Islam - Five Pillars of Islam

1. The five pillars of Islam are duties that a Muslim must perform.

2. The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life and allow them to put their faith into action.

3. The declaration of faith in Allah is called the Shahahdah.

4. It says that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.

5. Faithful Muslims repeat this statement several times each day.

6. To become a Muslim the Shahadah must be repeated three times, with sincerity, before witnesses.

7. Salah is the Muslim prayers that should be performed five times each day.

8. The five occasions are, before sunrise, after midday, late afternoon, just after sunset and between sunset and midnight.

9. A prayer mat is used, shoes are removed and worshippers face the direction of Mecca.

10. The prayers contain verses from the Koran and are said in Arabic.

11. Zakat requires Muslims to give a portion of their wealth to charity.

12. This is to stop Muslims from becoming too greedy.

13. It also helps them to understand that everything they have comes from Allah and they own nothing of their own.

14. Sawm, or fasting, occurs during the month of Ramadan, it is to show self-discipline and self-restraint.

15. Muslims have to fast between dawn and sunset.

16. They usually have a meal just before sunrise and then another known as the iftar after sunset.

17. Muslims who are sick, elderly, on a journey or pregnant are allowed to break the fast and make up the days later.

18. Fasting is not compulsory for children.

19. Hajj is the pilgrimage Muslims are meant to make, at least once in their lifetimes, to Mecca.

20. Every adult Muslim must try to do this, if they can afford to, and are physically able to do so.

21. Muslim pilgrims wear simple clothes so that they are all equal before Allah.

23. They go to the Great Mosque in Mecca and walk seven times round the Ka’bah in an anti-clockwise direction.

24. This is known as tawaf.

25. The Ka’bah is a black, single-roomed, cube-shaped stone structure.

26. Muslims believe it was built by Adam and re-built by Ibrahim and his son.

27. It was the first place on Earth wholly dedicated to the worship of Allah.