The Five Pillars Of Islam

A. Declaration of Faith
"There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His Messenger." This is the declaration of faith said when accepting Islam into one's life. It is called the Shahada.

When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:
1. That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad is his prophet
2. That they personally accept this as true
3. That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life

Reciting this statement three times in front of witnesses is all that anyone need do to become a Muslim.

A Muslim is expected to recite this statement out loud, with total sincerity, fully understanding what it means.

The Arabic can be transliterated into the Roman alphabet like this:
Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah (Transliteration of the shahadah from the Arabic)

B. Prayers
The five daily prayers, or Salat, are obligatory, a direct link to God alone.
There are set times for each prayer: Fajr is the dawn prayer; Zuhr is the midday or noon prayer; Asr is the late afternoon prayer; Maghrib is the sunset prayer; and Isha is the nighttime prayer.
All Muslims try to do this. Muslim children as young as seven are encouraged to pray.

Prayer sets the rhythm of the day
This prayer timetable gives Muslims the pattern of their day.
In Islamic countries, the public call to prayer from the mosques sets the rhythm of the day for the entire population, including non-Muslims.

Muslims don't pray for God's benefit
Muslims do not pray for the benefit of Allah.
Allah does not need human prayers because he has no needs at all.
Muslims pray because God has told them that they are to do this, and because they believe that they obtain great benefit in doing so.

Muslims pray direct to God
A Muslim prays as if standing in the presence of Allah.
In the ritual prayers each individual Muslim is in direct contact with Allah. There is no need of a priest as an intermediary. (While there is a prayer leader in the mosque - the imam - they are not a priest, simply a person who knows a great deal about Islam.)

Praying in the mosque
Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque.
Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realise that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah.


C. Fasting
Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
During the 29/30 days of Ramadan all adult Muslims must give up the following things during the hours of daylight:
- Food or drink of any sort
- Smoking, including passive smoking
- Sexual activity

Muslims who are physically or mentally unwell may be excused some of these, as may those who are under twelve years old, the very old, those who are pregnant, breast-feeding, menstruating, or travelling.

If an adult does not fast for the reasons above they should try to make up the fast at a later date, or make a donation to the poor instead.
Muslims do not only abstain from physical things during Ramadan. They are also expected to do their best to avoid evil thoughts and deeds as well.

There are many good reasons for this fast, including:
- Obeying God
- Learning self-discipline
- Becoming spiritually stronger
- Appreciating God's gifts to us
- Sharing the sufferings of the poor and developing sympathy for them
- Realising the value of charity and generosity
- Giving thanks for the Holy Qur'an, which was first revealed in the month of Ramadan
- Sharing fellowship with other Muslims

Eating in Ramadan
During Ramadan many Muslims will try to eat a large meal called suhur just before dawn.
When daylight is over, most Muslims will break or open the fast with dates or water, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), before having a proper meal later.
The evening meals during Ramadan are occasions for family and community get togethers.

Eid ul-Fitr
The month of Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. This is marked by dressing up and visiting the mosque for prayer, and with visits to family and friends for celebratory meals.

Ramadan and the Western calendar
Because Islam uses a lunar calendar, the month of Ramadan comes around 11 days earlier each successive year, so there is no Western season associated with Ramadan.

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may learn self-restraint" (Quran 2:182)

D. Zakaat
Zakat is the compulsory giving of a set proportion of one's wealth to charity. It is regarded as a type of worship and of self-purification.
Zakat does not refer to charitable gifts given out of kindness or generosity, but to the systematic giving of 2.5% of one's wealth each year to benefit the poor.

The benefits of Zakat, apart from helping the poor, are as follows:
1. Obeying God
2. Helping a person acknowledge that everything comes from God on loan and that we do not
really own anything ourselves
- And since we cannot take anything with us when we die we need not cling to it
3. Acknowledging that whether we are rich or poor is God's choice
- So we should help those he has chosen to make poor
4. Learning self-discipline
5. Freeing oneself from the love of possessions and greed
6. Freeing oneself from the love of money
7. Freeing oneself from love of oneself
8. Behaving honestly

The 2.5% rate only applies to cash, gold and silver, and commercial items. There are other rates for farm and mining produce, and for animals.

E. Hajj
Once a year, Muslims of every ethnic group, colour, social status, and culture gather together in Mecca and stand before the Kaaba praising Allah together.

It is a ritual that is designed to promote the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah.

The Hajj makes Muslims feel real importance of life here on earth, and the afterlife, by stripping away all markers of social status, wealth, and pride. In the Hajj all are truly equal.

The Hajjis or pilgrims wear simple white clothes called Ihram. During the Hajj the Pilgrims perform acts of worship and they renew their sense of purpose in the world.

Mecca is a place that is holy to all Muslims. It is so holy that no non-Muslim is allowed to enter.

For Muslims, the Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. It occurs in the month of Dhul Hijjah which is the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is the journey that every sane adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their lives if they can afford it and are physically able.

Why the five pillars is important?
Carrying out these obligations provides the framework of a Muslim's life, and weaves their everyday activities and their beliefs into a single cloth of religious devotion.
No matter how sincerely a person may believe, Islam regards it as pointless to live life without putting that faith into action and practice.
Carrying out the Five Pillars demonstrates that the Muslim is putting their faith first, and not just trying to fit it in around their secular lives.

Cheating on the Five Pillars is impossible
The Five Pillars are a matter between the individual Muslim and Allah: the community may well insist on certain practices, but at the heart lies the relationship between a Muslim and Allah.
So there is no point at all in carrying them out insincerely, or, for example, trying to cheat on the fasting in Ramadan.
For God cannot be fooled and the only person who suffers is the individual concerned.