Sixth pillar of Islam

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Part of a series on the Islamic creed: Aqidah
Sunni Five Pillars of Islam
Shahādah - Profession of faith Salat - Prayer Zakât - Paying of alms (giving to the poor) Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
Sunni Six articles of belief
Tawhīd - Oneness Nabi and Rusul - Prophets and Messengers Kutub - Divinely Revealed Books. Malā'ikah - Angels Qiyâmah - Judgment Day Qadar - Fate
Shia Twelvers Principles of the Religion
Tawhīd - Oneness Adalah - Justice Nubuwwah - Prophethood Imamah - Leadership Qiyâmah - Judgment day
Shia Twelvers Practices of the Religion
Salat - Prayer Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Zakât - Poor-rate Khums - One-fifth tax Jihad - Struggle Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf - Commanding good Nahi-Anil-Munkar - Forbidding evil Tawalla - Loving the Ahl al-Bayt Tabarra - Disassociating Ahl al-Bayt's enemies
Shia Ismaili 7 pillars
Walayah - Guardianship Taharah - Purity & cleanliness Salat - Prayers Zakât - Purifying religious dues Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Jihad - Struggle
Others
Salafi/Kharijite Sixth pillar of Islam. This box: view • talk • edit

The term Sixth pillar of Islam refers to an addition to the Five Pillars of Islam; the five pillars of Islam explain the basic tenets of the Sunni Islam faith, Shi'a Islam uses other concepts.

1 Introduction
2 Jihad
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Introduction

Most Sunni Muslims believe there are precisely five Pillars of Islam, and consider the concept of a sixth pillar to be heretical. The idea of there being more than five pillars is not a mainstream idea; Sunni leaders have taught that there are only five major pillars of the faith.

A few Muslims, mainly some Kharijite groups in ancient times and the founder of Islamic Jihad recently, have taught that Jihad, or personal struggle, 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.

[edit] Jihad

In the early days of Islam, the Kharijite sect are said to have claimed that jihad was the sixth pillar of Islam ^[1]; see also takfir.) However, the surviving Kharijites (that is, the Ibadis) of the present day reject this doctrine.

The Egyptian founder of Islamic Jihad, Abd al-Salam Farag (1952-1982), published a pamphlet in the wake of Anwar Sadat's assassination called "The Neglected Duty", attempting to argue that Jihad was the sixth pillar of Islam but that corrupt ulema had hidden the fact. This conspiracy theory has very little support outside Islamic Jihad and a few other similar terrorist groups. Jihad is viewed as a requirement by some, but very few have classified it as a pillar, and the scholars have unanimously condemned the idea.

Takfir wal-Hijra has also declared Jihad as a sixth pillar ^[2].