The key aspects of Islam include the five pillars, the seven articles of faith, the prophet and the Qur'an. Together they hold and portray the basic beliefs and principles which make up the religion.
The five pillars of Islam are expressions of faith required to be performed by Muslims, as part of their ritual duties. The first pillar is the Shahada, belief in no other god but allah and Muhammad as his prophet. The second pillar is the Salat which involves regular prayer at least five times a day with the wudu ritual of washing the feet in preparation. They are expected to pray on a mosque mat, facing the city of Mecca while performing a sequence of prayer actions. The second one is the Zakat, which places important on Almsgiving and charity. It accounts for 2.5% of their possessions. There is also the sadaqa as a form of private charity. Next comes the pillar called the Sawan or fasting. In the month of Ramadan, muslims must abstain from having anything in their mouth between daylight hours. This sacrifice disciplines and encourages a sense of duty. The last pillar is the Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca, which Is the belief that each Muslim must visit Meeca at least once in their life unless they are poor, therefore they must send someone from their family to represent them.
The seven articles of faith were summarized by the prophet and with acceptance of faith it can affect the adherent by wiping out past sin, further supporting a choice of heaven on judgment day . They are summarized under the tawid, rusul and the akhira. The tawid is the belief in the oneness God Allah, not allowing Muslims to follow other false gods. The rusul is the belief of the messengers of Allah which governs how they should act and obey. The rusul is the belief in the afterlife which affects its followers as an incentive to make good decisions and be faithful while on earth to avoid eternal punishment as a divine judgment by Allah’s mercy and justice.