In Islam, God has established five principles which define the framework for the Muslim life. These principles are better known as the five pillars of Islam. Each pillar represents a duty which is obligatory upon every able Muslim.
The first and most important pillar of Islam is the testimony of faith. It is a simple yet powerful declaration which forms the basis of Islam. It means that there is no God worthy to be worshiped except for Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger. The second pillar of Islam is Prayer. God has commanded Muslims to pray five times a day. Through Prayer a person can attain real happiness and inner peace. The third pillar of Islam is giving the obligatory charity which reflects our responsibility towards the society that we live in. Every Muslim who possesses wealth above the poverty line is required to pay 2.5 percent of his wealth to those who are in need or poor. The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting during the daylight hours of the lunar month of Ramadan. In this very special month, the fasting person not only abstains from basic components of life like food and drink but also from doing anything that displeases God. The final pillar of Islam is Hajj which is the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Millions of Muslims from all over the world gather together to worship God during five days, the time for performing Hajj.
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