4. The Articles of Faith and the Pillars of Islam

• the Six Articles of Faith:
– God, including what Muslims believe about him
– angels, their nature and duties
– books, their contents and purpose
– prophets, their character and function
– God’s predestination and decree, its meaning and significance
– Resurrection and the last day, the main events and its significance.
• Jihad in its range of meanings, physical, mental and spiritual.
• the Five Pillars of Islam:
– the declaration of faith, shahada, including the significance of what it contains
– prayer, salat, including preparations, its performance and importance, congregational prayers on Fridays and festivals, times of prayer, the place of prayer, private prayer, delayed prayer
– alms-giving, zakat, how it is performed and its significance in the community
– fasting, sawm, including the way it is observed, its significance and those exempted
– pilgrimage, hajj, including the main observances involved and their significance.