As a Muslim the five pillars are central points upon which life
is based, and is similar as that of Muslims minorities in other
countries in which the practice of Islam is not under direct
government threat of violence.
The first pillar, to testify that there is no god but Allah and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah form the basis of belief which
makes someone a Muslim.
The second pillar, to pray the five obligatory prayers at their
appointed time throughout the day, can be performed virtually
anywhere which is pure of human and animal waste and is clean, i.e.
in a mosque, at work, home, park, etc. There are prayer schedules
available for every city in America, as well as compasses which
point the way to Mecca (which Muslims must face while praying).
The third pillar, fasting the month of Ramadan from sunrise to
sunset, is fairly easy for a healthy person, especially if the rise
before the morning prayer to take the traditional breakfast, known
as Suhur. Working generally poses not additional health issues, and
is not particularly tiring (Muslims have not been commanded to
abandon or shorten work during Ramadan). Nearly all, if not all
American cities have at least one Mosque where Muslims can gather
with friends for the evening meal known as Iftar. In addition,
people can visit each other in their homes. The special night
prayer, Tarrawiyyah, is also held at all of the large mosques.
The fourth pillar, zakat religiously obligatory poor-due, is a
little more difficult to fulfill since each person is responsible
for determining if he meets the minimum wealth requirement to pay
zakat since America (and virtually every country today) does not
have official zakat collectors to assist Muslims. However, there
are organizations and online groups to help in calculating and
distributing zakat. However, the payer is responsible for
determining the wealth goes to those deserving it.
The fifth pillar, Hajj or annual pilgrimage to the Holy sites of
Mecca, is fulfilled through any of an array of tourist groups
created for this purpose. Americans have it easier than Muslims
living in traditional Muslim countries, since they can go whenever
they desire so long as they can afford it without concern for
quotas or age restrictions (some countries only those 70 or older
are eligible to apply for Hajj visas).