by Muslims since the time of Prophet Mohammad in 7th Century A.D. (Fareed, 2008, p.60) The third pillar, called the Zakat serves a social and economic function in that it ensures that the meek and the poor get their basic needs fulfilled. Zakat serves a function, which in modern nation-states would be termed a social welfare mechanism. What is remarkable about this observance is that it offers a practical solution to the problem of poverty among Islamic communities. The fourth pillar is the Sawm, which stands for fasting. The most devout expression of this pillar of Islam is during the month of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims do not take food or drink of any kind during day time. They also abstain from smoking and sexual intercourse. While all Muslims aspire

EEC Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

EEC Position Paper - Essay Example While some claim that it is entirely possible to communicate with young babies by using a series of sign language based gestures, others argue that it can inhibit actual language development in the long term. This position paper strives to examine both sides of this issue in order to make an informed determination as to the efficacy of using baby sign language. One of the main arguments revolving around whether or not to use sign language with babies involves the notion that teaching signs to babies will help them to learn more words. It seems that little to no research affirms this belief, however, as it is more likely that body signs and symbols may simply improvement methods of communications between the two parties, and enable the parent to understand what the baby is actually trying to say. While this is certainly important, particularly for frustrated parents who simply cannot determine what their baby might be upset about, it does not indicate that babies actually are learning through the process (DeLoache & Chiong, 2009). To be clear, however, there are still many scholars that do contend that a combination of verbal speech and body or hand gestures can contribute to a baby expanding their vocabulary at an early age. This has been one of the disagreements that make advocating such a position, either in favor or against, so difficul t. It is important to note that baby sign language does not refer to American Sign Language, as it is more talking about communicative gestures made specifically between parents and their young babies. While it is possible to teach a baby American Sign Language, it would be similar to using any type of verbal language, and is not the focus of this study. When referring to the use of baby sign language, however, scholars are typically referring to the action of encouraging babies