The five pillars of Islam are the basic acts considered obligatory, at least by Sunni Muslims. First is the Shahada, or the profession of faith. There is no god but God, and Muhammad is God's prophet, which is sometimes translated as there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's prophet, which tries to make Muslims sound other and ignores the fact that the Arabic word for God, whether you're Christian or Jewish or Muslim, is salah. Second, Salah, or ritual prayer five times a day, at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and late evening, which are obligatory unless you haven't hit puberty, are too sick, or are menstruating. Keep it PG, Thought Bubble. Third, Saum, the month-long fast during the month of Ramadan in which Muslims do not eat or drink or smoke cigarettes during daylight hours. Since Ramadan is a lunar calendar month, it moves around the seasons, and obviously it's most fun during the winter, when the days are shorter, and least fun during the summer, when days are both long and hot.