Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic Fundamentalism
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hatred and disruption of the peace, waste of
precious resources, and so on.
It would be right and proper to say that Islam is a
name for peaceful struggle, while the so-called
Islamic fundamentalism is quite the reverse. From
the foregoing details it is quite clear that violence,
far from arising from the teachings of Islam, is a
direct product of Islamic fundamentalism.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM
If we are to put ‘fundamentalism’ in the correct
perspective, we should be clear about what actually
constitutes the fundamental principles of Islam.
There is a
hadith
, which gives us clear guidance on
this subject. The Prophet observed that Islam is
founded on five pillars: Bearing witness that there is
no god but the one God and that Muhammad, may
peace be upon him, is God’s Messenger; the regular
saying of prayers (
salat
); alms-giving (
zakat
);
performing a pilgrimage to the Kabah, the House of
God in Makkah (
hajj
); and fasting for the month of
Ramadan (
sawm
).
