The Five Pillars of Islam refer to the five duties that every Muslim must perform. The first of these five pillars is the declaration of faith and the other four are religious acts that are performed either daily, once a year or at least once in a lifetime. These acts are woven into the lives of Muslims and take precedence over all worldly matters.
The Five Pillars of Islam are
- Declaration of Faith (Shahadah)
- Prayer (Salah)
- Charity (Zakah)
- Fasting (Sawm)
- Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Declaration of Faith (Shahadah)
The most basic requirement of being a Muslim is to publicly state the words “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger”, in arabic, with sincerity and without any reservations. This testament is the foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. To become a Muslim, a non-Muslim must repeat the Shahadah three times in the presence of witnesses.
The statement of Shahada in arabic is:
Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah
The statement of faith must be a genuine belief that includes the following articles of faith.
- Belief in One God (Allah) – Allah is one and has no partners or equals.
- Belief in the Prophets – Allah sent prophets to every nation (Qur’an, An-Nahl, 16:36) to provide mankind with guidance, so that they could walk the straight path of Allah, live happily in this world and be prepared for life after death. Their fundamental message was identical, reminding mankind of Allah’s oneness, the reward of a good life, the day of judgment and the terrible punishment for disbelievers.
- Belief in the Holy Books – Allah sent messages to humanity through His prophets. These messages are contained in the Holy Books of Allah:
- The Suhuf (Scrolls), revealed to the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), and now lost
- The Taurut (Torah), revealed to the prophet Musa (Moses)
- The Zabur (Psalms), revealed to the prophet Daud (David)
- The Injil (Gospels), revealed to the prophet Isa (Jesus)
- The Qur’an, revealed to the prophet Muhammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)
- Belief in Angels – In addition to the physical world we know, Allah created a world invisible to us in which angels exist. The angels are sinless. They require no food, drink or sleep. They have neither physical desires or material needs.
The chief responsibility of the angels is to praise Allah and to do his will. The most important of the angels is Jibr’il (Gabriel). On behalf of Allah, Jibr’il (Gabriel) revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) his mission and the perfect verses of the Holy Qur’an. Each human being is assigned two angels who serve as guardians and recorders of the individual’s deeds, both good and bad.
- Belief in the Day of Judgement – The belief of life after death and in the resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgement is an essential part of Islamic faith. It gives meaning to life and sets the joys and troubles of this life into a much wider context.
Any person who believes in life after death will be afraid of acting against the will of Allah. He will be conscious of the fact that Allah is watching all his actions and the angels are recording them.
- Belief in Fate – Everything that happens is the will of Allah and is preordained. Acceptance of fate is an essential element in submitting to the will of Allah.
Prayer (Salah)
Every Muslim is required to pray five times a day. The five prayers are:
- Salat al-Fajr
- Salat al-Zuhr
- Salat al-Asr
- Salat al-Maghrib
- Salat al-Isha
These five prayers are said at dawn, mid day, late afternoon, sunset and nightfall. The Prophet Muhammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, “The first act that the slave (of Allah) will be accountable for on the day of judgement will be the prayer. If it is good, then the rest of his acts will be good. And if it is evil, then the rest of his acts will be evil.”
Charity (Zakah)
Every Muslim is obligated to pay a portion of his or her wealth for the benefit of the poor and needy. Zakat means “purification” and “growth”. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a portion for those in need. This also increases social welfare and encourages economic growth.
A Muslim may also donate more as an act of Sadaqah (voluntary charity), in order to achieve additional reward from Allah.
Fasting (Sawm)
Every year in the month of Ramadan Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk. In addition, Muslims are expected to refrain from anger, envy, greed, lust, gossip, violence, bad language and other inappropriate thoughts and actions. Fasting is meant to encourage Muslims to seek nearness to Allah, be patient, and learn the hardships faced by the less fortunate.
