Pillars of islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic acts in Islam considered obligatory. The Qur'an presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are ...

(1) the shahada (creed),

(2) salah (daily prayers)

(3) zakat (almsgiving/charity)

(4) sawm (fasting during month of ramadan)

(5) Hajj (pilgrimmage to mecca at least once in their life time.)

 the Shahada means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed, testification;" The shahada is the muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) and acceptance of muhammad as gods prophet. A single honest recitation of the Shahadah in Arabic is all that is required for a person to convert to islam according to most traditional schools (madhab).

 Muslims believe that the Shahadah is without value unless it is earnest. so scholars have come up with essential criteria for an expression of the shahadah to be earnest.

• To believe in the Prophet and in whatever he said and conveyed in his message as the seal of the prophets.
• To obey him in whatever he commanded.
• To stay away from or avoid whatever he commanded Muslims not to do.
• To follow or emulate him in our worship, manners and way of life.
• To love him more than you love yourself, your family and anything else in this world.
• To understand, practice, and promote his sunnah (habits) in the best way possible, without creating any chaos, enmity or harm.

Salah is the practice of formal worship in Islam. Salah is a ritual worship, having prescribed conditions,procedures, and times. Some of them are obligatory, with a few dispensations for those for whom it would be difficult. For those whom it is physically difficult they can perform Salah in a way suitable for them. To perform valid Salah, Muslims must be in a state of ritual purity, which is mainly achieved by ritual ablution called wudu-  the procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers. The Qur'an says "For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean." the procedure includes..

•  washing the face once.
•  washing hands and the arms right up to the elbows once.
•  preforming masah of one fourth of the head.
•  washing both feet once up to and including ankles

The chief purpose of Salah in Islam is to act as a person's communication with and remembrance of God. there are also certain prayer times. they are as follows-

Fajr - from dawn to sunrise

dhuhr- after true noon until Asr

Asr - afternoon

maghrib- after sunset until dusk

isha'a - dusk until dawn

The prayer is accompanied by a series of set positions including; bowing with hands on knees, standing, prostrating and sitting in a special position, but all are to be facing mecca and the kaba.

Zakat is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.Zakat is considered to be a religious duty, and…