The Foundation of Islamic Practice
Islam is defined by the Five Pillars (أركان الإسلام)—five obligatory acts that every Muslim must perform. These aren't optional suggestions; they're requirements for being considered a Muslim in good standing. Missing them constitutes sin, and persistent neglect can render someone an apostate. Understanding the Five Pillars reveals Islam's works-based theology and the burden it places on adherents.
1. Shahada: The Declaration of Faith
The First Pillar is reciting the Shahada: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" (أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمداً رسول الله).
Reciting this declaration with sincere belief makes someone a Muslim. But note what it requires: not just believing in God, but specifically affirming that Muhammad is his messenger. This isn't just monotheism—it's allegiance to Muhammad's claim.
The Shahada creates an immediate problem: you must believe Muhammad is a prophet before investigating whether he actually is one. You're required to accept his prophetic status as a prerequisite for being Muslim, not as a conclusion reached through evidence.
Biblical Contrast: Christianity requires faith in Christ, but this faith is based on historical evidence—his fulfilled prophecies, miracles, death, and resurrection. The evidence precedes the requirement to believe.
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." — John 20:31
2. Salat: Five Daily Prayers
Muslims must perform five obligatory prayers daily at specific times: Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (midday), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), Isha (night). Each prayer involves specific physical movements, recitations in Arabic, and facing Mecca.
"Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times." — Quran 4:103
Missing prayers is a major sin. Some scholars say habitually missing prayers makes one an apostate (punishable by death). The prayers must be performed in Arabic, in a specific manner, facing the correct direction, with ritual purity. Failure in any requirement invalidates the prayer.
This creates enormous burden and anxiety. Muslims must constantly ensure they're ritually pure, know the correct time for prayer, face the right direction, and perform the precise movements and recitations. The focus is on correct performance, not heart condition.
Biblical Contrast: Jesus taught prayer should be sincere communication with God, not ritualistic performance:
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." — Matthew 6:5-8
Prayer should be genuine conversation, not ritualistic repetition. God cares about the heart, not performance.
3. Zakat: Obligatory Charity
Muslims must give 2.5% of their wealth annually to specified categories of recipients. This isn't optional charity—it's a religious tax.
"And establish prayer and give zakah." — Quran 2:43
Refusing to pay zakat is a major sin. During the Ridda Wars, Abu Bakr waged war against tribes who refused to pay zakat, considering them apostates.
Zakat can only be given to specific categories (Quran 9:60): the poor, needy, zakat collectors, new converts, freeing slaves, debtors, in the cause of Allah (often interpreted as jihad), and travelers. It cannot go to non-Muslim causes or even to one's own parents if they're financially secure.
Biblical Contrast: Biblical giving is voluntary and motivated by love:
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." — 2 Corinthians 9:7
Giving should be generous and from the heart, not a calculated religious tax.
4. Sawm: Fasting During Ramadan
Muslims must fast from dawn to sunset throughout the month of Ramadan—no food, drink, smoking, or sexual activity during daylight hours.
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous." — Quran 2:183
Breaking the fast intentionally requires making up the missed day plus additional penalty (feeding 60 poor people or fasting 60 consecutive days, depending on the reason). Missing Ramadan fasting without valid excuse is a major sin.
The fast is extremely difficult in northern latitudes where summer days last 18+ hours, or in hot climates where people work outdoors without water. Yet the requirement doesn't adjust—Muslims must fast regardless of hardship.
Biblical Contrast: Jesus fasted and taught about fasting, but as a voluntary spiritual discipline, not an annual requirement:
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, except to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." — Matthew 6:16-18
Fasting should be personal and private, not mandatory and public.
5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca
Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) at least once in their lifetime.
"In it are clear signs [such as] the standing place of Abraham. And whoever enters it shall be safe. And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way." — Quran 3:97
Hajj involves specific rituals performed at specific times: circling the Kaaba seven times, running between Safa and Marwah hills seven times, standing at Arafat, throwing stones at pillars representing Satan, and sacrificing an animal. The rituals must be performed in precise order at precise times.
Hajj costs thousands of dollars and requires significant time. For many Muslims, especially those in poverty, Hajj is financially impossible, leaving them perpetually guilty for not fulfilling this pillar.
Moreover, many Hajj rituals are pre-Islamic pagan practices that Muhammad incorporated. Circling the Kaaba, kissing the Black Stone, running between hills, throwing stones—these were all pagan rituals performed by polytheistic Arabs before Islam.
Biblical Contrast: The New Testament teaches that God doesn't dwell in temples or specific locations:
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else." — Acts 17:24-25
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." — John 4:24
No pilgrimage is required. God is accessible everywhere to those who come in spirit and truth.
The Burden of Works-Righteousness
The Five Pillars reveal Islam's works-based salvation system. Muslims must:
• Declare belief in Muhammad
• Pray five times daily with precise ritual
• Give 2.5% of wealth annually
• Fast for an entire month yearly
• Make expensive pilgrimage at least once
And these are just the minimum! Beyond the Five Pillars are countless additional rules: dietary restrictions, dress codes, bathroom etiquette, rules for every aspect of life. Muslims live under constant obligation and anxiety about whether they're doing enough.
Worst of all, even perfect performance doesn't guarantee salvation. Allah may still reject them (Quran 2:284, 5:18). Muslims have no assurance, only hope that their works might be sufficient.
Biblical Contrast: Grace, Not Works
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." — Ephesians 2:8-9
"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." — Titus 3:5
Christianity offers what Islam cannot: assurance of salvation based on Christ's finished work, not our inadequate efforts. Jesus paid the debt; we receive the gift by faith.
Questions to Consider
- Why does Islam require declaration of Muhammad's prophethood before investigating whether he actually was a prophet?
- How can Muslims have peace when salvation depends on performing rituals correctly?
- Why did Allah make Hajj mandatory when most Muslims can't afford it?
- Why did Muhammad incorporate pre-Islamic pagan rituals into Islamic practice?
- If works can't earn salvation (as even Islam admits Allah can reject anyone), why make them mandatory?
- Doesn't the burden of the Five Pillars keep Muslims in perpetual anxiety and striving?
- Which offers more hope: works you must perform perfectly, or grace freely given?
Conclusion
The Five Pillars reveal Islam's works-based theology that burdens adherents with constant obligations while offering no assurance of salvation. Muslims must perform precise rituals repeatedly throughout their lives, yet even perfect performance doesn't guarantee Allah will accept them. The system creates anxiety, not peace; obligation, not freedom; fear, not assurance.
The biblical gospel offers a radically different path: salvation by grace through faith in Christ's finished work. Christians aren't saved by performing rituals but by trusting in Jesus who perfectly fulfilled God's requirements on our behalf. Where Islam's pillars create burden, Christ's gospel creates rest. Where Islam offers maybe, Christianity offers certainty. Where Islam requires works, Christ offers grace.
Related articles: Predestination in Islam, Shirk: The Unforgivable Sin