Five Pillars of Islam Five Pillars of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are five basic acts in Islam, considered mandatory by believers and are the foundation of Muslim life. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Shia, Ahmadiyya, and Sunni agree on the essential details for the performance and practice of these acts, but the Shia do not refer to them by the same name (see Ancillaries of the Faith, for the Twelvers, and Seven pillars of Ismailism). They make up Muslim life, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage,
Engaging the Muslim World the Middle East." "The Economist" called it a "balanced and effective antidote to oversimplified Western views of Islam" and stated that it "manages to prick western misconceptions". Kirkus Reviews labeled it a "well-reasoned, useful vision for Western-Muslim relations." Vali Nasr, bestselling author of "The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future", commented that "Cole looks deep into what went wrong to show the way forward to a new engagement of the Muslim World" and he described the book as "[i]ntelligent, clear and erudite." "Library Journal" wrote that: "Publishers Weekly" gave a more critical review, stating that "For