Islam Practices

Islam Practices

ibadah

acts of worship; any permissible action performed with the intention to obey God

what does Ibadah tell us about Islam

that it is a complete way of life and worship is a 24/7 reality and religious belief and action should be present in all we do

niyyah

having the right intention to worship God

what does niyyah tell us about worship in Islam

when worshipping Muslims need to be dedicated and focused on Allah regardless of how they feel or if they feel Allah close to them

what are the five pillars (definition)

the five duties that Muslims (Shia and Sunni) must follow

list the five pillars

1. Shahadah

2. Salah

3. Zakah

4. Sawm

5. Hajj

how do Sunni’s view the five pillars

specifically set the duties out clearly and see them as pillars holding up the religion

why do Sunni’s hold the five pillars so highly

Sunni’s try to keep all five as it keeps their faith strong, makes them better Muslims and supports the religion fully

what is shahadah definition

the Muslim declaration of faith, which all Muslims know the words and must be wholeheartedly recited to be a Muslim

what is the Shahadah quoted

there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger

what would Shia’s add to the Shahadah

and Ali is the friend of God

what is the Shia equivalent of five pillars

ten obligatory acts

is the Shahadah one of the ten obligatory acts

no, but Shia’s do say it during prayer

what is another name for the Shahadah

the Kalimah prayer

how does someone convert to Islam

by reciting the Shahadah three times in front of witnesses, read out loud and recited honestly and fully understanding what it means

when do Muslims hear the Shahadah

• when someone converts to Islam

• said a few times each day

• whispered into a baby’s ear at birth so the first words the baby hears

• aims to be the last words they say or hear before death

• in their daily prayers (salah)

• call to prayer in Sunni (adhan)

what does the Shahadah show a Muslim believes

• monotheism and that Allah is their one and only God (tawhid)

• Muhammad is Allah’s most important messenger

• Muhammad has a personal relationship with Allah

• this statement is accepted as truth

• they are dedicated to Islam and Allah

• they will obey all the commitments of Islam and Allah

• they will follow Muhammad’s teachings and his teachings come from Allah

why is the Shahadah important

• highlights the key beliefs of Islam

• shows that a Muslim is truly dedicated to Allah

• forms the foundation of the other four pillars

• said all the time in a Muslim’s life and is in everything they do

what is Salah

prayer

how many times do Sunni’s pray per day

5

how many times do Shia’s pray per day

3 but two of them combine two prayers together (so still 5 total)

importance of salah

• prayer seen as daily communication with Allah and so helps to keep a close bond

• encourages self-discipline and keeps Muslims in close contact with Allah, helping them have the strength to remain committed to living a good and purposeful life

• reminds Muslims of their purpose in life and their relationship with God

• time of reflection

what is Du’a

personal prayer (prayer of individual speaking to God privately) done in addition to salah

quote in Quran that Allah says Salah is commanded

“so exalt Allah with praise of your Lord and be of those who prostrate to Him”

“worship you Lord until there comes to your a certainty (death)”

why do all Muslims across the world pray at the same times each day

is a sign of solidarity with all other Muslims all over the world and that everyone is equal- ummah

what is prostration

where you bow down to pray with head on floor; complete obedience to Allah

jumu’ah

congregational prayers which take place on Friday and is special as there’s a sermon for everyone to attend

why is it important to pray together with other people

meant to develop feeling of unity among Muslim community

why do men and women pray separately

so they concentrate on Allah and not each other

how do Muslims prepare for prayer

• take off their shoes and place on rack

• girls and women cover their head with hijab

• men cover their head with a topi

• wudu (ritual washing)

why do Muslims perform wudu before prayer

so they are spiritually clean for prayer

how do Muslims perform wudu

wash their hands, face and feet with water three times

is wudu prep for prayer or a part of prayer

• sunni- wudu is prep for prayer

• shia- wudu is part of prayer

where can wudu be performed

mosques have washrooms where this can happen

what should a Muslim do if they don’t have water for wudu

sand or dust can be used instead

features of a Muslim prayer hall

• empty

• lots of space for Muslims to pray

• carpet with lines to space people out

• mihrab archway

• dome

• no pictures of people or animals

what are mosques decorated with

scripture/calligraphy or geometrical designs

who are mosques decorated in this way

pictures of people or animals are seen as idols and geometry is instead used to represent the continuity of Allah and with calligraphy as they are the words of God from the Quran

what does the dome in a mosque do

• helps voice echo

• reminder of heaven above

• keeps cool

what direction do Muslims pray

towards Makkah

what angle do Muslims pray

Qibla angle which points towards Makkah

what signals Makkah in a mosque

the mihrab

what does all Muslims praying towards Makkah represent

represents equality and the ummah as everyone prays in the same direction

what does prayer start with

a declaration of niyyah, showing that the worshipper is making an intentional effort to set time aside to communicate with God

