Arkan al-Islam (Pillars of Islam)

The Arkan al-Islam, or the “Five Pillars of Islam” in English are the five obligatory acts of worship prescribed for Muslims.  

1. Shahadah:  The declaration of faith 

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ 

ašhadu ʾal lā ʾilāha ʾilla -llāhu, wa-ʾašhadu ʾanna muḥammadan rasūlu -llāhi 

“I bear witness that there is no god but God, and that Muhammad is the messenger of the God.” 

The Shahadah – usually spoken in front of Muslim witnesses – is the only ritual required for a person to convert to Islam. It is also recited in each of the five daily prayers, and in the call to prayer. 

Some Shi’a Muslims add a third line to the Shahadah professing a belief that Ali ibn Abi Talib is a wali of Allah. (See also – Wali). 

The shahada is prerequisite to the other 4 pillars being accepted by God. 

2. Salat: the daily ritual worship 

The compulsory ritual prayers prescribed by Islam. Prayer becomes obligatory when a Muslim reaches puberty and is of sound mind.  Women do not pray during their menstrual cycle or post-partum bleeding.  

There are are five obligatory prayers in the day. 

1. Fajr: The prayer offered between dawn and just before sunrise. When fasting, the start of Fajr prayer marks the time Muslims must start the fast.
2. Dhuhr: The prayer offered between noon and mid-afternoon. On Fridays the dhuhr prayer is replaced by the weekly congregational prayer in the mosques, which is obligatory for Muslim men, optional for women. 
3. ‘Asr: The mid-afternoon prayer, offered from when the sun reaches the point in the sky when the shadow of an object is as long as its height until approximately half and hour before sunset1 In the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, ‘Asr prayer starts when the shadow of an object is twice as long as its height.
4. Maghrib: The prayer offered immediately after sunset until the red glow disappears from the sky. When fasting, the start of Maghrib also signals the end of the fast.
5. ‘Isha: The night-time prayer offered after the red glow has disappeared from the sky, up until the dawn, although many scholars maintain that it is preferable to complete the prayer before the middle of the night.

Other occasional prayers include: 

1. Taraweeh:  voluntary prayers offered during the night in the month of Ramadan, after the Isha prayer.  Can be offered individually or in congregation.
2. Eid Prayers: communal worship offered on the festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Typically, these are performed in large congregations at a mosque, and can take place in fields or other open spaces.
3. Janazah Prayers:  communally obligatory prayer for the deceased, which can be performed in a mosque (with or without the body present) or by the graveside.  Unlike other prayers, there is no bowing or prostrating in the Janazah.  
4. Salat ul-Kusuuf/Salat ul-Khusuuf:  prayers offered during a solar/lunar eclipse, respectively.
5. Salat ul-Istisqa’:  payers for rain performed at a time of drought. 

3. Zakat:  mandatory almsgiving  

Muslims with financial means are required to give 2.5% of their excess wealth as Zakat. Those Muslims whose savings over the course of a lunar year fall below a certain threshold are not required to pay Zakat, and are eligible to receive Zakat payments if needed. The minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being required to give alms is called the nisab, and is based on the current market price of a set amount of gold or silver.  

There are limited uses for Zakat funds, the distribution of which should be overseen by the state, or in countries with minority Muslim communities, by charitable entities.  The categories for which Zakat funds can be used are:   

1. The destitute (faqeer); those who own nothing 
2. The needy (masakeen); those whose income or wealth is very little 
3. Zakat collectors, who work full time collecting the alms 
4. Recent converts to Islam and are in need 
5. Slaves so they may buy their freedom 
6. Helping someone to clear debt 
7. “In the way of Allah,” i.e. to support the spread of the message of Islam 
8. The traveller who is stranded without resources. 

4. Sawm 

Sawm refers to mandatory fasting. In Ramadan, every Muslim who has reached puberty is expected to fast from dawn till sunset. During these hours it is forbidden to eat, drink, or have sex.  Exemptions are granted to the elderly, to those who have serious medical conditions and to those who are travelling. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may also be exempt from fasting, while women who are menstruating or having post-partum bleeding are not required to fast.

5. Hajj 

Hajj is the pilgrimage to the Ka’ba, the House of Allah, in the Holy Mosque in the city of Mecca. It is compulsory for every adult Muslim to make Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime if they can afford to and are in good health.4  The Hajj takes place from the eighth to the thirteenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Hajj rituals are based on actions performed by the prophet Ibrahim, his son Isma’il, and his wife Hajar.