The religious rituals are «means» and not an «objectives»!
Until present, no scholar or intellectual has yet issued a clear and explicit statement in the curricula of education and proclaims loudly that the religious rituals are a means for an objective and a noble goal that elevates the individual to the highest levels of humanity. This religion seeks to evaluate the personality of the individual to be a good member of society. This member is to participate in the benefit of people and reconcile their status to the virtue and noble values called for by the divine discourse in his holy Qur’an.
The principles, values and ethics are the true objectives for which the prayers, zakat, fasting and Hajj were imposed. The so- called or the limited basics called the “Five Pillars of Islam,” ignore or overlook that they are merely means connected to the supreme purposes and objectives of morality, values and principles that elevate human behavior and his relations with people.
The whole set of practices and worship rituals of prayer; fasting, Zakat and Hajj are basically means that lead man to reach Islam. Islam is the ethics stated in the Qur’an. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and all the prophets before him called for these same ethics.
The value of these means is in the study of the Qur’an to know the objectives of Allah Almighty in the verses for the benefit of worshipers. The worshippers should have these moral Prophetic ethics which focus on the purity of heart and restrain the self from injustice and assault on people because of the curse of power, wealth, authority or social status.
The purpose of remembering, educating and praising is the worship of Allah and activating the role of morality in human practices for the welfare of human society. The objective is to spread peace on land and develop it, thus achieving happiness through mercy, justice, freedom and peace and security.
What they repeat and call for about the shortened pillars of Islam is not surprising. There is no text in the Book of Allah, the Glorious Qur’an that indicates it. Moreover, there is no verse to speak about these pillars in the divine discourse. This fact clashes with a clear concept of the holy Qur’an, when morality, principles and fair human values are not within the pillars of Islam. It means that we worship the performances and leave the essence which is the supreme purpose of the message of Islam.
Source:
«Muslims … Between the religious speech and the divine speech», issued by «Al-Nokhba House for Printing, Publishing and Distribution», by the researcher and thinker Ali Muhammad al-Shurafa al-Hammadi.
