Islam is built upon five pillars. As the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Islam is built upon five things, testimony that there is no God except Allah, and that I am his messenger, the performance of prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadan, the compulsory charity, and the performance of the pilgrimage to the House of Allah".
These are summarised below:
1. Shadadah
Shahadah means to witness, or to testify. In this context, it means testifying that there is no God but Allah, and that the prophet Muhammad is the slave and messenger of Allah. This testification of faith is not only said aloud, but must also come from the heart i.e. a person who claims to be a Muslim must fully and completely believe that Allah is the Creator of the whole universe that we know, and also what is not known. So a Muslim who testifies to this does not believe in more than one god or creator, s/he does not believe in any ideologies that suggest the non-existence of a creator, nor does a Muslim believe that god has a son, or a daughter, or a mother, or a father, and so on.
2. Salah
Salah is the performance of the five daily prayers. A person who fully and unconditionally accepts the shahadah is required to pray five times a day. Prayer was prescribed to the prophet Muhammad by Allah, when the prophet Muhammad was raised to the heavens in the miraculous journey known as the Mi'raj. There he met some of the previous prophets, and was given the five daily prayers as a gift for the followers of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The five daily prayers are obligatory for every Muslim who has reached the age of 10 years, is sane and conscious. In other words, those who are under the age of 10, are insane, or are unconscious are exempt from the prayers. The prayers of a traveller and that of a sick person is not exempt, however, they are permitted to shorten their prayers, or to pray in a way that does not exacerbate their sickness. Menstruating women are also exempt from prayers until they have completed their menstruation cycle. The missed prayers in the case of a menstruating woman do not need to be made up later.
Parents teach their children how to pray before they get to the age of 10, and when the children come of age, they then are required to pray five times a day. The prophet Muhammad encouraged Muslim men to pray in the mosque in congregation, and he also encouraged women to pray in their homes. However, he did not stop women from praying in the mosques at the same time.
A Flash presentation of how to perform salah can be found here.
3. Fasting in the month of Ramadan
Fasting is also prescribed for all Muslims who have reached the age of puberty, are sane and conscious. Those who are terminally ill, or are journey may be exempted from this, but are required to pay charity (which goes to the poor and needy) instead.
Fasting is performed from sunrise to sunset everyday during the month of Ramadan, and a fasting person is not permitted to eat, drink, engage in idle talk, backbite, sexual intercourse, argue, or engage in other 'disharmonious' acts. Menstruating women are also exempt from fasting, but are required to make it up later.
The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged Muslims to begin their fasting day with a meal, and to break it with water and dates. As such, Muslims rise early before sunrise, and eat and drink, and then begin their fasting day. At sunset, the fast is broken with dates and other food. Muslims are also encouraged to invite, or share their meals with others, especially when breaking fast, as this is an honourable task that the prophet Muhammad used to practice, and urged others to do.
4. Zakah
Zakah is the compulsory tax that is required to be paid by all Muslims on their possessions that are in excess to their normal everyday requirements. As such, tax is to be paid on things such as second houses, or cars, jewellery, extra cash in the bank or elsewhere, and so on. The tax to be paid is 2.5% on these items.
The word Zakah mean to purify, and the compulsory tax is seen as a purification of the wealth that is earned by individuals, as this goes towards the poor and needy people, and goes towards fulfilling their necessities, whilst at the same time allowing those with wealth to give from themselves. The 2.5% tax is a minimum, and some Muslims often give more than that required minimum.
5. Hajj
Hajj is the once-in-a-lifetime requirement to do pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where the Ka'bah is situated. Hajj is compulsory for those Muslims who are financially and physically able to perform it. As such, those who are either financially or physically incapable of undertaking this fifth pillar of Islam, are exempt from this obligation.
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