Pillars of Islam

The Pillars of Islam are the five basic acts of worship on which the life of a Muslim is built. The first pillar is the Shahadah, the declaration of faith, which states that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of Allah. The second pillar is Salah, the prayer, which Muslims must offer five times a day. Before offering Salah, a person must perform wudu, the act of purification with water. During prayer, Muslims face the Qiblah, the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah.

The five daily prayers each have their own time. Fajr is offered at dawn and has two Fard rakats. Maghrib is the prayer offered right after sunset. On Friday, Muslims gather for the congregational prayer called Jumuah, which is offered instead of Zuhr. It brings the community together and includes a sermon before the prayer.

The third pillar is Zakat, the obligatory charity given by Muslims. It purifies wealth and supports the poor and needy. Zakat is typically due at 2.5 percent of eligible savings and wealth that have been held for a full year. It becomes obligatory when a person owns wealth above the Nisab, the minimum threshold. For gold, the Nisab is commonly taken as 7.5 tola, which is about 87.48 grams.

The fourth pillar is Sawm, fasting in the month of Ramadan. The daily fast begins at dawn and ends at sunset, and during it a Muslim avoids food, drink, and other things that break the fast. Ramadan also contains Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, which is better than a thousand months. When the month ends, Muslims celebrate the festival of Eid al-Fitr.

The fifth pillar is Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah, which is obligatory once in a lifetime for those who are able. It is performed in the month of Dhul Hijjah. Pilgrims wear Ihram, the special unstitched clothing, which shows equality before Allah. They perform seven rounds of Tawaf around the Kaaba and walk seven times between Safa and Marwa, a ritual known as Sai. The most important ritual of Hajj is standing at Arafat on 9 Dhul Hijjah.