The Prophet ﷺ summarised the structure of Islamic practice in one hadith: Islam is built on five pillars — testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger (shahada); establishing the five daily prayers (salah); giving the obligatory annual charity (zakah); fasting the month of Ramadan; and performing the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) at least once, for those who are able.

Think of them as a house: the shahada is the foundation everything rests on, and the other four are the pillars that hold the structure up — regular worship (salah), regular giving (zakah), an annual month of self-discipline (fasting), and a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage (Hajj) for those with the health and means to travel.

You do not need to master all five immediately. The shahada you have already learned about; salah is covered next in this guide; zakah and fasting are learned gradually as they come around each year; Hajj is planned for later in life when circumstances allow.