The Five Pillars Of Islam

There are five obligatory acts of worship that every Muslim must dutifully carry out. Failure to do so is a grave sin. The edifice of Islam rests upon these five pillars. One cannot be considered a Muslim if he or she denies that any one of these acts is obligatory.

The five obligations of Muslims are as follows:

  1. The declaration of faith, to “Testify that there is no deity except God, and that Muhammad is His Messenger” (Shahadah)
  2. To pray five times a day (Salah)
  3. To pay the yearly alms (Zakah)
  4. To fast during the month of Ramadan (Sawm)
  5. To make the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj)