What Are the Five Pillars of Islam?

The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework of the Muslim life.  They are the testimony of faith, prayer, giving zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able.

1)
The Testimony of Faith:

The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La ilaha
illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah.”  This saying means “There is no
true god (deity) but God (Allah),¹ and Muhammad is the Messenger
(Prophet) of God.”  The first part, “There is no true god but
God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and
that God has neither partner nor son.  This testimony of faith is called the

Shahada, a simple formula which should be said with conviction in order
to convert to Islam (as explained previously on this page).  The testimony of faith
is the most important pillar of Islam.

2)
Prayer:

Muslims perform five prayers a day.  Each prayer does not take
more than a few minutes to perform.  Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the
worshipper and God.  There are no intermediaries between God and the worshipper.

In prayer, a person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is
pleased with him or her.  The Prophet Muhammad
said: {Bilal, call (the people) to prayer, let
us be comforted by it.}² 
Bilal was one of Muhammad’s
companions who was charged to call the people
to prayers.

Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night.  A Muslim
may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories, or
universities.

(For detailed information on how to perform
prayer,
please refer to the links at How to
Perform Prayer or refer to the book entitled A Guide to Salat (Prayer)
by M. A. K. Saqib.³)

3)
Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy):

All things belong to God, and wealth is therefore held by human
beings in trust.  The original meaning of the word
zakat is both ‘purification’ and ‘growth.’  Giving zakat means
‘giving a specified
percentage on certain properties to certain classes of needy people.’  The
percentage which is due on gold, silver, and cash funds that have reached the
amount of about 85 grams of gold and held in possession for one lunar year is
two and a half percent.  Our possessions are purified by setting aside a small
portion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back
balances and encourages new growth.

A person may also give as much as he or she pleases as voluntary alms or
charity.

4)
Fasting the Month of Ramadan:

Every year in the month of Ramadan,⁴
all
Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual
relations.

Although the fast is beneficial to
health, it is regarded principally as a method of spiritual self-purification. 
By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting
person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry, as well as growth in his or
her spiritual life.

5)
The Pilgrimage to Makkah:

The annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah is an obligation
once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform
it.  About two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the
globe.  Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj
is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar.  Male pilgrims wear
special simple clothes which strip away distinctions of class and culture so
that all stand equal before God.

Pilgrims praying at the Haram mosque in Makkah.  In this mosque is the Kaaba (the black building in the picture) which Muslims turn toward when praying.  The Kaaba is the place of worship which God commanded the Prophets Abraham and his son, Ishmael, to build.

The rites of the Hajj include circling the Kaaba seven times and going
seven times between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa, as Hagar did during her
search for water.  Then the pilgrims stand together in Arafa⁵ and ask God for what they wish and for His
forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Day of Judgment.

The end of the Hajj is marked by a festival,
Eid Al-Adha,
which is celebrated with prayers.  This, and Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day
commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the two annual festivals of the Muslim
calendar.

Learn Holy Quran because it will be a proof for us muslim on the Day of Judgment.

This is due to the statement of the Messenger: “And the Quran is a proof for you or against you.” [Muslim] so the deputy of every Muslim is to read quran and learn quran with tajweed so one of two things will occur with this proof, the Book of Allah. And this quran education will be in your favor, a proof for us on the Day when we will need every single good deed and learning quran along with doing quran memorization is one of it and to add more spread the quran teaching and spread the kids quran knowledge and listening to quran online and understand the quran tafseer , it will be something standing against us and follow the guidance of or prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and these good deeds will be a proof against us! Who could be saved from the terrors of that Day if Allah’s own Speech is against him?!?! Think carefully, so reading Arabic Quran and teaching our kids quran qaida with the tafseer of quran  and let the kids memorize quran dear Muslim brother or sister, about your position with the reading Quran! Are you neglecting it, contradicting it, being heedless of its orders and prohibitions, are you thinking deeply over it?! Will it be on your side on the Day of Judgment.? So learn quran recitation! O Allah! We ask you, by Your Glorious Speech and the rest of your beautiful Names and Attributes, to make the Quran a proof for us! So the Quran tutor should let his student know about these facts also,