Five Pillars of Islam
The most important Muslim practices are the Five Pillars of Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam.
The Five Pillars consist of:
- Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith
- Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day
- Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy
- Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
- Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
Why are they important?
Carrying out these obligations provides the framework of a Muslim's life, and weaves their everyday activities and their beliefs into a single cloth of religious devotion.
No matter how sincerely a person may believe, Islam regards it as pointless to live life without putting that faith into action and practice.
Carrying out the Five Pillars demonstrates that the Muslim is putting their faith first, and not just trying to fit it in around their secular lives.
Cheating on the Five Pillars is impossible
The Five Pillars are a matter between the individual Muslim and Allah: the community may well insist on certain practices, but at the heart lies the relationship between a Muslim and Allah.
So there is no point at all in carrying them out insincerely, or, for example, trying to cheat on the fasting in Ramadan.
For God cannot be fooled and the only person who suffers is the individual concerned.
