Five Pillars of Islam if one is able. "Shahada" is a declaration of faith and trust that professes that there is only one God "(Allah)" and that Muhammad is God's messenger. It is a set statement normally recited in Arabic: "lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh" () "There is no god but God (and) Muhammad is the messenger of God." It is essential to utter it to become a Muslim and to convert to Islam. "Salah" ("ṣalāh") is the Islamic prayer. "Salah" consists of five daily prayers according to the Sunna; the names are according to the prayer times: "Fajr" (dawn), "Dhuhr" (noon), "ʿAṣr" (afternoon),
Islam in the United States Islam, while as many as a third were sold into slavery to the Americas through capture in conflict. Michael A. Gomez speculated that Muslim slaves may have accounted for "thousands, if not tens of thousands", but does not offer a precise estimate. He also suggests many non-Muslim slaves were acquainted with some tenets of Islam, due to Muslim trading and proselytizing activities. Historical records indicate many enslaved Muslims conversed in the Arabic language. Some even composed literature (such as autobiographies) and commentaries on the Quran. Some newly arrived Muslim slaves assembled for communal salat (prayers). Some were provided a private