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)
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);
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