Sixth Pillar of Islam
Shi'a Islam tends to incorporate the Sixth pillar of Islam, referring to an addition to the universally held Five Pillars of Islam.
Contents |
Possible Sixth Pillar: Jihad [edit]
A few Muslims, mainly some Kharijite groups in ancient times[1][2] and members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad recently,[3] have taught that Jihad should be considered the sixth pillar of Islam. In this context, Jihad is viewed as external war against those perceived to be enemies of Islam.[4][5]
Controversy over Sixth Pillar of Islam [edit]
Most Sunni Muslims believe there are precisely five Pillars of Islam, since Sunni leaders have taught that there are only five major pillars of the faith. Traditionalists say that no sixth pillar should be added, because changing the pillars would be altering the religion and its beliefs, and so one who believes that there is a sixth is committing a sin. Thus, Sunnis believe that a 'six pillar of faith' is outside the folds of mainstream Islam. The sixth pillar of Islam is not included in the Sunni way of life.
However the Shia faith believe the 6th pillar is khums which means that you have to pay 1:5 of your wealth to the Sayyids, unlike some Sunni minorities such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda, identifying those groups as sharing the Kharijite view that jihad is the sixth pillar of Islam, and renewalist groups such as Islamic Jihad and Hamas, which are described as not sharing that view.[6]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Finer, S. E. (1999). The History of Government from the Earliest times II. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 687. ISBN 0-19-820790-5. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ Dabashi, Hamid (2002) [1989]. Authority in Islam: From the Rise of Muhammad to the Establishment of the Umayyads. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. p. 129. ISBN 1-56000-586-6. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ Esposito, John L. (2003) [2002]. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-19-516886-0. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ Bonner, Michael David (2006). Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice. Princeton: Princeton University Press. pp. 126–27. ISBN 0-691-12574-0. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ Appiah, Kwame Anthony (2006-01-01). "The Case for Contamination". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ Kadayifci-Orellana, S. Ayse (2007). Standing on an Isthmus: Islamic Narratives on War and Peace in Palestinian Territories. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books. p. 177. ISBN 0-7391-1111-6.
