Pillars of Islam
The 5 Pillars of Islam include (1) profession of faith by reciting the Shahada, (2) the Salaat, (3) giving of Zakaat, (4) fasting during Ramadan, (5) the Pilgrimage. These pillars refer not to beliefs specifically, but in practicing these pillars one is “Islamic”. The first, reciting the Shahada, means to profess or confirm ones faith. It includes a 2 part creedal statement. The first part states “la ilaha illa Allah” meaning “no deity except God” and the second part states “Muhammad fasuul Allah” meaning “Muhammad is the messenger of God”. The second pillar, performance of the Salaat, involves prayer ritual to be performed five times daily. Historically, the Salaat was performed only twice but around the 1st century (within a century after the Prophet’s death), it increased to 5.