The Foundation of Islam and Iman is in the belief in the Kalimah, "La ilaha illa Allah", there is no god except Allah. This is the greatest fact. The greatest true statement. Allah is real, every other deity is nonexistent. Please see the article labeled truth.

Allah says in the Quran:

Allah, the Creator and Ruler of this universe is the greatest Truth. Allah, His angels, and people that know bear witness that there is no deity except for Him. Allah is indeed Powerful, and Wise.

This is considered the main pillar of Islam. It is the foundation of Allah's religion. According to the scholars, they say that this is the biggest pillar of the five pillars of Islam. Without this pillar, the other four would not have enough support to hold up Allah's religion. The other four pillars are considered to be minor pillars, compared with the major pillar of the Kalimah.

A person that has this correct understanding about Allah will be saved from the hellfire and enter the paradise. It is very important that every person be firm and assured of these words. A person may commit many sins, however if that person stays firm on this Kalimah, that person will eventually enter paradise. If that person loses the firmness of this Kalimah, that person has the greatest loss. That person is a loser in the afterlife.

The second part of the Kalimah is "Muhammad Rasool Allah", i.e. Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as a mercy for mankind. Let us be supporters of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) by conveying the message sent to him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to others.

After a person knows the truth about Allah, the next step for the person is to seek a way towards Him. Find a way to please Allah and remove any of Allah's anger that may be on them for any of their misdeeds. Prayer is the connection a person has between himself and Allah.

Allah says:

002.238 Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before God in a devout (frame of mind).

Allah commands us to guard our prayers. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that the best time for prayers are at its earliest times. We must stand in front of Allah very devoutly. We must concentrate on the prayer and think about Allah much in the prayer. Allah has said in Surah Taha, "Stand up for prayer for My remembrance." When we pray, we pray to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. We must seek a means of approach to Him. The prayer (Salaat) is the answer. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught us the way to make the prayer. Each part of the prayer, the ruku'a the Sajda, the Salaam are what Allah has ordained for us.

Prayer, in arabic Salaat, literally means to make peace between. We must make peace between ourselves and Allah. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that when people are in the prayer, they are speaking in private with Allah, their Lord. Allah is the Creator and Controller of this universe. Allah is forgiving and merciful, and also strict in punishment. We must seek the mercy of Allah and His forgiveness, and try to make amends for our misdeeds. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said the prayer removes the sins of a person like the dead leaves that fall off a tree.

Allah has said in the Quran:

020.132 Enjoin prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not to provide sustenance: We provide it for thee, and the Hereafter is for righteousness.

Allah commands us to enjoin prayer for our people. We must enjoin the prayers to our family and on other people around us. We must also be constant and patient in inviting them. Allah doesn't ask for nor does He need any sustenance. We need the sustenance and Allah provides for us. This invitation only benefits ourselves. Allah has prepared a beautiful repayment for us in the paradise.

Allah has said to us in many places in the Quran to stand up for the prayer (aqima salaat). We must also enjoin others for the prayer. We can follow this ordainment from Allah by inviting people to the prayer, the connection between the person and Allah. If a person is not connected with Allah, that person would end up being connected with the shaitan who is the persons enemy, and would lead that person to harm.

Allah also ordains for us to pray in jamaat (together). Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has said that praying in jamaat in the Mosque is 27 times better than praying alone. Praying in the Mosque is so important that Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was ready to burn down the houses of those, that after hearing the adhan would rather pray at home instead of praying in the Mosque. The Mosque is the House of Allah, where Allah is remembered much. It is the environment of the angels. We must be united with our brothers and sisters and pray all together devoutly to Allah.

Allah is our protector and watches over us. Allah is the peace. We certainly need make our ties with Him, and not break them. That is the purpose of the prayer.

We must seek knowledge, and teach the knowledge. What is the real knowledge? It is the statements that allow a human to know about Allah.

Allah is the Lord and Controller of this universe. Everything happens because of Him. Every verse in the Quran, and every hadith from Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) increases a person's knowledge of Allah.

The best words are the words of Allah (through the Quran), followed by the words of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), which are the explanations of Allah's words, followed by the explanations of Allah's words through others. We must learn and teach these so that we could understand more about Allah. Whatever Ayahs we know, and whatever hadith we know, we can relate those to other people.

