The Five Pillars
1) Decleration of Faith (Shahada)
2) Prayer (Salah)
3) Charity (Zakat)
4) Fasting (Sawm)
5) Pilgrimage (Hajj)
1 Shahada (Declaration of Faith)
The Shahada is the foundation of Islam.
It states:
“I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
Arabic transliteration:
("Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulu-Allah.")
The Shahada affirms:
- absolute monotheism
- rejection of all forms of idol worship
- acceptance of divine guidance through prophets (like Muhammad, Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Noah, ...)
By sincerely affirming this belief, a person enters Islam and all their previous sins are forgiven. These Muslims are also called "Reverts" because they returned to the previous state of beeing a Muslim. (Muslims believe everybody is born as a Muslim)
Faith in Islam begins with knowledge, conviction, and sincerity.