Five Pillars of Islam

SHAHADA

SHAHADA

• 1. Establishes monotheism: “There is no God, but God…”
• Establishes Muhammad as the prophet of God: “...and Muhammad is his prophet…”
• Muslim= submission (surrender) to Go
• The Shahada is the first thing whispered into an infant’s ears at birth
• And the last thing a Muslim hears before death (if possible)

SALAT

SALAT

• Muhammad said that “prayer is the proof” of Islam
• A muezzin chants the call to prayer
• Muslims must perform ritual washings before praying
• Muslims must perform ritual washings before praying
• Muslims can worship anywhere, but a mosque is preferred

ZAKAT (ZAKAH)

ZAKAT (ZAKAH)

• The Qur’an says wealthy people should share their wealth with the poor
• Muslims believe giving away some of your wealth makes it pure
• Muslims have to share about 2.5% of their wealth every year to their poorer neighbors
• Zakat can cover school fees for poorer families
• In medieval times, Zakat often wen to constructing water fountains so everyone had clean drinking water

SAWM

SAWM

• The Qur’an instructs Muslims to fast for an entire month during Ramadan
• During fasting, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink from sunup to sundown
• Pregnant women, travelers, sick people, the elderly, and children do not have to fast
• Ramadan is the month when God revealed his first message to Muhammad
• Fasting teaches self-control and allows Muslims to understand hunger and poverty deeper

HAJJ

HAJJ

• When Muslims arrive in Mecca, they say “Here I am, O God, at Thy command!”
• Muslims believe that Abraham built the Ka’bah as a shrine to honor God
• The pilgrims circle the Ka’bah seven times counterclockwise
• Then they run along a passage between 2 small hills
• Then they drink from the Zamzam spring

Work Cited

• ASK Images/Alamy
• Aleksandar Kamasi/ Shutterstock
• Godong/Alamy
• iStockphoto