We must convey this knowledge that we know about Allah to others. Whenever one bit of knowledge is transferred to another person, Allah also increases the knowledge of the person that transferred it. That is the real learning. All the knowledge a person has is from Allah. Allah also gives much rewards in the Akhira for the transfer of this knowledge.

We must also remember Allah much. A person that remembers Allah, is indeed very knowledgeable. That is because they are thinking about the Creator, as opposed to the creation (the dunya). Allah, the Mighty, is so much greater than the creation. Allah has made it that when the mind thinks about Him, miracles happen in the mind. The mind finds soothe ness and comfort. This is the way Allah has made the human mind.

Allah says in the Quran:

029.045 Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of God is the greatest without doubt. And God knows the (deeds) that ye do.

Allah says in the above Ayah, that the remembrance of Allah is the Greatest. The reason Allah has ordained the prayer, reading the Quran, fasting, etc, is so that people remember Him. All the things that Allah has ordained is so that people remember Him. We must remember Allah much whenever we do our deeds, and not let the shaitan cause us to neglect His remembrance. Allah also commands us to establish the prayer, the connection between us and Allah, which restrains a person from doing shameful and evil deeds. Allah is well aware of all the things that we do.

We must remember Allah deep down in our minds, and not just with the loudness of words. Allah is the Greatest. The remembrance of Allah is the greatest. We must think about Allah.

In conclusion for this section, the thing would be to learn and teach so that we know more about Allah. We must propagate whatever knowledge we have to others, as is commanded by Allah in many places in the Quran, and as was commanded by Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

Allah says in the Quran:

089.017 Nay, nay! but ye honor not the orphans!

Allah says in the above ayah that we must honor orphans. This also extends to the rest of the Muslims. We must treat all our brothers and sisters with respect and kindness.

Allah has said in Surah Baqarah:

002.263 Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury. God is free of all wants, and He is Most-Forbearing.

In this verse here, Allah tells us that saying kind words, and forgiving the person is better than charity (sadaqah) followed up by harsh words, or constant reminders. Prophet Muhammad (May Allahs peace and Blessings be upon him) has said in Sahih Muslim that all good deeds are charity (Sadaqah). It is important for us that when we do any good deeds, not to accompany them with harshness. The harshness voids out the good deed. We must be kind and soft spoken when we talk to our brothers. Allah says that the Sadaqah followed by harshness and reminders of the sadaqah, are like a rock with some dust on it. When rain falls on it, what is left is just hard rigid rock. For a person that does the good deeds (sadaqah) with kindness, Allah says the example is like a fertile garden. If rain falls on it, it produces a multiplied yield, if not light moisture is enough for it. Allah is free of all needs and is Most Loving.

Allah says in another verse:

023.096 Repel evil with that which is better: We are well acquainted with the things they say.

Allah commands us to repel evil with that which is better. Repel the harsh, bad statements that are made by people with statements that are better. Repel harshness with kindness. The shaitan makes the person say the harsh and evil words. We cannot let the shaitan affect us also, and make us say harsh and evil words back to the person. We must keep in mind that its the shaitan who is causing the person to say those evil words, and look past the shaitan. The shaitan is the enemy, not the person himself. If we do this, i.e. repel evil words with kind words, Allah will put immense amounts of love and friendship between our hearts. Allah knows all the speech of all the things that they say.

If someone calls us a name, says nasty things to us, spits on us, etc, we should not retaliate with the same; but retaliate with goodness. We can say a nice thing back to the person. That person will then, Allah willing, also become nice, and closer to Allah.

In another ayah, Allah says:

025.063 And the servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!"

The servant of Allah, The Most Kind and The Most Merciful are the ones that walk on the earth with humbleness. When people say ignorant statements to them, they respond with peace.

We must use wisdom when talking to our brothers. Wisdom means avoiding arguments and fights and fulfilling the main purpose, which is to increase our knowledge of Allah, and earn rewards in the hereafter. We must honor and respect them and treat them with kindness.

The absolute most important thing is to have the right intention. Only for the sake of Allah; no other reason. The very first Hadith in Bukhari states:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."

We must make sure that our intention is completely for the sake of Allah, seeking Allah's reward. Performed with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure only, and not to show off. Allah is very generous in giving up His share for the so called partners. The scholars say that doing actions for any other intention other than for the sake of Allah is considered to be of no value in the hereafter.

