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The five pillars

The five acts of worship at the heart of Islam.

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Simple answer

The five pillars of Islam are the two testimonies of faith (bearing witness that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger), the prayer, zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and pilgrimage to the House. Bukhari 8Ibn Baz

Hadith

Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim

Bukhari 8 · Muslim 16صحيح · رواه البخاري ومسلم

عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا ‌عَبْدُهُ ‌وَرَسُولُهُ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ».

Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "Islam is built on five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, establishing prayer, giving Zakah, performing Hajj to the (Sacred) House, and fasting Ramadān."Translation: HadeethEnc

Hadith on HadeethEnc

Scholar quotes

Shaykh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz

مراتب الدين وأركان كل مرتبة

مراتبه ثلاث: الإسلام، والإيمان، والإحسان، كما بيَّنه النبي ﷺ. فالمرتبة الأولى: الإسلام المرتبة العامة، وأركانها خمسة: شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله، وأن محمدًا رسول الله، وإقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وصوم رمضان، وحج البيت، وكل عمل مما شرعه الله داخل في الإسلام.

The scholar's own words in Arabic (short quote)

binbaz.org.sa, fatwa 18974

Read the full fatwa on the scholar's website

This answer was researched in advance from the sources below and reviewed by the Bayan team before publishing (not yet reviewed by a scholar); every sentence names its source, and verses and hadith are shown exactly as their sources provide them.

Hadith text, translation and grade: HadeethEnc.com · Not a fatwa. For your personal situation, ask a qualified scholar you trust.