The prayers consist of standing, bowing, kneeling, putting the forehead on the ground, and sitting.  The Prayer is a means in which a relationship between God and His creation is maintained.  It includes recitations from the Quran, praises of God, prayers for forgiveness and other various supplications.  The prayer is an expression of submission, humility, and adoration of God.  Prayers can be offered in any clean place, alone or together, in a mosque or at home, at work or on the road, indoors or out.  It is preferable to pray with others as one body united in the worship of God, demonstrating discipline, brotherhood, equality, and solidarity.  As they pray, Muslims face Mecca, the holy city centered around the Kaaba - the house of God built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.

2)     The Compulsory Charity (Zakah)

In Islam, the true owner of everything is God, not man.  People are given wealth as a trust from God.  Zakah is worship and thanksgiving to God by supporting the poor, and through it one’s wealth is purified.  It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual’s wealth and assets.  Therefore, Zakah is not mere “charity”, it is an obligation on those who have received their wealth from God to meet the needs of less fortunate members of the community.  Zakah is used to support the poor and the needy, help those in debt, and, in olden times, to free slaves.

3)     The Fast of Ramadan (Sawm)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar which is spent in fasting.  Healthy Muslims abstain from dawn to sunset from food, drink, and sexual activity.  Fasting develops spirituality, dependence upon God, and brings identification with the less fortunate.  A special evening prayer is also held in mosques in which recitations of the Quran are heard.  Families rise before dawn to take their first meal of the day to sustain them till sunset.  The month of Ramadan ends with one of the two major Islamic celebrations, the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast, called Eid al-Fitr, which is marked by joyfulness, family visits, and exchanging of gifts.

4)     the Pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca

At least once in a lifetime, every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to sacrifice time, wealth, status, and ordinary comforts of life to make the Hajj pilgrimage, putting himself totally at God’s service.  Every year over two million believers from a diversity of cultures and languages travel from all over the world to the sacred city of Mecca[1] to respond to God’s call.

5) Wilayat and imamate

 Wilayat," derived from wila, means power, authority or a right of certain kind. In  theology, "wilayat" is the authority invested in the Prophet and the Ahl-ul-Bayt representatives of Almighty Allah on this earth.

According to the late Murtaza Mutahhari, wilayat has four dimensions:

The right of love and devotion (wila-e muhabbat): This right places the Muslims under the obligation of loving the Ahl-ul-Bayt.

The authority in spiritual guidance (wila-e imamat): This reflects the power and authority of the Ahl-ul-Bayt in guiding their followers in spiritual matters.

The authority in socio-political guidance (wila-e ziamat): This dimension of wilayat reflects the right that the Ahl-ul-Bayt have to lead the Muslims in social and political aspects of life.

The authority of the universal nature (wila-e tasarruf): This dimension reflects universal power over the entire universe that the Prophet and Ahl-ul-Bayt have been vested with by the grace of Almighty Allah.[ 1]

Using this division of wilayat's dimensions, I would like to point out the areas of agreement and disagreement among the various Muslim groups.