ISLAM, PILLARS OF

Arabic Arkan Al-islam, the five duties incumbent on every Muslim: shahadah (q.v.), the Muslim profession of faith; salat (q.v.), or ritual prayer, performed in a prescribed manner five times each day; zakat (q.v.), the alms tax levied to benefit the poor and the needy; sawm (q.v.), fasting during the month of Ramadan; and hajj (q.v.), the major pilgrimage to Mecca.