islam practices

5 Pillars - Sunni

Shahadah - declaration of faith

Salah - prayer - 5x a day

Zakah - charity - 2.5% of savings

Sawm - fasting - during Ramadan

Hajj - pilgrimage to Mecca

importance of 5 pillars

• Reminds Muslims to practice their faith by providing a clear framework for doing so

• Unites Muslims and strengthens community

• Shows devoteion to God and strengthens faith

• Helps Muslims to put their faith into action and prioritise God in their lives

• all 5 pillars are based on teachings from the Qurán and Prophet Muhammad

10 Oligatory Acts - Shi’a

Salah - prayer - 3x a day

Sawm - fasting - during Ramadan

Zakah - charity - 2.5% of savings annually

Hajj - pilgrimage to Mecca

Jihad - Struggle - greater and lesser

Khums - taxation - 20% annually

Amr-bin Maroof - encouraging good

Nahil AAnril Muhkar - discouraging evil

Tawalia - love - for God and others

Tabarra - disassociation from God’s enemies

Shahadah

• Islamic declaration of faith

• Affirms belief in the oneness of God

  • ‘there is no God but Allah’

• Affirms belief that Prophet Muhammad is God’s messenger and final prophet, founder of Islam and seal of the prophets

  • ‘and Muhammad is his messenger’

• First words a newborn baby will hear

• Known and memorised by all Muslism

• Recited daily during prayer

• Last words said or heard before death

• Recited in front of witnesses to convert

• Foundation for the other pillars

• Shi’a addition reflects the Shia belief that Ali was the rightful successor to his cousin Prophet Muhammad.

Importance of the Shahadah

• Islamic declaration of faith

• Recited throughout your day and life

• Affirms belief in Tawhid and the importance of Prophet Muhammad

• Shows obedience and commitment

• Foundation for the other pillars

Salah

prayer with and in worship or God, performed under conditions set by prophet muhammad

Benefits of regular prayer

• deepends faith and spirituality

• support and guidance in times of hardship

• opportunity to repent

• develops your relat with Gid

• express gratitude

• reminerer of faith and helps to live a goldlife

• follows sunnah

• shows submission and devotion to god

wudu

ritual washing before prayer

• have to spiritually clean before prayer as a sign of respect

• if water is not available, a dry form of washing is allowed

  • it is all about spiritual cleanliness and focusing on devotion to Allah

Mihrab

a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of mecca

Qiblah wall

the wall in a mosque that contians the mihrab

Rak’ah

a sequence of movements in ritual prayer

recitation

repeating a passage of text form memory

prostration

kneeeling with the forehead, nose, hands, knees and toes touching the floor, in submission to God

Jummah prayer

a weekly communal prayer performed after midday on Frdiay and includes a sermon

why go to the mosque to pray

• angels come down when there is a religious gathering

• connection w community

• feel close to god

• learn from imam

• ask qs

• ummah

• sunnah

significance of prayer

• prayer is what Allah has commanded

• creates a greater awareness of Allah which in turn motivates them to do his will

• unites the ummah as they all pray in the same way

• reciting the Qur’an during prayer helps reinforce the importance

• act of bowing and prostrating reminds Muslims that Allah is greater and more importance than they are

Zakah

purification of wealth by giving 2.5% of savings each year to the poor/chairty

• only those with savings greater than the nisab are required to give zakah

  • 87g gold value or 612g silver value

Sadaqah

good actions or voluntary payments that are undertaken for charitable reasons

• on top of zakah

• gives back to the ummah even if you can’t pay zakah

Khums

a 20% tax paid by Shia Muslims on their excess incomes on top os Zakah

• one of 10 ob acts

• 10 to religious leaders to spend on behalf of god on things deemed necessary

  • 10 to poor and needy

why is zakah importanct

• fulfilling a duty (Qur’an notes this is required to be a good muslim)

• learn to share Allah’s wealth as it was intended and not be greedy with it

• strenghtens communities relats w eachother as the rich support the poor

• salat makes muslism think of others and zakah puts this thought into action

• helps those in need and promotes equality, unity and justice in society

• will be rewarded in afterlife

ramadan

9th month of muslim calendar, during which muslism must fast from dawn to sunset

intention of ramadan

• to focus on allah, faith and spiritual growth

  • pure thoughts necessary to cleanse soul

• fasting requires huge amounts of self dsicipline

  • allows muslims to show submission to allah as they sactidice physical needs

• zakah is given towards end of ramadan

• develops mindfulness of god

• strenghtens relat w g

• devs self discipline and mastery

• devs compassion for the poor

night of power

• impt. festival that marks revelation of qur’an to muhammad

• exact date not agreed on, believed one of odd-nu,bered dates in the 2nd half of ramadan

• observing the night of power gives muslims benefit of worshipping for 1000 months

• muslims try to keep awake throuhgotu the night on each of the possible dates, devoting themselves to prayer and studying the qur’an

importance of sawm

• religious duty prescribed in the Qur’an

• develops a ‘mindfulness of god’ - Q

• streghtmsn faith and devotion to god

• devs self discipline and mastery

• reaffirms that ramadan is the holiest month

hajj

• annual pilgrimage to mecca that every muslim should try to make at least once in their life

• only obligatory is your can afford it

• some communites will pay for members to go

• occurs on 8th-12th dhu al-hijjah (last month of islamic year)

• pilgrimage commemmorates sacrifice of ibrahim

• first pilgimage done by muhammad 628 ce

ka’aba

black cube shaped building in the centre of the grand mosque in mecca, the holiest place and birthplace of islam

entering ihram

setting pure intention for pilgrimage and rituals ahead

tawaf

walking in circles anticlckwise around the ka’aba (house of god) - at start and end

sa’i

walking.running between the two hills of safa and marwa 7 times

• remembers hajar’s struggle to find water for her son ismail in the desert

  • symbolises human struggle

wuquf at arafat

spend the day ‘standing before god’ (/sitting still) at the mount of mercy - pray, heartfelt supplications, ask for forgiveness and listen to a sermon

stoning of the devil

throwing stones at three pillars (jamarat) in Mina which represent the devil - rejection of temptaion

then sacrifice a sheep as a reminder of ibrahim’s obedience to God

halq/taqsir

men shave head / trim hair

women cut a lock the size of fingertip

• muhammad shaved head

• symbolises spiritual renewal, letting go of your ego, cleanse from past sins

importance of Hajj

• religious duty

• seek forgiveness

• strenghen faith

• unity with other pilgrims

• remembers prophet ibrahim, exemplar of faith

• follwos in footsteps of muhammad in eah step

• mecca is holiest city