The da’īs & pīrs, taught and emphasised the esoteric or ta’wīlī aspects of the seven pillars of Islam. Sī’ah Islam has seven pillars, in contrast to Sunnī Islam which has five pillars. Hazrat Imam Muhammed al-Baqir a.s. Said: 

“Islam is based on seven pillars: Walāyah (the authority of and devotion to the Imām), Tahārah (ritual purity), ṣalāt (prayers), zakāt (religious due), ṣawm (fasting), ḥajj (pilgrimage) and jihād (struggling according to the command of the Prophet or the Imam)” 

Among these pillars, the most fundamental and important is walāyah, because it is through the walī i.e the Prophet at the time of revelation and now the Imām of the time, that the other pillars can be understood and practised. Walāyah plays the pivotal role among these pillars, because in ta’wīl, they all revolve around the Imam of the time and they all allude to his central position. 

Reference: A Living Branch of Islam : Ismailis of the Mountains of Hunza (Dr. FM Hunzai)