Five Tenets of Islam
Islam is a religion that informs every part of daily life. The five Pillars of Islam constitute the basic religious duties which every Muslim must perform
(Al-Shahadah (Testimony
The first of the five tenets of Islam is the profession of faith in pronouncing of the words that "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet". This Shahadah, or testimony, when recited by a person of sincerity, sound capacity and without any mental reservations, constitutes the first major requirement for being a Muslim. Through this public profession of faith, the individual becomes part of the Islamic community.
(Al-Salah (Prayer
Each Muslim is required to pray five times daily, in a prescribed manner. The first prayer is at dawn; the next is at high noon; then in the afternoon; after sunset; and finally at night. The formalized prayer consists of a sequence of obeisances made first from a standing position and then from a kneeling one. Muslims may pray in any place, alone or in the company of others. When praying, the Muslim faces in the direction of the Ka'aba in the Holy City of Makkah
(Al-Siyam (Fasting
The imposition of fasting, which means complete abstention from food and drink and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset during the month of Ramadan, is the third basic tenet of the Islamic religion. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Arabian calendar, which consists of twelve lunar months. Therefore, the Arabian lunar month is either twenty-nine or thirty days but never thirty-one days. Fasting in Ramadan, besides being a religious duty, is no doubt of great benefit as it trains one to be patient, wise, well disciplined and to share the feelings of others. Ramadan, traditionally held to be the month in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, received his first revelation and the month in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet, is considered particularly holy by Muslims
(Al-Zakat (Almsgiving
In various parts of the Holy Qur'an great stress is laid on the Zakat, that is, almsgiving to those who deserve it. Each able Muslim should give a certain percentage of his annual income, either in money or kind, to the poor and the indigent
(Al Hajj (The Pilgrimage
The fifth and last Pillar of Islam is the Hajj. It is explicitly stated in the Holy Qur'an that every physically and financially able Muslim should make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah once in his or her lifetime. The Hajj is considered the culmination of each Muslim's religious duties and aspiration. Muslims from all over the world seek to make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah, which occurs between the eighth and thirteenth days of the last month of the Islamic calendar - Dhu al-Hijira - of each year. Muslims travel thousands of miles to reach the Holy City of Makkah for the Hajj and perform the rituals in the same manner as the Prophet Muhammad (Alayhi al-Salah wa Salam - peace be upon him) almost fourteen centuries ago
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