One God, five ways of showing it
Sunni Muslims describe their practice as five pillars, a list preserved in a well-known saying of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) (Sahih al-Bukhari 8). Each pillar is a way of living out the belief that Allah is one: saying it, turning to Him, giving, going without, and travelling to His house. Shia Muslims keep the same practices within their own lists, which add duties such as khums.
Islam is not alone in having a shape for its practice. Our Jewish and Christian neighbours do not use the same list, but many of the same actions are there, in their own traditions and in their own words. This section lays them side by side.
How to read it
Where the three traditions sound alike, we say so. Where they differ, we say that too, kindly, and we let each speak for itself. We are not asking you to decide who is right. We are asking you to look.
Every set of three runs in the same order: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. The rows below follow the Muslim list of five, because that is the frame we borrowed. Judaism and Christianity do not count their practice this way.
At a glance
| Judaism | Christianity | Islam | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saying who God is | The Shema | The creeds | The shahada |
| Turning to God | Three daily services | The daily hours and the Lord's Prayer | Salah, five times a day |
| Giving | Tzedakah, and the tithe | Almsgiving, and tithing for some | Zakat and sadaqah |
| Going without | Yom Kippur and other fast days | Lent, and the Orthodox fasts | Fasting in Ramadan |
| Making a journey | Three pilgrim festivals | Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago, Walsingham and more | Hajj and umrah |
The table is a way of seeing a family resemblance. It does not say the practices are the same. Catholics do have "five precepts of the Church" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2041 to 2043), which include fasting, providing for the Church's needs and keeping holy days. It is a small bridge, not a match.
Go deeper
- Saying it: the Shema, the creeds and the shahada
- Turning to God at set times
- Giving
- Going without
- Going on pilgrimage
- Three sacred places
What the three share
The same few shapes turn up again and again. A sentence that says who God is. A day with a rhythm. Money that is never only yours. Hunger as a way of listening. A road that leads to a particular place.
These are old human ways of being thankful, and each of the three faiths received them as gifts from God. You can see more of this on the site's pages about thanks and worship: Worship and thanks and How we pray.
Where to read each faith in its own voice
Judaism: - One God - Prayer - Tzedakah - Festivals
Christianity: - Prayer - Life and home
Islam: - The shahada - Salah - Zakah - Sawm - Hajj
Honest differences
- The three do not share a list. Islam counts five pillars (in the Sunni count); Judaism and Christianity count their practice in other ways.
- Some practices are a duty in one faith and a gift in another. Pilgrimage, for example, is required once of every Muslim who is able, was required of Jewish men three times a year while the Temple stood, and is encouraged but not required for Christians.
- Some beliefs sit behind the practices and are not shared. We name them where they matter and move on.