what a rak’ah

series of movements during prayer

what are the different stages of rak’ah in order

• takbir

• ruku

• qiyam

• sujud

• jalsa

• tashahud

• salam

what is takbir

standing facing mecca with hands raised to head high saying Allahu Akbar

what is ruku

bow

what is qiyam

standing with hands on chest saying short prayer of supplication

what is sujud

bow and touch head to floor

what is jalsa

kneeling

what is tashahud

recitation of Shahadah

what is salam

end of prayer

how is prayer important at home

a big part of family life; meals and other family activities often scheduled o fit around prayer times

do families pray together at hom

yes; men, women, dadults and children

where do Muslims pray at home

anywhere but some Muslim families have a room set aside especially for prayer

what is zakah

almsgiving, where a Muslim, if possible, gives 2.5% of their earnings to charity, after they have paid for what is necessary to support themselves and their family

is zakah a choice

no, its a religious duty; compulsory almsgiving rather than charity

who pays zakah

everyone, only if they have savings greater than a certain figure, known as nisab, so those who are poor don’t have to suffer to give zakah

what does zakah literally mean

to cleanse or purify

how can wealth be bad

can be evil and separate us, making humans greedy and distracted from Allah; sharing wealth is a means of purification

what does Islam teach about the wealth and how it should be distributed

teaches humans are khalifahs so everything they own is Allahs, including their wealth, so what they are doing is distributing Allah’s wealth equally, so helping one another is helping Allah

what is a khalifah

Allah’s representative on Earth

did Muhammad encourage giving and what shows this

he did and practiced it himself “the one who looks after and works for a widow and for poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah’s cause”

what does a giver receive in the afterlife

hundredfold of what they gave

what is sadaqah

voluntary giving in addition to Zakah, done out of compassion for others; could be money or the gift of time to good causes whenever possible

why is sadaqah good

helps others who need it and further strengthens relationship with Allah

who receive zakah

• the poor

• in the cause of Allah

• those in debt

• wayfarer

• needy

• those in bondage

• administrators of zakah

• reconciliation of hearts

what does it mean by poor

those who don’t have any assets and no means by which they can earn their living or those who have money less than amount to pay zakah

what does it mean in the cause of Allah

can be used in defence of Islam and promoting Islamic value system

what does it mean those in debts

may be used to pay off debts, so long as these debts were not incurred in an act contrary to Islamic law

what does it mean by wayfarer

who left his home for a lawful purpose and for whatever good reason does not possess enough money to return home, even if he is rich in his own country

what does it mean by the needy

those whose earnings don’t cover their basic needs or have no earnings at alll

what does it mean for those in bondage

those in slavery; allocated to help Muslims free themselves from bondage

what does administrators of zakah mean

those serving in the field of zakah, including those responsible for collecting, storing, guarding, registering and distributing zakah

what does reconciliation of hearts mean

those who have embraced Islam or who are inclined to it

quote talking about who receives zakah

alms are meant only for the poor, the needy, etc”

what do Shia Muslims also practice to do with charity

khums, in addition to zakah

what is khums

donate 20% of their excess earnings/savings

where does khums money go

half goes to religious leaders to spend on Allah’s behalf and the rest is given to charity/poor

what is sawm

fasting during Ramadan

why is the month of Ramadan special

its believed to be the month in which Muhammad began to receive revelations of the Quran

how long does Ramadan and fasting last

29-30 days

what should you do during Ramadan

• give up food, liquid, smoking and sexual activity during daylight hours

• break fast with community (family and friends)

• spend time studying the Quran (entirety is read at mosques during the month)

• focus on Allah

• break fast with dates

what shouldn’t you do during Ramadan

• eat and drink between sunrise and sunset

• gossip

• cheat

• lie

• swear

• sexual activity

• smoking

what does Ramadan end with

Id-ul-Fitr

what does fast begin and end

begins at first light and ends at dusk

what meal is eaten at dawn before fasting

suhur

what meal is eaten to break the fast

iftar

what happens at a mosque during Ramadan

• extra night prayers

• read through all of Quran this month

when is the night of power and what do Muslims do on it

during Ramadan and all Muslims attend mosque this night

what is the night of power

when the first revelation of Quran given to Muhammad

who are excluded from fasting

• sick

• children under 12

• very old

• pregnant

• breast-feeding

• menstruating

• travelling

what should any adult do if they don’t fast for any other reason other than the above

make up for the fasting later or donate to the poor instead

reasons for fasting

• obeying God and exercising self-discipline

• becoming spiritually stronger

• appreciating God’s gifts, which may otherwise be taken for granted

• developing empathy for the poor

• giving thanks for the Quran, whose revelation to Muhammad begun in month of Ramadan

• sharing fellowship with other Muslims

• following in footsteps of Muhammad, who also did this

what is hajj

the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, that every Muslim should try to make at least once in their life

what is pilgrimage

a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons; an act of worship and devotion

what is a hajji

a male who has completed hajj

what is a hajjah

a female who has completed hajj

where does the pilgrimage start and end

Makkah