FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM:
1. FAITH:
There is no god worthy of worship except God (Allah) and Muhammad (Muhammed) is His messenger.
This declaration of faith is called the Shahada (Sehadet), a simple formula which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is la ilaha illa'llah - 'there is no god except God'; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God -- wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa'llah:' except God, the source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadur rasulu'llah: 'Muhammad is the messenger of God'. A message of guidance has come through a human like ourselves.

2. PRAYER: Salah (Namaz) is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God (Allah). There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur'an, chosen by the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Qur'an (Kur'an), and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication can be offered in one's own language.
Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities.

  EZAN - is a Call to Prayer. It can be translated as follows:
God is most great.
God is most great.
God is most great.
God is most great.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)!
Come to success!
God is most great.
God is most great.
There is no god except God.

3. THE 'ZAKAT' (ZEKAT): One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need and like the pruning of plants, this balances and encourages new growth. Each Muslim calculates their own zakat. For most purposes this involves the payment each year of 2 1/2% of one's capital. A pious person may also give sadaqa (sadaka), preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary charity' it has a wider meaning. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity'.

4. FASTING (ORUÇ): Every year in the month of Ramadan (Ramazan), all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, traveling, pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up the days. If they are physically unable, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast(and to pray)from puberty, although many start earlier. Although the fast is beneficial for health, it is regarded principally as a method of self-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth in one's spiritual life. At the end of Ramadan (Ramazan), muslims celebrates the Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayrami/Seker Bayrami), a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan.

5. PILGRIMAGE (HAC): The annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mekke) -the Hajj (Hac)- is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another. The annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims (Haci) wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God (Allah). The rites of the Hajj are Abrahamic in origin and include circling the Ka'abah seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa (Safa)and Marwa (Merve). Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa (Arafat) and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgement (Kiyamet Günü). The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayrami), which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere.

HOW DO MUSLIMS VIEW DEATH? Like Jews and Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial for the next realm of existence. Basic articles of faith include: the Day of Judgement (Kiyamet Günü), Resurrection (Ahiret), Heaven (Cennet) and Hell (Cehennem). When a Muslim dies, they are washed, usually by a family member, wrapped in a clean white cloth, and buried with a simple prayer preferably the same day. Muslims consider this one of the final services they can do for them and an opportunity to remember their own brief existence here on earth.

ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY HAVE THE SAME ORIGIN: Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons - Muhammad from the eldest, Ishmael (Ismail), and Moses (Musa) and Jesus (Isa)from Isaac (Ishak). Abraham established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah (Mekke), and built the Kaabah (Kabe) towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.