1.Shahadah (Profession Of Faith)

The Shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the Oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as the final Prophet. There are seven critical conditions of the Shahadah, without which it is considered to be meaningless: Al-’Ilm: Knowledge of the meaning of teh Shahadah: it’s negation and affirmation. Al-Yakeen: Certainty – perfect knowledge of it that counteracts suspicion and doubt. Al-Ikhlaas: Sincerity which negates Shirk. Al-Sidq: Truthfulness that permits neither falsehood nor hypocrisy. Al-Muhabbah: Love of the Shahadah and it’s meaning. Al-Inqiad: Submission to it’s rightful requirements, which are the duties that must be performed with sinceruty to God (alone) seeking His pleasure. Al-Qubool: Acceptance thats contradicts rejection. The Shahadah: أشهد أن لا إله إلاَّ الله و أشهد أن محمد رسول الله ‘ashhadu ‘an la ilaaha illa-llah, wa ‘ashadu ‘anna muhammadan’ rasulu-llah’ English translation of the Shahadah: “I testify that there is no God worthy of worship but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

2.Salat (Prayer)

The second pillar of Islam is Salaat. Muslims all over the world pray 5x a day. The time of day to pray are at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night fall. Each Salat is performed facing while facing the Kaaba. Salat is compulsory but some flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on the circumstances. For example, in the case of sickness or a lack of space, a worshipper can offer salat while sitting, or even lying down, and the prayer is shortened when travelling. The Salat must be performed in the Arabic language to the best of each worshipper’s ability. All prayers should be conducted within the prescribed time period and with appropriate number of units (raka’ah). As stated in the Qur’an Salat “restrains [one] from shameful and evil deeds”. So in a nutshell our Salaat is a means to which Muslims regularly purify the body and soul of arrogance, hypocrisy and shirk (associating others in worship with God) each day. In the Qur’an it says of the Salaat: “And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: for those things that are good remove those that are evil: be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord).” (Qur’an, 3:114)

3.Zakat (Alms)

Zakat is the practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for all who are able to do so. It is considered to be a personal responsibility for Muslims to ease economic hardship for others and eliminate inequality. Zakat consists of spending a fixed portion of one’s wealth for the benefit of the needy. Prophet Moses (a.s) prayed for his people : “O God ! Bestow upon us the well-being of this world as also the well-being of the Hereafter.” Allah (s.w.t) said in reply: “I shall smite with my punishment whom I will. Although My mercy embraceth all things, but I shall ordain it for those who will fear Me and give Zakat and those who will believe in Our revelations.” (Qur’an 7:156)

4.Sawm (fasting)

Sawm means to refrain from eating, drinking and cohabiting from subha sadiq (early dawn to sunset) with a niyyah (intention) of observing fast. Allah prescribes daily fasting for all able, adult Muslims during the whole of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, beginning with the sighting of the new moon. Although fasting is beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of self-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly pleasures and comforts, even for a short time, the fasting person gains true sympathy for those who go hungry regularly, and achieves growth in his spiritual life, learning discipline, self-restraint, patience and flexibility. It is preferable to recite this Du’a at the time of keeping the fast : “Wa bisawmi ghadinn nawaiytu min shahri ramadan. And this Du’a when breaking the fast: “Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa ‘ala rizq-ika aftarthu.”

5.Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration: to complete, at least once in a lifetime, the spiritual journey called the Hajj. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah. When pilgrims undertake the Hajj journey, they follow in the footsteps of millions before them. Nowadays hundreds of thousands of believers from over 70 nations arrive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by road, sea and air every year, completing a journey now much shorter and in some ways less arduous than it often was in the past. The pilgrimage takes place each year between the 8th and the 13th days of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar. “There is no reward for a pious pilgrimage but Paradise.” (Muhammad -s.a.w.-) ”They asked me what about the Hajj had impressed me the most. . . . I said, “The brotherhood! The people of all races, color, from all over the world coming to gether as one! It has proved to me the power of the One God. . . . All ate as one, and slept as one. Everything about the pilgrimage atmosphere accented the Oneness of Man under One God.” -Malcolm X He returned from the pilgrimage as El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz.