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You can’t practice Islam without knowing and observing—or at least trying to observe—the five pillars. These five elements form of the core of Muslim spirituality and practice.
You Will Need
Step 1: The first pillar ...
The first pillar is the testimony of faith, or shahadah, that is, being able to say: “I testify there is no God but God, and Muhammad is a prophet of God.” Saying this statement twice, in Arabic, and believing it in your heart, is the basis for conversion to Islam.
You will have a chance to affirm this testimony every day in the course of making your ritual daily prayers.
Step 2: Perform the five daily prayers
Perform the five daily prayers: the dawn prayer (al-fajr), the noontime prayer (adh-dhuhr), the afternoon prayer (al-‘asr), the evening prayer (am-maghreb), and the nighttime prayer (al-‘isha). Specific prayer times change from day to day. Consult a website (IslamicFinder.org) or your local mosque for correct prayer times.
Remember to wash before you pray. Be clean, calm, and ready to stand before God.
Step 3: Donate money
Every year give away 2.5 percent of your wealth in charity, or zakat, to fellow Muslims. You can donate this money through your local mosque or through an international charity organization, such as Islamic Relief.
Zakat represents the minimum amount of charity you must give each year, provided you are not in debt, in which case you are exempted. The Prophet Muhammad was constantly giving of his possessions, food, and time. Although zakat is meant to help Muslims, you can give additional charity to non-Muslims.
Step 4: Observe Ramadan by fasting
Observe the month of Ramadan by fasting from the dawn prayer to the evening prayer. If you are sick, traveling, menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding, you are excused from fasting, though you may have to make up those days later or give charity as a substitute.
Ramadan is a special time to draw closer to God. Fasting means not only refraining from food, drink, and sexual contact during daylight hours, but also refraining from becoming angry or doing bad deeds.
Step 5: Make the pilgrimage to Mecca
At least once in your life, if possible, make the pilgrimage, or hajj. After entering into a state of ritual purity, or ihram, you will perform a series of rituals in and around Mecca, which is home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest place and the direction toward which all Muslims pray each day.
The hajj takes place once a year and requires a special visa from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. You cannot make hajj individually; rather, you must join a group leaving from your home country.
Step 6: Consult with Muslims in your community
While these steps provide a basic guide for observing the five pillars, you should consult with Muslims in your community if you have any questions or if there are any variations specific to your denomination.
An estimated 2 million pilgrims perform the hajj each year, traveling to Saudi Arabia from nearly all the countries in the world, resulting in an enormous mixing pot of believers of all races and cultural backgrounds.
You Will Need
- A belief in Islam’s central tenets
- A prayer schedule for your locale
- A clean, quiet place to pray
- Contact with a Muslim community (optional)
Step 1: The first pillar ...
The first pillar is the testimony of faith, or shahadah, that is, being able to say: “I testify there is no God but God, and Muhammad is a prophet of God.” Saying this statement twice, in Arabic, and believing it in your heart, is the basis for conversion to Islam.
You will have a chance to affirm this testimony every day in the course of making your ritual daily prayers.
Step 2: Perform the five daily prayers
Perform the five daily prayers: the dawn prayer (al-fajr), the noontime prayer (adh-dhuhr), the afternoon prayer (al-‘asr), the evening prayer (am-maghreb), and the nighttime prayer (al-‘isha). Specific prayer times change from day to day. Consult a website (IslamicFinder.org) or your local mosque for correct prayer times.
Remember to wash before you pray. Be clean, calm, and ready to stand before God.
Step 3: Donate money
Every year give away 2.5 percent of your wealth in charity, or zakat, to fellow Muslims. You can donate this money through your local mosque or through an international charity organization, such as Islamic Relief.
Zakat represents the minimum amount of charity you must give each year, provided you are not in debt, in which case you are exempted. The Prophet Muhammad was constantly giving of his possessions, food, and time. Although zakat is meant to help Muslims, you can give additional charity to non-Muslims.
Step 4: Observe Ramadan by fasting
Observe the month of Ramadan by fasting from the dawn prayer to the evening prayer. If you are sick, traveling, menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding, you are excused from fasting, though you may have to make up those days later or give charity as a substitute.
Ramadan is a special time to draw closer to God. Fasting means not only refraining from food, drink, and sexual contact during daylight hours, but also refraining from becoming angry or doing bad deeds.
Step 5: Make the pilgrimage to Mecca
At least once in your life, if possible, make the pilgrimage, or hajj. After entering into a state of ritual purity, or ihram, you will perform a series of rituals in and around Mecca, which is home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest place and the direction toward which all Muslims pray each day.
The hajj takes place once a year and requires a special visa from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. You cannot make hajj individually; rather, you must join a group leaving from your home country.
Step 6: Consult with Muslims in your community
While these steps provide a basic guide for observing the five pillars, you should consult with Muslims in your community if you have any questions or if there are any variations specific to your denomination.
An estimated 2 million pilgrims perform the hajj each year, traveling to Saudi Arabia from nearly all the countries in the world, resulting in an enormous mixing pot of believers of all races and cultural backgrounds.
