Islam practices

Ibadah

Acts of worship performed with the intention of obeying Allah

Niyyah

Having the right intention to worship God

Shahadah

- declaration of faith
- heard throughout the day e,g in prayer
- first words whispered into a newborns ear + last words a dying Muslim hears
- have to say it with right niyyah for it to be meaningful
- to become a Muslim you must recite Shahadah with meaning

Conversion vs reversion

God is our creator and we are all born Muslim, so when we become Muslim, we are reverting to our original and natural faith

Salah

- most important way to worship God is through prayer, must pray 5 times a day
- pray facing Mecca
- pray in Rak'ahs - sequence of mouvements following a set pattern

Preparation for prayer

- declaration of niyyah- shows that the prayer is deliberate and the muslim is setting aside time to focus solely on God.
- Wudu (washing)- wash hands/mouth/nose/face/arms/head/feet in particular order. Outward sign of the inner cleanliness needed to face God

Importance of the Night of Power

"The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months."- Quran

- holiest night of the year- when the Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad, time of thanksgiving for the Quran, divine revelation which has moral guidance for Muslims, as Muhammad was the last prophet, considered the last revelation

- the night of power takes place during ramadan, which is a month of fasting (considered a duty), also believed that Allah forgives Muslims' sins on this day if they pray and demonstrate faith throughout ramadan, as the exact day of the night of power is not known

When do Muslims pray

Fajr (just after dawn)
Zuhr (just after midday)
As'r (late afternoon)
Maghrib (after sunset)
Isha (after dark)

Mosque

A place of prostration for Muslims, it is a communal place of worship for a Muslim community

Jumu'ah prayers

- Friday- Muslims come together at the mosque for congregational prayers
- Sermon given by imam

Du'a prayer

- personal prayer
- those who love god will find time of their own to form a personal connection with god
- spontaneous opportunities to spend time with God

Missed prayers

- catch up later
- seen as a sin to miss prayers regularly without valid reason

Zakah

- give 2.5% of wealth every year
- Quran says to give to those in need like orphans and travellers
- If you pray for others must be prepared to share with them
- giving is a sign of purity - wealth has a corrupting influence and can be evil
- our wealth isn't ours, given by god for the benefit of all humans - we are khalifahs
- following Muhammad's example

Sadaqah

Giving from the heart
- voluntary giving, any good deed don't out of compassion or generosity e.g gift of time/ helping others

Sawm

- fasting during Ramadan + no smoking/ sex/ unkind thoughts or actions
- self discipline and spiritual reflection
- Ramadan is significant as it is believed to be the month that prophet Muhammad received the first verses of the Quran

Celebrating the Quran in Ramadan

- Muslims gather at mosques for extra night prayers
- recitation of one section of the Quran so all has been recited by the end
- all Muslims should attend on night of power (27th day)

Why do Muslims fast

- commanded by God in the Quran
- follows example of Prophet Muhammad
- brings people closer to God
- helps identify with poor
- promotes self control
- unites ummah

Hajj

- only non compulsory pillar, only a duty for those who have enough money and are physically and mentally strong enough to
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Importance of Mecca

- Where prophet Ibrahim was commanded by god to sacrifice his son
- Muhammad was born
- Muhammad received the first revelations from God

Ihram

- pilgrims enter a state of purity, where they dedicate themselves to humility and prayer.
- Normal clothing put away pilgrims put on special garments: men must wear two sheets of white, unsewn cloth; women must put on a plain, ankle-length garment, can leave their faces uncovered,

Tawaf

Act of circling the Kaaba 7 times, counterclockwise

Walking seven times between hills of Mawah and Safa

Memory of Ibrahims wife's desperate search for water

Drinking from Zam Zam well

Remembers spring of water revealed to Ibrahims wife

Wukuf

Standing before God on plain of Arafat (Hajj)
- remembering gods mercy and forgiveness

Collecting pebbles at Muzdalafah

Throw them at the pillars of Mina to represent rejection of the devil .

