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The Five Pillars of
Islam are core beliefs that shape Muslim thought, deed, and
society. A Muslim who fulfills the Five Pillars of
Islam, remains in the faith of Islam, and sincerely repents
of his sins, will make it to Paradise. If he performs the
Five Pillars but does not remain in the faith, he will not
be saved.
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Shahada
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The Shahada is the Islamic
proclamation: "La Allah illa Allah, wa Muhammad rasool
Allah (There is no true God except Allah and Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah)."
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This is the confession
that Allah is the one and only true God, that Allah
alone is worthy of worship, that Allah alone is the
sovereign lord who does what he wills with whomever he
wills. It means that all his rules and laws found in the
Koran are to be followed. It means that the Christian
doctrine of God as a Trinity is false as are all other
belief systems including pantheism.
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Muhammad is the true and
greatest prophet of Allah and recognition of Muhammad as
the Prophet of God is required. It was through Muhammad
that Allah conveyed the last and final revelation.
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Prayer (Salat)
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Prayer involves confession
of sins which begins with the purification of the body
and ends with the purification of the soul. Prayer is
performed five times a day. The first prayer is at dawn
and the last at sunset.
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Fasting (Saum)
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The month of Ramadan is
the month of fasting in Islam. It is an act of worship
where the faithful follower denies his own needs and
seeks Allah. Usually, this fasting entails no drinking,
eating during, or sexual relations during the daylight
hours for the entire month of Ramadan. At the
conclusion of Ramadan, is the "Eid" or feast. The
Eid is a very elaborate and extravagant feast to mark
the end of the fast.
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Alms-giving or charity (Zakat)
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Charity given to the poor.
It benefits the poor and it helps the giver by moving
him towards more holiness and submission to Allah.
Alms-giving is considered a form of worship to God.
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Pilgrimage (Hajj)
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This is the pilgrimage to
Mecca. All Muslims, if they are able, are to make a
pilgrimage to Mecca. It involves financial sacrifice and
is an act of worship. Muslims must make the pilgrimage
the first half of the last month of the lunar year
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