We must try to follow the Sunnah (traditions) of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as much as possible. We must follow the example of the Sahabah (the companions of Prophet Muhammad ). Allah has put the blessings (Barakah) with Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Please see the article labeled blessings.

For the good actions, Allah rewards a believer ten times the amount. For a bad action, Allah repays only for the amount of the bad action, or Allah forgives if He Pleases. For this reason it is good to spend at least one tenth of our time, if not more, in the work of tabligh. In a hadith by Bukhari:

8.155: Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr Allah's Apostle entered upon me and said, "Have I not been informed that you offer prayer all the night and fast the whole day?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Do not do so; Offer prayer at night and also sleep; Fast for a few days and give up fasting for a few days because your body has a right on you, and your eye has a right on you, and your guest has a right on you, and your wife has a right on you. I hope that you will have a long life, and it is sufficient for you to fast for three days a month as the reward of a good deed, is multiplied ten times, that means, as if you fasted the whole year." I insisted (on fasting more) so I was given a hard instruction. I said, "I can do more than that (fasting)" The Prophet said, "Fast three days every week." But as I insisted (on fasting more) so I was burdened. I said, "I can fast more than that." The Prophet said, "Fast as Allah's prophet David used to fast." I said, "How was the fasting of the prophet David?" The Prophet said, "One half of a year (i.e. he used to fast on alternate days). '

From this Hadith we see that the prophet (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) enjoined doing something one tenth of the total time. For this reason the Wise recommend that we spend at least one tenth of our time doing Allah's work. Two and a half hours every day, three days every month, forty days every year, and four months in one's whole life time.

The next thing would be to avoid vanity and make the best use of the spare time. Some wise people place this as the sixth fundamental. May Allah increase us all in knowledge and wisdom.

It is important for us to avoid the things that Allah has forbidden for us. It is also important for us not to convey wrong statements, i.e. statements that lead a person away from the straight path of Allah.

Allah has told us many things to avoid. One of the things that Allah has told us to avoid is the vain talk. Many of these things can be found in Surah Hujurat (surah number 49). I will try to mention them, Allah willing.

One should not place one self before Allah and His Messenger (May Allah be pleased with him). When Allah or His Messenger has said something, it is not right to have any opinions against them. We must accept them fully and wholeheartedly. Allah and His messenger know best. Allah hears and sees all things.

One should try to say more things from the Hadith and less things from our own minds. We must take these hadith seriously, and not as something that any ordinary person would say. It is not right for us to raise our voices above that of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and Blessings be upon him).

One should try to verify rumors and stories before accepting them. If a wicked person says something, we may end up hurting other people accidentally if we don't verify it. The wise say to avoid the talk of politics and worldly business completely, and concentrate on things that will bring the person closer to Allah and His remembrance. Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.

One should say things that bring believers together, united, not things that would cause discord between believers. The believers are one brotherhood, and Allah commands us to make peace between our brothers. We must avoid saying things that may put any ill feeling in the heart against another Muslim brother or sister. Let us obey Allah so that we can have compassion.

We must avoid mocking and making fun of any person or people. It may be that the person being made fun of is better than the person doing the mocking. We should not defame any other person or people, nor call them by offensive nicknames. A person that doesn't stop this and turn to Allah, is a wrongdoer.

We must avoid suspicion as much as possible. Some suspicion is a sin.

We must avoid spying on a person. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that a person has a right to poke another person's eye if he spies inside a person's house through a keyhole or other opening.

We must avoid backbiting. Backbiting is saying something bad about another Muslim brother or sister that he or she may dislike, even if it is true. Allah equates backbiting like that of eating the dead meat of another person, something which we would abhor. We must obey Allah. Allah accepts repentance and is Most Kind.

We must avoid pride in a nation or culture. The shaitan thought he was better because he was made from fire, and humans made from clay. The best person to Allah is the one that obeys Him the most. Races and cultures have no standing in the sight of Allah. Allah knows and is well acquainted with all things.

These things mentioned above are some of the things that Allah has told us to avoid. We must try to avoid these kinds of talks as much as possible, and concentrate and saying things that will get a person closer to Allah and His remembrance.

The other thing to do is avoid an idle mind. As the saying goes in English, "An idle mind is the devils workshop.". In the spare time that we have, it is good to spend it doing something good, like remembrance (dhikr), reading the Quran, praying etc. Man is in loss, except those that believe and do good deeds, and convey the truth, and convey the patience.