What are the five pillars of faith associated with Islam?

The Five Pillars of Islam

The first, known as shahada, is a formal declaration of faith where the Muslim professes there is only one God, Allah, and that Mohammed was God's messenger or prophet. The statement is usually recited during the daily prayers and is a key part of a person's formal conversion to the Islamic faith.

The second pillar of Islam is the necessity of prayerfive times each day. These five times are dawn before the sun rises, noon, afternoon, evening, and at night. Muslims must wash before prayer and recite their prayers while facing Mecca. The prayers are meant to remind Muslims of their submission to God's will and also their reliance on God's mercy.

Almsgiving, or charity, to those who need it, is the third pillar of Islam. It is considered to be the personal responsibility of all who have to give to those who have not; to ease economic hardships, inequality, and suffering. If one is wealthy, money can be given; if not, other deeds and actions can take the place of monetary assistance. Like other faiths, Islam looks favorably on those who do good deeds and works within the community.

The fourth pillar is ritualfasting, where the adherent to Islam denies himself food and water during certain times of the year and certain times of the day. The fasting is obligatory during the holy month of Ramadan, wherefrom dawn until dusk, Muslims may not eat food or drink anything. Fasting is meant to focus the mind on matters of spirituality and on Allah, and the pangs of hunger remind one of the true sufferings that go on in the world. The fasts are broken each day when the sun goes down, and obligatory fasting ends after Ramadan is complete.

Hajjis the fifth pillar of Islam. It is an obligatory act upon a Muslim who can afford its expenses. Despite affording the expenses of Hajj, if a Muslim does not perform Hajj, that person facing a great loss.