XVII.—THE FIVE FOUNDATIONS OF
PRACTICAL RELIGION.
The five pillars, or foundations, of practice in Islám are:—
1. The recital of the Creed, or Kalimah,[1]—"There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the Prophet of God."
2. Sulát.—The five stated periods of prayer.
3. Roza.—The thirty days fast of Ramazán.
4. Zakát.—The legal alms.
5. Hajj.—The pilgrimage to Mecca.
- ↑ The enumeration of the Creed amongst the foundations of practice seems to perplex English writers, and consequently Dr. Macbride (p. 184), and other authors, omit it entirely, and reduce the foundations of practical religion to four. Our readers will observe, however, that it is the recital of the creed, and not the creed itself, which forms one of the five practical duties of the Muslim (vide next article).