The 5 Pillars of Islam

SHAHADA

shahada

• "I bear witness that there is no god but God, and that muhammad is the messenger of God."
• The first part of Shahada-"No God but God"-pledges monotheism.
• The second part affirms that Muhammad was the Messenger of God.
• Shahada instructs people to believe in god and to submit to him.
• In order to enter islam, you must recite shahada twice with (muslim) witnesses.

Salat

salat

• Prayer happens at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, and after nightfall.
• muezzins chant the call to prayer from towers of mosques.
• ritual washing with fresh water is required before prayer
• the inam starts prayer with "allahu akbar". people recite from the qu'ran. and face the quibla-towards mecca.

zakat

zakat

• zakat means purification.
• muslims give 2.5 percent of their savings to charities if they can.
• zakat is used as a fund to help solve financial issues-shelter, etc

Sawm/siyam

sawm/siyam

• fasting lasts from daybreak to sunset
• pregnant, sick, and elderly people don't participate in ramadan. young children too
• ramadan is set on the lunar calender, so it moves over time.
• the fast is usually broken with dates.
• at the end of ramadan, people celebrate 'eid al-fitr'

hajj

hajj

• in the twelfth month of the lunar year
• men wear plain white cloth and shave their heads, women wear modest clothing and trim their hair
• they circle the ka'bah 7 times counterclockwise and run between two hills, drinking from the zamzam spring
• after, They throw stones at pillars, have a 4-day feast and sacrifice sheep/goats.