The Transformative Power of the 5 Pillars

Issue 95 August 2012

When the angel Gabriel asked the Prophet, "Tell me about surrender" (Islam), the Prophet relayed the five pillars, and Gabriel affirmed, "You have spoken the truth." Sarah Joseph explores how the pillars, are more than mere rituals, rather they have the power to transform hearts, minds, and societies - and lead to success in this world, and in the Hereafter.

Ash-Shahadah - Testimony of Faith 

The shahadah grants us a sense of higher purpose, as well as focus. Goal setting and direction is the bread and butter of life coaches, but when our focus is directed towards God, extraordinary and transformative things can occur. We all need focus, a compass by which to orientate our lives. For many, that focus is work, or family. However, when God is the central focus of one's life, other things become enhanced by the dignity and beauty which the Divine Light casts. Understanding the unity of God helps one create a unified self, a self which does not crack under every external pressure, but is forged from within by a connection to the Divine. When an individual recognises not merely a higher purpose but The Highest Purpose, there is transformative potential, and a chance for self-actualisation away from the mundane or the mediocre.

The search for profundity in an increasingly superficial world is realised by bearing witness to the awe-inspiring power of the Creator of the Cosmos. Motivational speaker Jim Cathcart once quipped, "Most people aim at nothing in life and hit it with amazing accuracy." This is depressingly true. How much better, therefore to have awareness of God and the Creator’s pleasure as one’s central focus and aim. The change in focus leads to a great clarity of being and doing. When you make God’s pleasure your goal, every decision takes on a new significance. Instead of a decision being based on personal pleasure or individual consideration, it is held within a frame of God-consciousness. Questions about jobs, spouses, children, even every day actions, have a new parameter of judgment. 

Read more