The Five Pillars of Islam

The five pillars (arkan al-Islam) are the framework of Muslim practice: the declaration of faith, the five daily prayers, obligatory charity, fasting in Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca for those able to make the journey. Shahada — the testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His messenger — is the entry point into the faith. It is spoken aloud with sincere belief, and its meaning is renewed silently within every prayer. Salah is prayed five times daily, at fixed times tied to the position of the sun: dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and night. Each prayer follows a set sequence of recitation, bowing, and prostration, performed facing the Kaaba in Mecca. Zakat is a fixed portion — commonly reckoned at one-fortieth — of a Muslim's savings and qualifying wealth, given annually to specified categories of recipients including the poor and needy. It is treated as a right owed by wealth, not a voluntary gift. Sawm is the fast of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. From dawn to sunset, adult Muslims who are able abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs, breaking the fast each evening at maghrib. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, obligatory once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able. It takes place during a set week of the Islamic calendar's twelfth month and follows rites tracing back to the Prophet Abraham.