The five pillars of Islam

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that Islam is built on five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, paying zakat, performing Hajj, and fasting in Ramadan. That is a translation of the meaning of the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 8. Sahih Muslim 16a reports the same hadith.

Picture a building held up by five pillars. You set up the first one when you said the Shahada. The next one to work on is prayer, and the rest come when your circumstances call for them.

Sahih al-Bukhari 8 lists Hajj before fasting. Sahih Muslim 16a lists fasting in Ramadan before Hajj, and in that narration Ibn Umar corrects a man who put Hajj first, saying fasting came first in what he heard from the Prophet.

This page follows the order in Sahih Muslim 16a: Shahada, prayer, zakat, fasting, then Hajj. Both reports are authentic, and the order does not change what any pillar asks of you.

When the Prophet sent his companion Mu'adh to Yemen, he told him to invite people first to the Shahada, and once they accepted it, to teach them the five daily prayers, and after that zakat (Sahih al-Bukhari 1395 and Sahih Muslim 19a). The Quran also joins belief in Allah alone to establishing prayer (20:14).

A gentle order for your first days and weeks:

1. 1Understand the two parts of the Shahada you said.
2. 2Take the full-body wash (ghusl) when you can. The schools differ on whether it is required.
3. 3Learn wudu, the washing before prayer.
4. 4Learn the names and times of the five prayers.
5. 5Learn one rak'ah, using short phrases of remembrance if you do not know Al-Fatihah yet.
6. 6Pray every day in the simple form, and protect one anchor prayer.
7. 7Over the next few weeks, learn the two, three and four rak'ah patterns and memorise Al-Fatihah a line at a time.

The Shahada is the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. Saying it sincerely is what makes a person Muslim.

What to do now: you have already done this. Take some time to learn what its two parts mean.

Later: keep growing in your understanding of belief in Allah alone.

Salah is the five daily prayers, at set times from dawn to night. It is the pillar that comes straight after the Shahada.

What to do now: start praying, even in a simple form, while you learn the words.

Later: add the full recitations, the voluntary prayers and the finer details, one piece at a time.

Zakat is a yearly payment from savings, usually 2.5 percent, given to people in need. It is due only when your savings stay above a set threshold (the nisab) for a full lunar year, and some things, such as the home you live in, are not counted.

What to do now: nothing, unless your savings are above the threshold.

Later: when it applies, the zakat guide walks you through it.

Sawm is fasting during the month of Ramadan, from dawn until sunset, without food, drink or intimacy. People who are ill, elderly, travelling, pregnant, nursing or menstruating are excused, and many of them make up the days later.

What to do now: nothing until Ramadan comes. When it gets close, the Ramadan guide helps you prepare for your first fast.

Later: each Ramadan, fast the days you are able to.

Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah in the month of Dhul-Hijjah. It is required once in a lifetime, for those who are physically and financially able (Quran 3:97; Sahih Muslim 1337).

What to do now: nothing.

Later: if and when you are able, the Hajj and Umrah guide explains the steps.

The five pillars are what a Muslim does. The six articles of faith are what a Muslim believes: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree. Both are named in the hadith of Jibril (Sahih Muslim 8a). The beliefs topic explains the articles of faith.