Islam

What are the Five Pillars of Faith?

Shahada

Salaah

Zakat

Sawm
Hajj

Shahada

the confession and declaration of Faith translates to 'there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah' recited each day in prayers

Salah

daily prayer, 5 times each day at Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (afternoon), Asr (late afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and Isha (night), In total, 40 mins of a 24 hr day. Must face towards Mecca, in sydney most turn west, can be performed anywhere as long as the space is clean, washing hands, face, feet, arms

Late afternoon

Asr

dawn

Fajr

afternoon

Dhuhr

Sunset

Maghrib

night

Isha

Zakat

charity, 2.5% of annual earning to a charity

Sawm

fasting during Ramadan, one month each year from sunrise to sundown Muslims fast, trim or shave their hair

Hajj

pilgrimage, all muslims who are physically/financially able must visit Mecca at least once in their life, they must go to Ka'ba

Afghanistan shahada

Islam is the state religion, and the Shahada is embedded into the constitution, school curriculum, public ceremonies, government identity. Religious identity is socially enforced, with strong societal pressure to adhere to Sunni Islamic traditions. Children learn the Shahada in madrasas.

Australia Shahada

Shahada is often a conscious adult choice rather than a cultural inheritance. Shahada is expressed privately or in mosque ceremonies, not embedded in national identity.

Afghanistan Salah

Public life is structured around prayer times. The adhan (call to prayer) is broadcast publicly from mosques nationwide. Friday prayer (Jumu’ah) attendance is extremely high due to: workplace accommodation, cultural obligation, religious enforcement under Taliban rule

Australia Salah

No public call to prayer. Muslims rely on apps and timetables. prayer practice varies widely due to: work schedules, school commitments, lack of dedicated prayer spaces. many must find prayer around school or work hours some workplaces provide prayer rooms, others do not. Friday prayer attendance depends on employer flexibility.

Afghanistan Zakat

Zakat is a critical survival mechanism due to extreme poverty. It is usually given directly to neighbours, local poor families, Mosque leaders

Australia Zakat

Zakat is calculated formally and paid through registered charities, such as the National Zakat Foundation (NZF) and others

Afghanistan Sawm

Ramadan is a nationwide observance. The first day of Ramadan is a public holiday. Restaurants and cafes remain closed during daylight hours.

Australia Sawm

Society does not adjust working hours for Ramadan. Muslims fast while maintaining normal school and work routines.

Afghanistan Hajj

Hajj is a major life milestone, families often save for years. Historically, the Afghan government organised official Hajj groups. Returning pilgrims are celebrated by their communities.

Australia Hajj

Pilgrims join private Hajj tour operators, cost is high due to distance

Pre-Islamic Arabia was a ........

melting pot of different cultures and religions

Social background

- Lawlessness: No organised system of governance, only Tribal chiefs.

- Only source of protection against enemies are other members of your tribe.

- No status for women other than sexual objects for men

- Female infant buried alive

- Nomads: uneducated rural people, stole and sabotaged tribes

Economic background

- Makkah: merchants, caravan traders in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain. Trading in spice, metal

Large disparity between the rich and the poor.

- Yathrib: Arabs farming and agriculture, Jewish industry

- Usury- money lending (100% interest rate) that suppressed freedom

- Male and female slaves treated as commodities (lowest social class)

Religious background

- Many religions worshipping many different Gods.

Polytheists: corruption of the prophet Ibrahim's teachings, idolatry (360 idols)

- Zoroastrians- two gods representing light and dark, in eternal combat

- Jews: expelled from Judea, living in Arabia

- Christian: converted Arabian tribes, Ethiopian invaders, spreading the movement (particularly in Yemen)

- Monotheists: followed the teachers of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham)

What did muslims call the time before Islam and why?

period of ignorance, called Jāhiliyyah.

what are the Bedouin (tribes)

nomadic tribes as well as settled communities in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam

what are the Quraysh (tribes)

the tribe Muhammad was born into in the town of Mecca

who is Khadija

first wife of the Prophet Muhammad, the first person to convert to Islam, and is revered as the "Mother of Believers

what is Mecca

The town that Muhammad was born in

what is the Ka'ba

is Mecca's most sacred religious site. It is believed by Muslims to have been built much earlier by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael (centuries before Muhammad) and renovated from time to time

who is Jibril

Jibril (Gabriel) is considered the highest-ranking archangel in Islam, serving as the trusted intermediary between Allah and His prophets. He brought the Qur'an to Muhammed.

al-Hijra

the 622 CE migration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution, marking the start of the Islamic calendar

Medina

A city in Saudi Arabia

umma

the collective community of Muslim people

Treaty of Hudaybiya

A pivotal 10-year peace agreement in 628 AD between Prophet Muhammad, representing Medina, and the Quraysh tribe of Mecca

When was he born?

AD570

How old was he when his father + mother died?

6

How old was he when his grandfather died?

8

when did Khadija and him get married

AD595

What happened in 610 AD

he went into a cave where the angel Gabriel spoke to him - first revelation

what happened in 622 AD?

the founding of the first Islamic state, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

What happened in 624 AD?

the tensions between the Muslims of Medina and the 'pagans' in the south of Mecca reached a high point, the battle of Badr, despite being outnumbered he and his Muslim fighters won.

what happened in 629 AD?

Muhammad marched on Mecca, with 10,000 men, the city was powerless, its citizens converted to Islam.

what are some characteristics of Muhammad that Muslims seek to emulate in their lives

- Kindness despite aggression

- His regard for orphans

- His pleasant attitude

- He never became angry or rude

- Sense of humour

- Man of peace

- He was kind towards children

- His respect for women

- His generosity

- Honest

- Leader

- Teacher

- Judge

what is Sunnah

Doing whatever the prophet said or does

Who are the four Caliphs

Abu Bakr

Umar

Uthman

Ali

Top four things about Abu Bakr?

- Abu Bakr was the closest friend, trusted advisor, and father-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the first male convert to Islam.

- Abu Bakr (r. 632-634) was instrumental in securing the survival and expansion of the early Muslim movement,

- served as the first Caliph after Prophet Muhammad's death.

- Ordered the first official, written compilation of the Quran into a single volume

Top four things about Umar?

- Senior companion, close advisor, and father-in-law to the Prophet Muhammad

- Shifted it from a regional Arabian power into a world-spanning empire

- Revered for his justice and piety

established institutions that solidified Islamic governance for centuries.

- Introduced Hijri Calendar

Top four things about Uthman?

- Second cousin and son in law to Muhammad

Top four things about Ali?

- Cousin and son in law to Muhammad

- His teachings, sermons and letters are foundational to Islamic theology

- Premier military commander, renowned warrior, foundational scholar

- Deep theological divides regarding his succession to Muhammad

Sunni

- Traditionalists

- 85% of today's Muslims

- Matters of religious importance should be decided by consensus (ijma), the consensus being a council of scholars (ulama)

- Aversion to worshipping Islamic 'saints'

- They do have their own personal heroes and holy sites however it is less pronounced than Shi'ite

- Recognise all 4 Caliphs

- The leadership of the community is not a birthright but a trust to be earnt

- Angels created by light, have no free will, and always follow God's plan

- Stress more on the literal meaning of the Qur'an rather than subjective meanings

Shia/ Shi'ite

- 15% of today's Muslims

- Deep passion for the memory of Muhammad, Fatima, Ali and all other members of the Prophets family.

- Do not acknowledge the authority of Sunni

- Ali is the true successor

- Imam is pure by nature, and authority is unquestionable as it comes from God

- Believe that angels were created by God, limited free will