Category Pillars of Islam

This category explains the five pillars of Islam (shahadah, salah (prayer), zakah (charity), sawm (fasting), hajj (pilgrimage).

The Second Pillar of Islam: Prayer

Having specific times each day to be close to Allah helps Muslims remain aware of the importance of their faith, and the role it plays in every part of their lives. Muslims start their day by cleaning themselves and then standing before their Lord in prayer. The prayers consist of recitations from the Qur’an in Arabic and a sequence of movements: standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting.

The Testimony of Faith

The Shahada is the Muslim profession of faith and the first of the ‘Five Pillars’ of Islam. The word shahada in Arabic means ‘testimony.’ It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.

The First Pillar of Islam: Testimony of Faith

The first part of this testimony states that Allah has the exclusive right to be worshipped inwardly and outwardly, by one’s heart and limbs. In Islamic doctrine, not only can no one be worshipped apart from Him, absolutely no one else can be worshipped along with Him. He has no partners or associates in worship. Worship, in its comprehensive sense and all its aspects, is for Him alone.