It must be performed in a state of ritual purity and every word must be in Arabic. Islam opposes the practice of withdrawing into ascetic life. For this reason, there is no priesthood, as is known in the West, only 'ulema, learned men, who are well-versed in Islamic law and tradition. Throughout the Muslim world, services are held at noon on Fridays in mosques. Muhammad did not explicitly designate Friday as a day of rest, only a part of which is devoted to a special religious service.
Merchants are free to open their shops before and after the service.
The third Pillar of Islam, Almsgiving, zaka or zakat, embodies the principle of social responsibility. This precept teaches that what belongs to the believer also belongs to the community in the ultimate sense, and that only by donating a pro-portion of his wealth for public use does a person legitimize what he or she retains. The zaka, in addition to the other tenets of islam, is a religious obligation and believers are expected to treat it seriously. To a Muslim, it means observing Ramadan, the month during which, it is written, God sent the Qur'cin to the lowest heaven where Gabriel received it and revealed it in time to Muhammad. Fasting demands complete abstinence from food and drink from dawn to sunset every day during Ramadan.