The Five Pillars of Islam (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

What is Shahadah?

The Five Pillars of Islam

• The Five Pillars of Islam are five duties that Muslims of all branches of Islam must follow

Shahadah

• Shahadah is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam 

• It is the Muslim statement of belief or declaration of faith and describes the key message of Islam that all Muslims must accept

• The basic statement of Shahadah contains two beliefs:

  • There is no God but Allah 

  • The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is his Messenger

• Muslims believe that this statement is key to their religion

  • Everything in Islam centres around these two key beliefs

• The belief that there is no God but Allah is known as tawhid

• It means that Muslims must worship only one God, Allah, as the only one worthy of worship

• Worshipping anything else but Allah is considered shirk, a serious sin that is described as unforgivable in the Qur’an

• The second part of Shahadah means that Muslims must believe that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a messenger of Allah

  • This belief in prophets is known as risalah

• Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was human, not a god

  • He was a man who dedicated his whole life to serving Allah

  • He was the key to humanity receiving the full and unaltered message of Allah

What is Salah?

• Salah is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam 

• It is the compulsory prayer that takes place five times each day

• The Qur’an teaches Muslims about Salah

• In the quote, the phrase “what is certain” refers to death

  • This passage calls on believers to worship Allah for their entire lifetime

• This quote also mentions bowing down to Allah, which is a key element of performing Salah

• All of the prophets taught about worship, and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) showed Muslims how they should pray

What is Sawm?

• Sawm is the fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam 

• Sawm is Arabic for fasting

• The main period of fasting is during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar

  • The month of Ramadan is significant because it was the month when the Angel Jibril first visited the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and gave him the first revelation of the Qur’an

  • The fasting starts at the sighting of the new moon and lasts until the festival of ‘id-al-Fitr

  • During this month, all Muslim adults in good health should observe fasts during daylight hours

  • This involves abstaining from food and drink and anything that distracts them from remembering Allah (smoking, sex, listening to music)

• The Qur’an teaches Muslims about Sawm

What is Zakah?

• Zakah is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam

• It is the practice of Muslims giving a compulsory contribution of 2.5 per cent of their wealth to benefit the poor and needy

  • This amount is paid at the end of each lunar year

  • The final month of the Islamic year is Dhul Hijjah

• Islam teaches that wealth is a gift from Allah that must be used responsibly

  • All Muslims who can afford it have a duty to share some of their earnings with those in need

• Zakah goes to those who are poor or in debt, to comfort those who are travelling or to pay the ransom for prisoners of war

  • This is in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an

What is Hajj?

• Hajj is the fifth of the Five Pillars of Islam

• Hajj means pilgrimage, which is a special journey to a place of religious significance

• For Muslims, the holiest place on earth is the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and other prophets lived and preached

• All Muslims who are physically fit and can afford to do so should make the journey to Makkah once in their lifetime

• Hajj is held annually in the month of Dhul Hijjah

  • It lasts for five days

  • Each year, around three million Muslims travel to Makkah to take part