Archiecture of Islam -- The Five Pillars

The Islamic religion is based on simplicity. A person cannot simply claim to be Muslim, but if he follows the duties of worship laid out by the Five Pillars of Islam, he is considered a believer. The Pillars, belief, worship, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage, are centered around the faith in one God, Allah, and the word spread by his prophet, Mohammad.

The first Pillar is belief or Iman. Under this duty, a Muslim is to believe in only one God, Allah. Believers must proclaim this in the shahada which states "There is no god but God and that Muhammad is His messenger[1]." According to this principle, nothing is worthy of worship besides Allah and the only duty in life it to serve him.

Worship or salat is the second Pillar of Islam. Under salat, a Muslim must pray five times a day. The prayer can take place almost anywhere, in offices, fields, or markets, and are typically said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. The call to prayer is performed by a Muslim at those times. During prayer, worshippers must face in the direction of Mecca on their hands and knees.

The third Pillar of Islam is fasting or sawm. During Ramadan, Muslims must refrain from food and drink as well as other indulgences such as smoking for one month. The month of fasting is intended to bring worshippers in touch with God and invoke gratitude within them for the things God provides. At the end of Ramadan, a feast takes place called id-al-Fitr to break the fast.

Almsgiving or Zakat is the fourth Pillar. Simply put, worshippers are required to give a specific monetary donation or donation of property to a charity each year.

The final Pillar is pilgrimage or Hajj. This pillar requires all that are able, physically and financially, to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. The pilgrimage occurs during the beginning of the twelfth month of the Muslim calendar.

The foundations of Islam laid out by the Five Pullars of Islam Faith do not seem very difficult. If a person wants to become a Muslim, they simply submit to Allah as God, Mohammad as prophet, pray, fast, donate, and go to Mecca once in a lifetime, and they are golden, no questions asked.

Information for this post is composed from the following websites:

http://www.islam101.com/dawah/pillars.html
http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/faithpillars.html