Fundamental Principles of Islam

words he utters. As we find in the Qur’an: “The Arabs of the desert declare: ‘We believe,’ ‘You do not.’ Say rather: ‘We profess Islam,’ for faith has not yet found its way into your hearts’” (49:4). This shows that to God, the real faith (iman) is that which reaches into the deepest recesses of the heart; which awakens human consciousness in such a way as to bring to the individual the realization of God. That is to say that the concept of form here is relative, while the concept of spirit is what truly matters. In the case of prayer (salat) too, we know that prayer has a fixed form and is to be observed at stipulated times. But here too it is not the adherence to form in the repetition of prayer, or the postures adopted, but the spirit pervading the performance of these rites, which is of overriding importance. That is why the Quran says: “Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers” (23:3). It is essential, therefore, that the ritual of prayer be imbued with the proper spirit. The third pillar of Islam, alms-giving (zakat), that is, the payment of a fixed amount from one’s earnings to others who are in greater need, is again apparently an act of pure formality, but according to the Quran, the inner spirit of zakat is fear of God. The Quran describes the believers as “those who dispense their charity with their hearts full of fear….” (23:60)