The Five Pillars of Islam, Faith (Shahada),Prayer (Shalah), Charity (Sakat), Fasting (Shawm) and Pilgrimage (Hajj) provide a Muslim practitioner or believer with clear guidelines for leading a life in harmony with good and God and a well-defined way to experience one's religious experience.
The consequence of abiding by the Five Pillars of Islam is perfecting one's soul by steering away from sins and other spiritually unpleasant things. Today, Muslims in the U.S. interpret the term jihad (grossly translated as holy war) as a personal struggle in order to fight off personal defects and vices so that they can become better citizens, parents, persons, etc.