Greater Jihad

- spiritual struggle with oneself
- follow a life that is pleasing to god e.g live by the 5 pillars
- battle against laziness/ making the effort to be a better person
- encouraging right, making the world a better place
- Muslims should live in peace and harmony and with respect for others as every single life is precious

Lesser jihad

- outward and communal struggle to defend Islam
- can't be agressive, must be self defence, can't be first to attack
- comes from time of Muhammad when he gave his followers permission to fight when people were trying to wipe out Islam
- in a war you can only fight back against those who fought you, can't kill innocent civilians
- e.g Jihad when Muslims fought Christian crusaders

Who can declare jihad

- can only be declared by a Muslim who is holy and pure and who is supported by the whole Muslim community
- due to different sects, there isn't one undisputed leader, so nobody is eligible to declare holy war

Jihad today

- some Islamic extremists argue that the attack on the Twin towers in 2001 was an act of jihad
- moderate Muslims reject this as it targeted innocent civilians
- 2014 Jihadi fighters seized large areas of Syria and set up an area governed by Shariah law to restore Gods rule on earths

Id-ul-Adha

- festival of sacrifice
- most important event on Muslim calendar
- marks end of Hajj
- Remember Ibrahims story as he was willing to sacrifice his son to show his love for god, then heard a voice telling him to sacrifice a sheep instead
- meat from a sacrificed animal is shared amongst family/ friends/ poor
- Devil came to tempt Ibrahim but his faith was too strong - shows importance of total commitment to God
- Niyyah- actual sacrifice isn't important but the personal sacrifice made is

How is Id-ul-Adha celebrated?

- pray in mosque
- in Britain, can't kill animals without a license, get a butcher to do it for them and distribute the meat
- giving some to the poor is a duty

What is Id-ul-Fitr?

- festival celebrating the end of Ramadan and start of a new month
- Muslims thank god for giving them the strength needed to give up food and water
- in some countries it is a public holiday, in Britain Muslim children/ people working are given the day off
- strong sense of gratitude and generosity

How is Id-ul-Fitr celebrated?

- gather in mosques
- share a meal
- give generously to the poor so everyone can enjoy a meal

Zakat-Ul-fitr

Additional donation Muslims are expected to make to the poor

Ashura in Sunni Islam

- day of fasting
- Prophet Muhammad established it as a day of fasting based on Jewish day of atonement,ent
- occasion to thank god for saving the Israelites
- remember how Misa fasted in gratitude to God for opening up the Red Sea

Ashura in Shia Islam

- remember death of Husain at Karbala, believe he was the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad, seen as third imam, sense of injustice
- public displays of grief, people cry and wail, blood is spilled, day of mourning
- those who feel they should loss blood may be encouraged to donate to the blood transfusion service

Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam

Furu ad-Din
- Ten obligatory acts which form the key features of religious life
- Salah, Sawm, Hajj, Zakah, Khums, Jihad, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahil Anril Munkar, Tawalia, Tabarra

Khums

In addition to Zakah, Shi'as are expected to pay Khums, a wealth tax of 20 per cent of their savings. This money is paid to Muslim scholars and community leaders for the welfare of the community.

Amr-bil-Maroof

Encouraging others to do good so we can leave in a peaceful society

Nahïl Anril Munkar

- forbid evil
- responsibility of whole community to discourage harmful actions

Tawalia

Having love for God, Muhammad and all friends of God
- try to associate ourselves with people who are kind and trustworthy as they are people of God
- having love for 12 infallible imams

Tabarra

Dissociate from enemies of God
- separate ourselves from those who are impure and oppressed others

Differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims

Sunni- interpret the Quran literally and don't look for hidden meanings, Quran is an earthly copy of a heavenly original
Shia- everything in it has a hidden meaning with only Imams can interpret, Quran was created by God as a guide for humans

Sunni- imams are ordinary men chosen by community
Shia- imam is a holy figure, descendants of Muhammad, first imam was Ali (not Abu Bak'r which is what Sunnis believe)