Explanation of the 5 Pillars of Islam

The 5 Pillars of Islam are the five laws or duties that each Muslim must abide to, to be considered faithful. The five pillars are Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Hajj, and Swam. The Shahada in simple terms means profession of faith. It means that the supporter believes that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammad is his profit. To become a true believer you must profess that in public to the world. This is the first and most important of the pillars, and the other four are interchangeable. Salat is the second pillar, more easily known as prayer. It is required that a faithful Muslim must pray five times a day: sunrise, midmorning, noon, midafternoon, and evening. Each prayer is called by the muezzin from a mosques minaret. When prayer time is called they are to turn to Mecca, bow down and pray to the Ka’aba (the black stone). Zakat is the pillar of charity. It is the charitable giving based on percentage of accumulated wealth. The charity tax collects 2.5% of the income of each follower. If he is unable to give in the form of money, then he is required to give in another form such as a flock of sheep or something in that general sense. A Muslim can voluntarily give to charity resulting in divine reward called Sadaqah. The Hajj is another pillar; it requires any able-body to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Only Muslims are allowed in the sacred city of Mecca. The pilgrimage must be made at least once and begins on the 12th month of the Islamic year. The final pillar of Islam is Swam, it is the fasting during the 11th month of the Islamic year, Ramadan. Ramadan is when Gabriel dictated the Koran to the prophet Mohammad. The fasting lasts from sunset to sundown. During this time you can not eat or drink anything between sunset and sundown, with the exception of water. The purpose of the fasting is so that the faster can focus on Allah and the purpose of his life. Ramadan is ended by the festival or holiday Eid Al Fatir. The Five Pillars of Islam are very important to the...