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Five Pillar of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are core beliefs that shape Muslim thought, deed, and society.  A Muslim who fulfills the Five Pillars of Islam remains in the faith of Islam, and sincerely repents of his sins will make it to Jannah (paradise).  If he performs the Five Pillars but does not remain in the faith, he will not be saved.

  1. Shahada
    1. The Shahada is the Islamic proclamation that “There is no true God except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
    2. This is the confession that Allah is the one and only true God, that Allah alone is worthy of worship, and that Allah alone is the sovereign lord who does what he wills with whoever he wills. It means that all his rules and laws found in the Koran are to be followed. It means that the Christian doctrine of God as a Trinity is false–as are all other belief systems including pantheism.
    3. Muhammad (pbuh) is the true and greatest prophet of Allah, and recognition of Muhammad as the Prophet of God is required. It was through Prophet Muhammad that Allah conveyed the last and final revelation.
  2. Prayer (Salat)
    1. Prayer begins with the purification of the body (wooduh) and ends with the purification of the soul. Prayer is performed five times a day.
    2. The names of the prayers are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. Fajr is the dawn Prayer. Dhuhr is the noon prayer. Asr is the afternoon prayer. Maghrib prayer is the sunset prayer. Isha is the night prayer.
  3. Fasting (Saum)
    1. The month of Ramadan is the month of fasting in Islam. Usually, this fasting entails no drinking, eating, or sexual relations during the daylight hours for the entire month of Ramadan.
  4. Alms-giving or charity (Zakat)
    1. This is about charity given to the poor. Alms-giving is considered a form of worship to Allah. Muslims willingly offer the due amount in obedience to Allah’s commands. Zakah is obligatory upon those who possess the appropriate amount on which Zakah is due. Allah states in the Qur’an: And they were commanded not except to worship Allah, offering Him alone sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular Prayer; and to give calculated Charity; and that is the right Religion. ( Al-Bayyinah 98:5)
  5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)
    1. This is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The hajj is commanded in the Quran – “And pilgrimage to the House is a duty unto God for mankind, for him who can find the way thither” (3:97) – and its rites were established by Prophet Muhammad (phuh), but Muslim tradition dates it back to Adam and Abraham, who were instructed by angels in the performance of the rites. All Muslims, if they are able, are to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The pilgrimage rite begins on the 7th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah (the last month of the Islamic year) and ends on the 12th day.