Mecca skyline in watercolour.
The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework of a Muslim’s life. They are the belief or testimony of faith, prayer, giving zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able.
The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La Ilaha Illallah, Muhammadur Rasool Allah.” This saying means “There is no true God but Allah, and Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger (Prophet) of Allah.” The first part, “There is no true God but Allah,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, and that Allah has neither partner nor son.
This belief or testimony of faith is called the Shahada. Muslims perform five prayers a day. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and Allah. There are no intermediaries between Allah and the worshipper. Prayers are performed at Dawn, Noon, Mid-Afternoon, Sunset, and Night. The original meaning of the word Zakat is both ‘Purification’ and ‘Growth.’ Giving Zakat means ‘giving a specified \"two and a half percent\" on properties to certain classes of needy people.’ Every year in the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from Dawn until Dusk, abstaining from food, drink and other prohibited activities. The annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it.