An-Nawawi's Hadith # 03
Click here to go back to the QSS web site.
Guide to Understanding An-Nawawi's 40 Hadeeth
Hadeeth # 03
On the authority of Aboo `Abd `Ar-Rahmaan `Abdullah, the son of
`Umar ibn al-Khattab 
, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah 
say:
Islaam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no
diety but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
establishing the prayers, paying the zakaah, making the pilgrimage to
the House, and fasting in Ramadaan.
It was related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
Explanation of Hadeeth # 03
That Islaam is indeed built on the five principles of witnessing that
Allah is our only diety and Muhammad is His Messenger to show us how
to fulfill our existence on this earth as Muslims, Prayer, Fasting,
Zakah and Hajj. So one must strive to fulfill these pillars with the
utmost care, concern and priority, and one must do so normally before
one gets involved with other aspects of the Deen.