The Five Pillars of Islam
Shahādah — شهادة
Testifying that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. This is the key to entering Islam.
Bukhārī & Muslim
Ṣalāh — صلاة
Establishing the five daily prayers at their appointed times — the first thing a person will be questioned about.
«Prayer is the pillar of the religion.» — Bayhaqī
Zakāh — زكاة
Giving the obligatory charity (2.5%) on wealth that reaches the niṣāb and has been held for a full lunar year.
9:103 — «Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them.»
Ṣawm — صوم
Fasting the month of Ramaḍān from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib), abstaining from food, drink, and intimate relations.
2:185 — «…so whoever of you sights the month, let him fast it.»
Ḥajj — حج
Pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able.
3:97 — «…and pilgrimage to the House is a duty to Allah upon whoever is able.»
The Six Pillars of Iman
Belief in Allah
That He exists, is one, has no partner, and possesses the attributes of perfection — His essence, lordship, worship, and names.
Belief in the Angels
Honored servants created from light who do not disobey Allah — Jibrīl, Mīkāʾīl, Isrāfīl, the Angel of Death, and others.
Belief in the Books
That Allah revealed scriptures: the Ṣuḥuf (to Ibrāhīm and Mūsā), the Tawrāt (to Mūsā), the Zabūr (to Dāwūd), the Injīl (to ʿĪsā), and the Quran (to Muḥammad ﷺ) which abrogates them all.
Belief in the Messengers
That Allah sent messengers — the first being Nūḥ and the last being Muḥammad ﷺ — all calling to tawḥīd. We believe in them all without distinction.
Belief in the Last Day
Resurrection, gathering, the accounting, the Scale, the Bridge (Ṣirāṭ), the Basin (Ḥawḍ), Paradise, and the Fire — everything after death.
Belief in Predestination
That everything — good or bad — happens by the decree and will of Allah, His knowledge having preceded all things, and His writing in the Preserved Tablet.
The Pillar of Iḥsān
Iḥsān — إحسان
«To worship Allah as if you see Him — and if you do not see Him, He sees you.» The highest level of faith and consciousness.
Bukhārī & Muslim
Virtues & Reflections
Built upon these
«Islam is built upon five: testifying that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakāh, fasting Ramaḍān, and Hajj to the House.»
Bukhārī & Muslim
The difference between us and them
«I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah…»
Bukhārī & Muslim
Prayer is the criterion
«Between a man and polytheism and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer» — it is the separating line of faith.
Muslim
The accepted Hajj
«Whoever performs Hajj for Allah's sake and does not speak obscenely or act wickedly — returns as the day his mother bore him (free of sin).»
Bukhārī & Muslim