What are the five pillars of Islam?
Shahādah, ṣalāh, zakāt, ṣawm, ḥajj — the five foundations of the religion. The classical scholars wrote about each one not as a duty to complete, but as a door.
10 passages from 5 books in the library
The five pillars are the shahādah, ṣalāh, zakāt, ṣawm, and ḥajj. The classical scholars treated each as a door rather than a mere duty. Al-Ghazali names pilgrimage as one of the pillars and foundations of Islam, an act of worship, and describes zakāt as a binding obligation from God whose purity grows with the joy of giving. He notes zakāt falls into categories such as livestock, gold and silver, trade, minerals, and produce, and that Ḥajj centers on Arafah — "Hajj is Arafah" — with contentment in its hardships a sign of acceptance.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 5 books by Imam al-Ghazali, Imam al-Dhahabī, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
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"Zakat is categorized into six types: Zakat on livestock, Zakat on gold and silver, Zakat on trade, Zakat on buried wealth and minerals, Zakat on agricultural produce, and Zakat al-Fitr. Type One: Zakat on Livestock Al-Ahnaf ibn Qais said, "I was with a group from Quraysh when Abu Dharr passed by and said: 'Give glad tidings to the hoarders of treasures that they will have branding on their backs, appearing from their sides, and branding on their foreheads, coming out from their backs.'" In another narration,"
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"The hadith "Islam is built on five" is reported by both Bukhari and Muslim, based on the narration of Ibn Umar. Chapter: The Types of Zakat and the Reasons for Their Obligation Zakat is categorized into six types: Zakat on livestock, Zakat on gold and silver, Zakat on trade, Zakat on buried wealth and minerals, Zakat on agricultural produce, and Zakat al-Fitr."
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"Chapter One: The Types of Zakat and the Reasons for Their Obligation Zakat, in its various applications, is divided into six types: Zakat on livestock, gold and silver, trade, buried wealth and minerals, agricultural produce, and Zakat al-Fitr. Type One: Zakat on Livestock This zakat, like others, is obligatory only upon a free Muslim."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"The order is as follows: first, the fulfillment of Islamic Hajj, then making up for a corrupted Hajj, then a vow, deputation, and finally voluntary Hajj. This sequence is requisite, even if intended otherwise. The conditions for the obligation of Hajj include reaching maturity, Islam, sanity, freedom, and ability. Anyone obligated to perform Hajj must also perform 'Umrah. If someone enters Mecca for visitation or trade and is not a Meccan, they are required to assume ihram according to one opinion and conclude it with 'Umrah or Hajj."
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"There is no blood obligation for ifrad unless voluntarily offered. The second is qiran, which involves combining Hajj and Umrah by saying "Labbayk for Hajj and Umrah together," becoming a muhrim for both. The Hajj acts suffice, and Umrah is incorporated into Hajj. If one performs tawaf and sa'i before standing at Arafat, the sa'i counts for both rites, but the tawaf does not count as a compulsory duty because obligatory tawaf in Hajj must occur after standing."
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"and Hajj must be performed on their behalf using their estate, whether they made a will or not. If someone was able in a certain year but did not join the people for Hajj and lost their wealth before the people undertook Hajj, and then died, they meet Allah without the obligation of Hajj upon them. Those who die without performing Hajj despite having the means face severe consequences before Allah."
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"These conditions also apply to 'Umrah, except for the time. For a free adult, voluntary Hajj occurs after fulfilling the obligation of Islamic Hajj. The order is as follows: first, the fulfillment of Islamic Hajj, then making up for a corrupted Hajj, then a vow, deputation, and finally voluntary Hajj. This sequence is requisite, even if intended otherwise."
13th–14th century · Damascus, Syria
Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ — the monumental biographical dictionary of Islamic scholarship, from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ through al-Dhahabī's own era. A working-scholar reference used for seven centuries.
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"provided you before death comes to one of you and he says my lord if only you would delay me for a brief term so I could give charity and be among the righteous when asked what necessitates zakat he replied when wealth reaches 200 dirhams zakat becomes obligatory on it and when asked what necessitates hajj he said provision and a means of transportation zakat is not obligatory on permissible jewelry if it is intended for use but if it is intended for trade or rental zakat becomes obligatory on it as well as on the value of trade goods Abu Huraira may Allah be pleased with him narrated that the messenger of Allah"
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
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"As you sent Salah upon Abraham, indeed you are praiseworthy and glorious. Abu Humaidh al-Sa'idi also reported that they asked the Prophet Salah and peace and blessings be upon him. How to send Salah upon him? He said, Say, O Allah, send Salah upon Muhammad and upon his wives and progeny. As you sent Salah upon Abraham, and bless Muhammad and his wives and progeny."
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
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"to the adherents among the poor. In Granada, there are numerous poor Persians who settled there due to its resemblance to their homeland, among them, Hajj Abu Abdullah Samarkandi, Hajj Ahmad Tabrizi, Hajj Ibrahim Kanawi, Hajj Hussain Khorasani, and the two Hajjas Ali and Rashid al-Hindia, among others. Then I traveled from Granada to Al-Hama, then to Velez, then to Malaga, and then to the fortress of Daquan, a beautiful fort abundant with water, trees, and fruits. From there I journeyed to Ronda, and then to the village of Banu Riyah. Its sheikh, Abu al-Hassan Ali Suleiman al-Riyahi, one of the noble and distinguished"
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Every stop of the thirty-year journey, on one map — with the passage from the Riḥla for each: Ibn Baṭṭūṭa's route, mapped →