The Five Pillars of Islam.  Every action performed in obedience to God is considered an act of worship in Islam. Most devout Muslims take care in their daily lives to respect their parents and elders, to be kind to animals and human beings, and to do their daily tasks to the best of their ability.  The formal acts of worship called the Five Pillars of Islam provide the framework for all aspects of a Muslim's life. Muslims often think of the practice of their faith as a kind of temple for God held up by five pillars.  The pillars consist of Shahadah, Salah, Zakaah, Sawm and Hajj.

Shahadah- Shahadah is the first pillar and is considered the basis of all other pillars of the faith.  Shahada is an Arabic word that means an act of bearing witness.  It consists of two statements: "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah," and "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."  The first statement declares that there is only one God and that God alone is worthy of worship.  The second statement says that Muhammad is God's messenger.

Salah- Muslims are required to pray five times a day, just before dawn, at midday, in midafternoon, just after sunset, and at night. Salah is the most important demonstration of a Muslim's devotion to God. Many Muslims use prayer mats to ensure that the spot upon which they are praying is clean.  The salat consists of reciting certain phrases and passages from the Quran in combination with special bodily movements.  These movements are called Rakah and they include standing upright, bowing, sitting, and prostrating.

Muslims believe that prayer reinforces belief in Islam because it reduces the likelihood of disobeying God by committing sins.  A prayer's timing is determined by the movement of the sun.  A crier called a muezzin makes the call to prayer.  If the prayer is performed in a mosque,

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the muezzin traditionally calls worshipers from a tower called a minaret.  

Zakaah- Zakaah is required as a way of assisting the poor.  The english term for Zakaah is almsgiving, which means purification.  Muslims "purify" their wealth by giving a certain percentage of it to the needy and recognizing that all things ultimately belong to God.  Zakat is paid once a year, in the form of a tax.  Most zakat donations go to mosques, Islamic centres, or welfare organizations.  Some Muslims supplement zakat with a voluntary form of giving called sadaqa, which means sincere gift in Arabic. The ...

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