Practices

Islam has seven main practices in the life of a Muslim. Five of those practices are grouped together and are known as the Arkan al Islami, or Pillars of Islam. The following Hadith (saying or action of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lists them as follows:

In English it means: "Islam is built on five things: Declaring that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Establishing Prayer, paying the Charity, making a pilgrimage to the House and fasting in Ramadan."

A.  Shahadah. Declaration of Faith. Saying, "Ash hadu an la ilaha ill Allah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadar Rasul Allah." "I declare there is no god but Allah and I declare that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

B. Salah. Prayer. This is the ritual prayer that Muslims perform at five set times each day. To neglect any one of them counts as a sin. The names and times of each prayer are as follows:

1. Fajr. Before sunrise.

2. Zuhr. About a half an hour after noon.

3. 'Asr. About two to three hours before sunset.

4. Maghrib. Immediately after sunset.

5. 'Isha. After the last light of the departing sun is gone from the sky.

C. Zakah. Purifying Charity. It is the annual payment of 2.5% of our yearly economic accumulations, after expenses, for the benefit of the poor, orphans, the needy, etc...

D. Saum. Fasting. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from all food, drink, anger, sex, smoking and bad deeds from just before fist light until sunset. This is a training time for us to learn to control our gluttony, anger and bodily needs. We learn our mind is stronger than our urges, weaknesses and desires.

E. Hajj. Pilgrimage. A once in a life-time trip to Mecca to purify your soul and reconnect with our ultimate purpose in life. The month of Hajj is when millions of Muslims all over the world arrive to serve Allah wearing only simple, white clothes and no status or titles. We remember the real poverty of this world and the severity of the Day of Judgment.

The other two practices are known as Da'wah and Jihad. Da'wah means calling others to Islam and Jihad means to struggle in Allah's cause. That struggling can be physical, spiritual or mental. The word Jihad does not mean "Holy War." Don’t worry about it yet