The Search for Peace in Times of Chaos—Volume his rightful successor, and they call him the first imām, rejecting the legitimacy of the previous Muslim caliphs To them, the imām rules by right of divine appointment and holds spiritual authority among Muslims, having final say in matters of doctrine and revelation Although the Shi’a shares many core practices with the Sunni, the two branches disagree over the proper importance and validity of specific collections of Hadith Adherents are generally required to observe the five pillars of Islam, which are five d uties t hat u nite M uslims i nto o ne c ommunity In addition to the five pillars, Islamic law (sharia) has developed a tradition of rulings that touch virtually every aspect of life The (literally, “the path leading to the watering place”) is Islamic law formed by traditional Islamic scholars In Islam, sharia is the expression of the divine will and constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his religious belief The Qur’an defines hudud as the punishments for five specific crimes: unlawful intercourse, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, consumption of alcohol, theft, and highway robbery The Qur’an also contains laws of inheritance, marriage, and restitution for injuries and murder, as well as rules for fasting, charity, and prayer However, these prescriptions and prohibitions may be broad, so their application in practice varies Islamic scholars have elaborated systems of law on the basis of these rules and their interpretations are five practices essential to Sunni Islam Shi’a Muslims subscribe to eight ritual practices which substantially overlap with the Five Pillars They are: The ǡ which is the basic creed or tenet of Islam: “I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and nonMuslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed ¢ǡ ǡ which must be performed five times a day Each Salāh is done facing towards Mecca Salāh is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship ~ 101 ~ ... except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and nonMuslims... are five practices essential to Sunni Islam Shi’a Muslims subscribe to eight ritual practices which substantially overlap with the Five Pillars... towards Mecca Salāh is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship ~ 101 ~