the five duties incumbent on every Muslim: shahādah, the Muslim profession of faith; ṣalāt (salat), or ritual prayer, performed in a prescribed manner five times each day; zakāt (zakat), the alms tax levied to benefit the poor and the needy; ṣawm, fasting during the month of Ramadan (Ramaḍān); and hajj, the major pilgrimage to Mecca.