The five pillars of Islam. The prophet said: Islam is built upon five (pillars): (Shahadah) testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, (Salah)

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Afifah Hussain        Tuesday, 01 February 2011

The prophet said: “Islam is built upon five (pillars): (Shahadah) testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, (Salah) establishing regular prayer, paying zakat (giving of alms), Hajj(pilgrimage) and (Sawm)fasting Ramadan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 8; Muslim, 16).

The Shahadah is the first of the five pillars. It is the declaration of faith that states all worship should be linked to one God:  “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 8)

There are two parts to the Shahadah, the first is testifying that there’s no God but Allah and the second is testifying that Muhammad is His messenger. A person has submitted himself to Allah after saying the Shahadah and he worships Him alone, the second part of the Shahadah declares that Muhammad is Allah’s prophet, so a Muslim must believe that Muhammad is Messenger of God and follows all of his teachings.

Muslims say the Shahadah whenever they want to, it’s not restricted to any time, but they must say it during their Salah and various forms of worship such as Dhikr. It is also said in the adhaan (call to prayer) and is said in every Muslim baby’s ear when he or she is born. More commonly, the Shahadah is the statement that non-Muslims say to convert to Islam.

There are seven conditions of the Shahadah; knowing the meaning of it (al ‘ilm); having no doubt of the things declared (al yaqeen); sincerity (al Ikhlaas); truthfulness (al Sidq); love of the Shahadah and the meaning (al mahabbah); performing the duties that you testify when submitting yourself to God (al inqiad); and complete acceptance (al qubool).

Worship cannot bring a person closer to Allah and cannot be accepted unless it meets both conditions of the Shahadah: 

1 – Sincerity towards Allah alone, i.e., it is done to seek the Countenance of Allah and the Hereafter, and is not done to show off, to enhance one’s reputation or for worldly gain. 

2 – Following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in word and deed. Following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) can only be achieving by knowing his Sunnah. 

The second pillar is Salah which means supplication. It is obligatory upon every Muslim and is performed according to the movements of the sun. There are five daily prayers, which are Fajr (prayed at dawn), Zuhr (prayed during midday), Asr (prayed in the afternoon), Maghrib (prayed at dusk) and Isha (prayed at nightfall).

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Just like all of the five pillars, performing Salah is obligatory and must be done at the correct times. The Salah is one of the most important pillars and the best of deeds, the Prophet Muhammad was asked, “Which of the actions is best?” He replied: “Observing prayer at its earliest period.” (Reported by Abu Dawud 2:426)

At a Salah time, the adhaan is called to remind people to get ready to pray. The adhaan is usually said by a muathin of a mosque and it is said as follows,

God is great. (x4)
I bear witness that there ...

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