The Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are five acts that form the foundation of worship and religious practice for individual Muslims. They are: the shahada (profession of faith), prayer, almsgiving, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to the House of God in Mecca.

The five pillars rest on a well-known hadith transmitted in the collections of Bukhari and Muslim, which describes Islam as built upon five pillars. Sunni scholars agree on this framework. Among Shia scholars, particularly the Twelver Shias, an alternative classification is used that combines acts of worship with matters of belief, including wilayat (guardianship), khums (a religious tax), and jihad.

Shahada

The shahada is the profession that there is no deity except God and worthy of worship save God, and that Muhammad is His messenger. It is the first pillar through which one enters Islam: a person who utters it, possessing sound mind and consent, is recognized as Muslim. Both Sunni and Shia share the core wording of this declaration, though Shias typically add a reference to Ali.

Prayer

Prayer consists of five daily prayers performed at fixed times: dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night. It requires ritual purification (wudu or tayammum), facing the direction of the Kaaba, and prescribed movements consisting of bowing and prostration. The Friday prayer is performed in congregation in mosques, accompanied by a sermon.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving is the giving of a portion of wealth that has accumulated over a full year, once it reaches a minimum threshold known as nisaab. For currency and trade goods, the rate is typically two and a half percent; livestock and agricultural produce have different rates. The alms are distributed to designated categories, beginning with the poor and needy. It differs from voluntary charity.

Fasting and Pilgrimage

Fasting involves abstaining from food, drink, and marital relations from dawn until sunset throughout the month of Ramadan. Those who are ill, traveling, pregnant, or menstruating are permitted to postpone fasting or make compensation instead. Pilgrimage is the journey to Mecca, obligatory at least once in the lifetime of those with the physical and financial means to undertake it. It takes place in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah and includes practices such as the state of ihram (sacred consecration), circumambulation of the Kaaba, running between the hills, and standing at Arafat.