What Makes A Muslim?

I ran across a post at Racialicious about Muslim women in Hip-Hop. While I didn’t agree with everything presented by the author, it did create an interesting discussion on what makes a Muslim a Muslim and who can lay claim to that “title”. I couldn’t help myself from reading the comments and was at first horrified by the direction they were going, then quite surprised and impressed when non-Muslim commentor Korolev jumped in with some genuine wisdom. Big sighs of relief!

Now, I happen to love Erykah Badu… but um, no, she is not a Muslim. Eve, I can’t say because I’m not fully aware of how she is defining Muslim and don’t know if she has taken Shahadah or not. So, I happen to agree with Korolev that “Muslim” does have certain requirements and is more than just a label that can be thrown on just because. No more than I can call myself a Christian without believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God or if believing that Ceasar was a god, can someone call themselves a Muslim while not believing in the words of Qur’an or while believing that any prophet came after Muhammad (salalahi alahi wa salaam).

There are many places that one can obtain the basic explanation of Islam and what it means to be a believer. For the sake of simplicity, I will list out the most bare bones requirements necessary in order to be able to label oneself a Muslim.

The main thing is an understanding of the Five Pillars of Islam. To be Muslim, you must accept the five pillars as required duties and strive to maintain them. I have read some scholars that say that failure to uphold any of the pillars is a step outside of Islam. Other scholars say that as long as you are uholding the first pillar, even if you are failing in the others you are still a Muslim but a “bad” or “sinning” one. Suffice to say, at the most barest minimalist, a proper understanding of and adherence to Pillar Number One (Shahada) is absolutely essential in order to call oneself a Muslim.

The Five Pillars of Islam are:

1) Shahada (Testification of Faith) - the basic shahada is acceptance and affirmation that there is only One God and that Allah is worthy of all praise, and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was a Messenger.

It is important to understand the two parts of the Shahada as it is not only professing it with the tongue but believing it in one’s heart. The first part is accepting that only Allah (Arabic, literally meaning “The God”) is to be worshipped. This also implies a level of acceptance that Allah is to be obeyed. The second part is about acknowledging that the Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) was indeed a genuine prophet. I was taught that part of that is accepting and acknowledging that Muhammad was the Last in a line of Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all). Though there are different ideas about whether this is necessarily part of the Shahada or not, I believe it is part of properly understanding the testification made.

Proper understanding of the Shahada means:

• not committing shirk by believing in other gods,
• believing that Allah is worthy of your obedience and gratitude,
• believing that Muhammad - peace & blessings be upon him - was a Prophet and the final Prophet,
• not believing that God has descended in human form,
• not believing that someone since Prophet Muhammad - peace & blessings be upon him - has attained prophethood

If one has declared the Shahada but fails to understand and accept any of those points of it, they are not a Muslim. So, no matter what one wishes to label oneself, you cannot believe, for example, that Elijah Muhammad was a prophet and be a Muslim. You cannot believe that following the five pillars (obedience to Allah) isn’t really necessary and be a Muslim.

2) Salat (5 Daily Prayers) - This is the biggest one (aside from the obvious belief issues of the Shahada) that some scholars say puts one outside the fold of Islam if it is not adhered to. For many Muslims, this is one of the bigger struggles because it involves structure and discipline and is a constant action. It also involves humbling oneself in front of one’s Creator. At the very least, one must accept that:

• There are five daily obligatory prayers, at set times
• There is a specific manner in which one is to prepare for the prayer (regarding personal physical purity, sobriety, etc.)
• There is a specific manner in which one makes the prayer (though there are aspects that are integral to the prayer and the same no matter what school of thought one adheres to, there are other aspects that may vary)
• There is a specific intention that is considered an integral part of the prayer

3) Zakat (the “poor tax”, often simply referred to as “charity” though there is a separate Islamic injunction for more general charity called sadaqah) - On a specific level, zakat has to do with an annual tax on one’s wealth that is to be distributed to the poor Muslims. It is to be paid in a specific way (though the form can vary somewhat by school of thought) and according to a specific calculation. This is the pillar of Islam, to do this. Other types of charity, including funding of mosques, hospitals and schools or other assistance to the poor (Muslim and non), orphans, widows, and wayfarers, is considered an extremely important element of Islamic character but the actual pillar of requirement is specific to the zakat tax.

4) Sawm (Fasting - specifically fasting the month of Ramadan) - The pillar is to fast according to prescribed method for the month of Ramadan. Of course most Muslims fast at other times of the year as well, but the actual bare minimum is the Ramadan fast. It is necessary to be aware of the rulings of what it is necessary to fast from, when to start the day’s fast and when to break it, and what nullifies the fast. There are also certain situations where a person may be relieved from the fast during Ramadan but expected to make it up at another time.

5) Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) - This is something that every Muslim must understand is a requirement and work towards. This is also the one and only pillar that has a stipulation “if one is able” but that means that one has the financial and health resources to do so. If one has the resources to travel elsewhere, it is expected that one would prioritize the Hajj. By “if one is able” it does not mean that we can simply neglect this duty and place it low in our priorities while we run after material gain or spend our time and energy on things that are not essential to our wellbeing in this life or the next. Accepting that this is a duty and having intention to make the pilgrimage at least once in one’s life is a pillar that in part of being Muslim.

Besides the Five Pillars, there are also Six Articles of Faith. It is commonly understood that these six aspects of belief are required to be understood and accepted in order for one to call oneself a Muslim. The first two articles of faith are, in fact, affirmation of what one is supposed to have affirmed through the Shahada or Testification of Faith.  

The Six Articles of Faith are:

1) Belief in Allah, that He is One God and worthy of all worship, that there is none like Him, that He is over all etc.

2) Belief in and acceptance of all of the Prophets of Allah (peace & blessings be upon them), from Adam through Muhammad. The Qur’an names many prophets, and mentions that there were many more that remain unnamed. Our duty is to accept them all.

3) Belief in all the Revelations of Allah. This means that we accept and agree to live by those Revelations, do not try to alter them to suit our own needs or say that something is outdated or in need of revision.

4) Belief in the Angels

5) Belief in the Day of Judgment. This means that we recognize that we will answer to Allah and we live in the understanding that we will be held accountable for everything we say and do, or that we left undone.

6) Belief in the Qadr of Allah. This means that we accept that Allah has appointed us a fixed period of time, that He is over everything, and that we must accept both the good and the bad in our lives with patience. Though we have free will to make our own choices and to live by the consequences of those choices, we must also realize that things are not in our own hands and that we cannot make things go the way we please.

Conclusion: There are Five Pillars of Action and Six Articles of Faith that are the backbone of the definition of being a Muslim. Contained within them, there are many other expectations and legal rulings, such as on good manners, respect for elders, charity, modesty, honesty, racial equality, gender equity, the prohibitions on pork and alcohol, and various other rulings. Accepting that there are limitations and jurisprudence to help us to remain within those limitations is a sign of strong faith and wanting to adhere to the tenets of Islam. But the most simple requirements to call oneself a Muslim are to believe in and accept the Five Pillars and Six Articles.

Whatever other differences may exist between different schools of thought, between Sunni and Shi’a, between individual Muslims, in the end we all come down to the Five Pillars and Six Articles and that is what makes all of us Muslims. Those who reject any of the Pillars or Articles are NOT Muslims, no matter how much they may wish to claim the label. This means that due to general differing beliefs, the Nation of Islam, Five Percenters, Submitters, etc. are NOT Muslim. They have rejected one or more of the most basic tenets of Islam. They may be really nice people, we may have a lot of personal respect for individuals, and we may enjoy their work. That does not mean they are Muslim.