Five pillars
The Pillars of
Islam (arkan al-Islam; also arkan ad-din, "pillars of
religion") are five basic acts in Islam, considered obligatory for all
believers. The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and
a sign of commitment to the faith. They are (1) the shahadah (creed), (2) daily prayers (salat), (3) almsgiving (zakah), (4) fasting during Ramadan and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.
Testimony
The Shahadah, which is the basic creed of Islam that must be recited under oath with the specific statement: "'ašhadu
'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh", or
"I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify that
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite
the creed.
Prayer
Ritual
prayers, called Ṣalāh or Ṣalāt (Arabic: صلاة), must be performed five times a day. Salah is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication
with Him that expresses gratitude and worship. Salah is compulsory but flexibility in the
specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in the
Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Qur'an.
A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its
Arabic name, masjid. The word mosque in English refers to all
types of buildings dedicated to Islamic worship, although there is a
distinction in Arabic between the smaller, privately owned mosque and the
larger, "collective" mosque (masjid jāmi`). Although the primary
purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer, it is also important to
the Muslim community as a place to meet and study.
Alms-giving
Alms-giving
"Zakāt"
(Arabic: زكاة zakāh "alms") is giving a fixed portion of
accumulated wealth by those who can afford it to help the poor or needy, and
also to assist the spread of Islam. It is considered a religious obligation (as
opposed to voluntary charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their
wealth is seen as a "trust from God's bounty". The Qur'an and the
hadith also suggest a Muslim give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving
(ṣadaqah).
Fasting, (Arabic: صوم ṣawm), from food and drink (among
other things) must be performed from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadhan.
The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims
should express their gratitude for and dependence on Him, atone for their past
sins, and think of the needy. Sawm is not obligatory for several groups
for whom it would constitute an undue burden. For others, flexibility is
allowed depending on circumstances, but missed fasts usually must be made up
quickly.
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage, called the ḥajj (Arabic: حج ḥaǧǧ) during the Islamic month of Dhu
al-Hijjah in the city
of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the
pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. Rituals of the Hajj
include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the black stone if possible, walking or running seven times
between Mount
Safa and Mount
Marwah, and
symbolically stoning
the Devil in Mina.
