Islam and its five pillars
What Islam means, and the five pillars its practice is built on: the declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, zakat, and Hajj.
Islam means obeying the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
The five pillars of Islam
- Believing in Allah and His Messenger: believing that Allah is one, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger.
- Prayer (Salah): Muslims pray five times every day.
- Fasting (Sawm): Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan.
- Giving Zakat: if someone has enough money, they give part of it to people in need, once a year.
- Pilgrimage (Hajj): if someone is able to, they go to Hajj once in their life.
Every Muslim must believe that Allah is one and Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger, pray five times a day, fast in Ramadan, give zakat if they have enough money, and go to Hajj once in their life if they are able.
123456Islam means obeying the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
| Pillar | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Belief in Allah and His Messenger | Believing that Allah is one and that Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger. |
| Prayer (Salah) | Praying five times a day. |
| Fasting (Sawm) | Fasting during the month of Ramadan. |
| Giving Zakat | Giving a portion of one's wealth to those in need, once a year, if one has enough money. |
| Pilgrimage (Hajj) | Going to Hajj once in a lifetime, for one who is able. |
The five pillars are obligatory: belief in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, the five daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan, giving zakat once a year for one who has sufficient wealth, and Hajj once in a lifetime for one who is able.
123456Islam denotes submission to, and obedience of, the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
| Pillar | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Shahādah: belief in Allah and His Messenger | Affirming the oneness of Allah and the messengership of Muḥammad ﷺ. |
| Ṣalāh (Prayer) | The five daily prayers. |
| Ṣawm (Fasting) | Fasting through the month of Ramaḍān. |
| Zakāh | Giving a due portion of one's wealth annually to those entitled to receive it, incumbent on one who possesses sufficient means. |
| Ḥajj (Pilgrimage) | Undertaken once in a lifetime by one who is able (mustaṭīʿ). |
The passage states these as the five fundamental practices Islam is based on; the specific conditions and detailed rulings of each pillar are treated in their own areas of this site.
The arkān al-Islām are farḍ: the shahādah, the five daily ṣalāh, ṣawm of Ramaḍān, zakāh on one who possesses sufficient means, and ḥajj once in a lifetime on one who is mustaṭīʿ.
123456This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 100 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
(23) Islam
Islam means obeying the commands of Allah and His Messenger.
Pillars of Islam
- The pillars of Islam (the fundamental practices upon which Islam is based) are five:
- Belief in Allah and His Messenger: This means believing that Allah is one and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger.
- Prayer (Salah): Muslims must pray five times a day.
- Fasting (Sawm): Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.
- Giving Zakat: If someone has enough money, they must give a part of it to those in need after a year.
- Pilgrimage (Hajj): If someone is able, they must go to Hajj once in their lifetime.
Related
- The obligation of Hajj Why Hajj is obligatory (fard) on every able Muslim, drawn from the Qur'an and hadith, and that it is owed only once in a lifetime.
- What Hajj is, and why it is the fifth pillar Hajj in a page: what the word means, why it is both a bodily and a financial worship, who owes it, and where Umrah and the visit to Madinah stand.
- What fasting is, and why it matters What the fast of Ramadan is, why it is the fourth pillar of Islam, and the virtues the Qur'an and hadith give it.
- The five declarations of faith (kalimas) The five declarations of faith every Muslim learns, in Arabic, transliteration and translation, with what each one means.