The 5 Pillars

1st Pillar


Honest recitation of the shahadah once, in Arabic, in front of two Muslim witnesses, is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim.

I bear witness that there is no deity but ALLAH, Who is without partner and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is servant and Apostle.

ALLAH is pure and all praise is due to ALLAH and there is no deity but ALLAH, and ALLAH is most great and no one has the strength of virtue and power to remain unexpended from sin, but with ALLAH who is high and venerable. 

There is no deity but ALLAH, who is without partner, He is the owner and all praises are for Him, He grants and spurns lives and lives itself, He is immortal. The whole welfare and benevolence is in His hand and he is the omnipotent.

O ALLAH! Thee my Lord, there is no deity except thee, thee created me and I am your servant and I am upon your oath and promise till I have strength. I betake myself to thee for those evils which I conducted. I confess for thee for the blessings that are upon me and I confess my sins So forgive me because there is no one who can excuse the sins.

2nd Pillar



Fajr 2 2
Dhur 4 4 2 2
Asr 4 4
Maghrib 3 2 2
Isha 4 4 2 2 3 2


Salat strengthens man’s spiritual faculties. It is the best way to form a relationship with one’s Creator. It purifies one’s spirit, and through it protects a muslim from evil.


The Holy Quran says:





“Giving up prayer is equal to disbelief and associating partners with Allah.” (Muslim)

Five Daily Prayers




Distance of Travel and the application of Qasr (shortening)

Rule: A clear route on dry ground for a distance of 57.5 miles is covered in a car or train in less than an hour but according to Shari’ah it is still regarded as a journey and the rules of Qasr and other journey rules will apply [Radd-ul-Mohtar].

Rule: Not only is an intention of travelling sufficient, but one has to leave the area. If it is a city then to leave the city; if it is a town, to leave the town and if it is a city then not only the city but it’s associated landmarks after which the journey has begun [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar].

Rule: If the station is outside the area, then the journey will begin on reaching the station as long the intention to travel for a ‘journey’ has been made.


3rd Pillar

Saum (Fasting)



4th Pillar


Zakat (Alms giving) is a part of devotion commanded by Allah. It is a means where the well-off pay a set amount of their wealth (2.5%). Zakat means to purify oneself. It is obligatory on Muslims to pay a little percentage of their accumulated wealth towards Zakat, which is used for the benefit of the needy and the poor. Zakat is not on one’s property that is in personal use but rather on the assets which have a means of increasing and which are surplus to one’s needs. It is a means of social justice and order. It teaches sympathy of the highest order.


5th Pillar


Hajj is the fifth Pillar of Islam and another form of worship. It is an annual pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca which each adult Muslim, who can afford it, has to perform once in a life time. Apart from the financial aspect, the ability to afford the pilgrimage also means that one is able to travel and perform the Hajj in peace. During Hajj, the person who intends to perform it is required to travel to Mecca during the prescribed days and observe all the rites and ceremonies.

During Hajj, Muslims from all corners of the world gather in Mecca and perform the rites of Hajj and thus strengthen the bond of Muslim unity. Muslims perform Hajj in order to visit the holy sites where their faith started. More importantly it is a pilgrimage to the Ka’aba, which we believe is the first place of worship ever built on this earth, Muslims thus refer to it as House of God.

The ceremony of Hajj is also symbolic of the Unity of God; all Muslims gather from the four corners of the earth in one spot at an appointed time and worship God. There are no difficulties to perform Hajj apart from the obvious financial commitment in order to travel to Mecca.