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Hajj is a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Makkah (Mecca). Hajj occurs every year during the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Every Muslim who is physically and financially able, is obligated to perform Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime.
Tags: charity, faith, fasting, hajj, Islam, pilgrimage, pillars, prayer, salah, sawm, shahadah, zakah
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I WANNA CHANGE TO ISLAM
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assallamouallaye koum warahmatullaye late god forgive all of us and give us mor oportenity to do the shame this brother in islam did am really glad to see this site lat the almighty god pay
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PROUD TO BE A MUSLIM
Thank god………
Great attempt
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Salaamz
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Assalamualikum. MASHALLAH very nice work, simple and easey to understand. Would you mind if I copy this to share it with non-Muslims? I think they need to know it too. MAY ALLAH BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILy… Thankyou!!!!!!
you have done well.it is a duty to every muslims to invite others by dauat n it may be by writing,talking,azan etc.thanks Allah will give u proper reward.
al hamdulilahi rabialamin: first of all i thank Allah sub hana wa tala for keeping me alife to come across this website. and i pray for those that are devoting all there time to let people know,about islam, may Allah grante them long life and prosperity. this is grate if not the gratest site i have ever came across, simply stated and simply explain, important aspects of islam, may Allah guid you all, i have learn a lot. my Allah safeguard islam and it believers. Amin
The faith ofislam speaks directly to me . Islam is a guide for a soul who was lost . Lost in a degerate culture . peace humility .
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salaam.allah help u in many deeds of islam.you will help me the teaching of islam.
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A very beautifull information has been given here, im a muslim and didnt know much about the 5 pillars, and with this help ful information. now i know what they are, may allah give you blessing for making these.
thank u very much for this helpfull information. jazakallahu khayran.
Allah is the only God! He has done many deeds for us Muslims with out him we wouldn’t have a life. Muhammad is also so holy with out him we would live in hell. Tomorrow I will be doing my pilgrimage. It will be an amazing experience! The imformation helped me understand more about my religion. Thanks
This is very helpful to those of us who did not get the teachings when we were younger
maasha allah , thank u very much this website is very helpful for me,
More information about islam including the life of the holy prophet, Naats by Owais Raza Qadri, holy quaran, islamic documentry by Shahid Masood and much more, Every new hadith. Islamic Lectures by Molana Tariq Jameel, Name Of Allah, Biography of the Holy prophet. end of times, hiddden truth.
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Allah bless you. Thx so mach.
I am studying a brief section on Islam in a course on Western Civilization. I find your definitions and explanations to be exceptionally clear. To my pleasant surprise, knowing very little about any religions, Islam is a stunningly beautiful practice. The values of peace, charity, thanksgiving, and mindfulness are so unsullied by dogma. These should be everyone’s values. Thank you.
Asalaamu alaikum warahmutulahi wa barakatuhu
This is very clear now i understand the importance of islam, allah, all the prophets, angels etc
who ever has created this website or helped to create this website i hope allah ta’allah grant you all paradise, make your problems solved and show all of us the right path to please allah and his rasool salalaahu alayhi wasalam and forgive us for our sins
AMEEN
As salam wale kum . you all are doing nice job allah bless you!
Thanks
zeba khan
(5 pillar of islam)
salam …… well if u wanna change to islam u must must must say the shahadah
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JazakalLahu khair,may the Almighty ALLAH guide and protect our faith.
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Great website, explains almost almost everything a muslim needs to do follow the clear path, the path to Allah.
I find some errors here. This sight claims that reciting the 99 names of Allah a certain number of times will give certain benefits. This is bid’ah. Innovation. There are no Hadith or ayah in the Quran claiming such benefits. This is bid’ah created by Sufi’s.
Sherafudheen
Excellent explanations for muslim and non muslim people to know about Islam.
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I BELIEVE IN ALLAH HIS BOOKS,HIS ANGELS,HIS PROPHETS,HIS MESSENGER ,LIVE AFTER DEATH