The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Islam is built upon five [pillars]: the testimony that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying zakat, making the hajj to the House, and fasting in Ramadan’ (narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim). This short treatise succinctly presents each of these five pillars with the detail necessary for their correct understanding and application. The author, Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Ghunaymī al-Maydānī (d. 1298/1880 or 1881), was born and raised in Damascus. There he memorised the Qur’an and studied under the foremost scholars of the time. As well as his expertise in Islamic law, he was also renowned for his exemplary piety. He is most famous for his popular commentary on the Ḥanafī legal classic Mukhtaṣar al-Qudūrī, known simply as al-Lubāb.