The 5 Pillars of Islam (:

The Islamic religion and Muslim culture are VERY different from what Christian's belive. When studying the Islamic religion and Muslim culture, one must first study their religion because there religion defines who they are as a person. It is a very different culture than ours. They believe that Muhammed was the last person to recieve God's message and that Muhammed was the last prophet of God. But for now, lets have a little chat about the 5 pillars. (:

The first pillar of Islam is Shahadah which means to worship their god Allah, and ONLY Allah. The Muslims also have a saying for this pillar: it says "La ilaha illa Allah Muhammadur rasoolu Allah." This saying means "There is no true god(diety) but God(Allah), and Muhammed is the messenger(prophet) of God." The first part, "There is no true god but God," means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone(God meaning Allah), and that God has neither partner nor son. This pillar is also called the testimony of faith. It is the most important pillar of Islam.SOURCE(wikipedia)

The second pillar of Islam is Salah. This is the pillar that says that Muslims must perform prayers 5 times a day if they are truly Islamic. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes to perform, but it is still very important in the Islamic religion. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God. When praying, it is said that the worshipper will feel inner happiness, peace, and comfort while praying and that during and after the prayer, God is pleased with him or her that has just prayed. Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. A Muslim say pray anywhere, as ,long as they are facing Mecca during their prayer.SOURCE(wikipedia)

The third pillar of the Islamic religion is Zakah. This is the pillar that says that they must give regularly to the poor, no matter what the circumstances. They believe that since everything belongs to God, all wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. They must take a certain percentage of there salary and give it to the poor. They believe that in doing this, they will receive purification and growth in their God, Allah.

The fouth pillar of Islam is Sawm which is the pillar that says that they must fast during the month of Ramadan for thirty days. During this fast, they must fast from food, drink, and all sexual relations. They fast from sunset to sundown, so once it is night, they are allowed to have a certain amount of food and drink. And although the fast is good for their health, they also say that it is a remedy for self-purification.

The fifth, and final pillar of Islam is the Hajj. The Hajj is the pilgramage to Mecca at least once in a Muslim's lifetime. The pilgramage is to the Ka'bah, also known as the Black Box, where they go there and worship it. "The rites of the Hajj include circling the Kaaba seven times and going seven times between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa, as Hagar did during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together in Arafa5 and ask God for what they wish and for His forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Day of Judgment."