Every building is built with a strong foundations or pillars which hold the building to stand tall in whatever the situation is. Similarly, our religion is based on five strong foundations or pillars. These foundations or pillars acts as a shield for every Muslim. The main five pillars of Islam are;
- Shaadah (Oneness of Allah). This is the first and most important pillar of Islam is to believe in the oneness of Allah the Almighty. Believing that only He is the true Creator of every being and this Universe.
- Salah (Prayer). Its the second and also the most important pillar of Islam. It’s an obligation on every Muslim to pray and praise Allah the Almighty five times a day.
- Sawm (Fasting). This is the third pillar of Islam. Every Muslim has an obligation of Fasting once a year for a whole month in the month of Ramadan.
- Zakkat. This is the fourth pillar of Islam. It requires all Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth to charity. Muslims must meet a certain threshold before they can qualify for zakat. The amount is 2.5% or 1/40 of an individual’s total savings and wealth.
- Hajj (Pilgrimage). Hajj is a sacred journey and is the 5th pillars of Islam. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime.
Just like the religion is based on 5 strong foundations or pillars, similarly, our faith (imman) is also based on 6 strong foundations or pillars. A person cannot be a true Muslim if he does not believe in any one of these pillars. The pillars of faith (Imman) are;
- Belief in Allah the Almighty, that He is One and only One worthy of Worship.
- Belief in the Angels of Allah.
- Belief in the books sent by Allah to His Messengers and Prophets.
- Belief in all the Prophets sent to the mankind by Allah.
- Belief in the day of Judgement (Akhirah).
- Belief in Allah’s predestination (Qadar). Believing that everything is written for us by Allah.
These strong pillars are our shield keeping us away from all the bad and straying away on the path of Shaitan. May Allah guide us to His straight path Ameen.