Contents Preface Transliteration 1 Status quaestionis 1 The Three Aspects of the Problem 2 Do the Five Pillars Have a Manichaean Origin? 3 The Symbolism of the Number Five 4 Ordinary Uses of the Word rukn 2 The Meaning of amal bi-l-arkan 3 Is the Idea of the "Pillars of Islam" Present in the Quran? 1 2 3 Other Verses Combine Articles of Faith, "Social" Obligations and Ritual Prescriptions 4 Some Verses Limit Themselves to Defining the Articles of Faith 5 Other Verses Combine Articles of Faith with Social Obligations 6 Verses Combining Social Obligations with Ritual Prescriptions4 Tradition: the Canonical Formula of the Pillars of Islam 1 The Canonical Formulation 2 Other Texts5 The Expression arkan al-islam 1 Before the Pillars of Islam 2 The Pillars of Islam: a Weapon to Combat Division? 3 Early Successes 4 Postscript6 Epilogue Bibliography Index of Arabic Terms and Proper Names Index of Quranic Verses.