ABSTRACT
Both the Islamic umma and the individual Muslim are governed by the divine law as revealed in the Qurᐣān. There has never been any dissension in Islam about the absolute liability of the believer to fulfill the religious duties, although the Qurᐣān does not cite them explicitly as the 'pillars of the faith'. In Mecca the organized distribution of pious gifts was not necessary, and, as a matter of fact, it would have proved very difficult. The jihād has remained alive well into the modern age and even into the most recent past. It not only outlived the secularization of Muslims, but rather adapted itself to it, unlike the canonical duties. Leaving aside the most recent developments, the three duties in general did not clash with the interests of the state and therefore remained in effect unadulterated.
