Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) identified three constituent parts of the religion: the head, the main pillar, and the hump. If the head is missing the religion does not exist at all, and whoever fails to realise the head—tawḥīd (monotheism)—has no religion. Allah knows best, and may Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad.

Whoever neglects the prayer will have no functional religion, even though he may bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, because the faith needs a pillar on which to stand, and that pillar is found only in the prayer. When jihad disappears, strength within Islam disappears; Islam grows weak and the Muslims become oppressed. There is no power for Islam or for the Muslims except through jihad in the path of Allah—it is the sign of strength, and its absence is the sign of weakness. This is why the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) likened these three matters to the head, the pillar, and the hump. Just as a camel’s hump indicates that it is strong, while the lack of a hump shows it to be gaunt and feeble, so it is with the religion.

Today the Muslims are similarly oppressed on earth, and for this reason the hadith states: “When you enter into ʿīnah transactions, cling to the tails of cattle, and abandon jihad, Allah will afflict you with degradation that He will not remove from you until you return to your religion.” Abandoning jihad brings humiliation and weakness to the Muslims, whereas its presence is proof of strength and soundness, like the hump to an animal.

With this the commentary on this blessed book, The Three Fundamental Principles, comes to an end.