Islam is based upon five Pillars or five Duties of Islam that should be practiced by every Muslim in this world are:
- Faith Declaration(Shahadah)
- Performing Prayers (Salah)
- Charity or Giving benefits to needy/poor (Zakat)
- Fasting of the month of Ramadan (Sawn) Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
- Shahadah or Faith Declaration
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger”- A very basic principle which ought to be followed by every Muslim wholeheartedly. To become a Muslim, this can be repeated three times by any Non-Muslim in front of witnesses. By reciting this line a Muslim affirms that there is only one God “Allah” and his messenger is Muhammad. All Muslims should accept this and make sure that they are committed to Islam in their entire life.
- Salat or Performing Prayers
The second pillar of Islam is Performing Prayers (Salat). This means that every Muslim should perform prayers for Five Times every day. It is a belief that before a prayer is performed a Muslim should clean himself by a ritual known as “Wudhu”. It is believed that a Muslim prays because God has told them to do so and that a Muslim achieves prosperity in doing so.
Giving benefits to the needy and helping the poor is compulsory for Muslims. One is supposed to give 2.5% out of his wealth which applies to cash and jewellery. Apart from Charity the advantages of Zakat is to obey God, doing this makes everyone realize that everything comes as a loan from God and thus, we are not the actual owners of anything - but God is. In Islam, it is very important to give back and help to those who are less fortunate. In Islam, someone who helps with money, clothes, or education is going to get it ten times more during his lifetime.
Fasting during the month of Ramadan which is the Ninth month of Islamic Calendar is the fourth pillar of Islam. During this month, every adult Muslim is supposed to desist from food or drink of any type, curb his sexual desires and should abstain from smoking until the Maghrib prayer. Muslims should also have a meal before Al-Fajr prayer because this will help them in staying committed and not being that hungry during the next day.
The fifth pillar of Islam is Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). Dhu al-Hijjah is the twelfth Islamic month during which the pilgrimage occurs to the holy city of Mecca. Every Muslim should visit Mecca at least once in his/her lifetime if they are able to afford it physically and financially. The pilgrims who are also known as Hajjis should wear white clothes (Ihram) when they are around 10 km from Mecca. A Non-Muslim cannot enter Mecca as it is considered a very holy city for all Muslims. It is not recommended to go there all year, and one time is certainly more than enough.
These five pillars are very important and are considered to be the most important components of Islam. A muslim who accomplishes all five pillars during his lifetime is guaranteed to go to heaven.
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