⋆*｡✧ islam practices 💡

The five pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam

• Shahada - declaration of faith.

• Salah - prayer.

• Zakah - charity.

• Sawm - fasting.

• Hajj - pilgrimage.

Shahadah

• The Shahadah is the declaration of faith, or the key statement of belief of Muslims.

• All Muslims know the declaration of faith and it is repeated multiple times during the day.

• For Sunni Muslims, the Shahada is there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is the prophet.

• For Shi’a Muslims, they add an extra phrase to the Shahada, they say Ali is the friend of God.

• The Shahadah is usually said a few times a day.

• It is always whispered into the babies ear at birth.

• The Shahadah forms the foundation of the other four pillars.

Zakah

• Zakah refers to a Muslim giving 2.5 per cent of their earnings to charity, after they have paid for what is necessary to support themselves and their family.

• People who are too poor are not required to suffer hardship in order to give Zakah.

• Muslims see wealth as ultimately belonging to Allah, and giving Zakah helps to make people more equal.

• Helping one another is seen as helping Allah.

• Zakah donations help Muslims to purify their souls by not being greedy.

• Some Muslims perform Zakah by giving directly to a charity.

• Others contribute to donations in the mosque, which then distributes the money to people in need.

Sadaqah

• Sadaqah is voluntary giving in addition to Zakah.

• Muslims are encouraged to give their money and time to good causes whenever possible.

Sawm

• Sawm is fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar.

• Muslims believe they are obeying God and exercising self-discipline.

• They believe they become spiritually stronger.

• It helps appreciating God’s gift’s, which may otherwise be take for granted.

• It helps Muslims to help develop empathy for the poor.

Salah

• It teaches Muslims to pray five times a day, giving praise and thanks to Allah.

• Muslims believe that Salah is commanded by Allah in the Qur’an.

• Prayer is seen as daily communication with Allah.

• Salah encourages self-discipline and keeps Muslims in close contact with Allah.

• This gives them the strength to remain committed to living a good and purposeful life.

• Praying the same set prayers to the same routine is a sign of solidarity with all other Muslims all over the world, it shows that everyone is equal.

• “So exalt with praise of your Lord and be of those who prostate. And worship your Lord until there comes to you a certainty”.

Hajj

• It is the pilgrimage to Mecca.

• It is compulsory for all Muslims to undertake this journey at least once in their lifetime as long as they are healthy and can afford to do so.

• Pilgrims wear ihram to symbolise unity and equality, for men it’s 2 sheets of white cloth wrapped around the body, while women dress in simple clothes that are usually white.

• Up to 25000 British Muslims go to Mecca every year.

What happens at Mecca

• Tawaf - walking 7 times anti-clockwise around the ka’bah, and often trying to tough the black stone, this was the practice of Muhammad.

• Sa’ee - walking between two hills in memory of Ibrahims wife Hagar, who was left in the desert with their son Isma’il, searching for water,

• Standing at Abrahat - a day of repentance and prayer, the place where Muhammad gave his final sermon.

• Ramy-Al Jimar - stoning of pillars that represent Satan, in memory of Ibrahims confrontation with the devil.

• Sacrifice - animals sacrificed to remember Ibraham’s son Isma’il’s readiness to give his life to God, the meat it distributed to the poor.

• Hair cutting - men shave their head, and women cut a few hairs to symbolise a new beginning.

Features of prayer

• Wudu - Muslims wipe their whole head and wash their and wash their feet, Shi’a Muslims wipe the front of the head and the top of their feet.

• Timings - there are 5 daily prayers, Muslims pray these at set times, some Shi’a’s Combine some of the prayers and pray three times a day.

• Recitations - words recited during salah are taken mainly from the Qur’an and the Hadith.

• Movements - each salah is made up of a sequence of actions and prayers known as rak’ah including standing, kneeling, bowing and prostrating.

• Direction - Muslims face Mecca where the Ka’bah is located.

• Most Muslims go to a mosque but it can be done at home.

The ten obligatory acts in Shi’a Islam

• Salah - committing to daily prayers.

• Sawm - fasting from just before dawn to sunset.

• Zakah - giving a proportion of your wealth to help the poor.

• Hajj - pilgrimage to Mecca.

• Jihad - the struggle to keep belief in Allah and follow his rules, to follow the five pillars successfully and to defend their religion.

• Khums - 20% annual tax.

• Amr-bil-Maroof - encouraging people to do what is good. Enjoin what is right and forbid wrong.

• Nahil Anril Munkar - forbidding evil by discouraging people from doing what is wrong.

• Tawalia - showing love.

• Tabarra - disassociation.

Greater Jihad

• It is the greater, personal inner struggle to be a good Muslim and to improve spiritually.

• It is a constant duty and seen as an act of worship.

• It involved following the 5 pillars, forgiving others, working for social justice, studying the Qur’an, helping those in need, avoiding negative traits and avoiding temptations.

Lesser Jihad

• It is about defending Islam from threat.

• Whilst most Muslims see Islam as a religion of peace, sometimes, Muslims have found it necessary to take up arms against enemies when they, or other Muslims have been persecuted.

• While the Qur’an allows violence to defend Islam, it warns against going beyond the limits of what is necessary for this defence.

• It must be in defence of Allah.

• No harm must be done.

• Peace must be restored.

• Mercy must be shown.

• It can never be used to justify terrorist attacks.

Id-Ul-Adha

• Commemoration of sacrifice.

• Marks the end of Hajj.

• Reminder of Allah’s blessings and how important it is to obey Allahs will.

• Everyone wears new clothes.

• People spend time with family and friends.

• Presents and cards are exchanged.

Id-Ul-Fatr

• Happens at the end of Ramadan.

• Day of thanksgiving to Allah.

• Celebrates the fact that Muslims have completed the fourth pillar of Islam.

• There is a service of prayers and a sermon.

Ashura

• Shi’a Muslim celebration.

• Commemoration of the anniversary of the death of Husayn, one of Muhammad’s grandsons.

• Day of reflection.

• He died in battle.

• Ten days before is a period of mourning, on the day fasting is discouraged.

• Many wear black,

• There are parades on the street.

Night of power

• It is believed Angels came down to Earth.

• Prayer on this night is better than one thousand months.

• Celebrated during Ramadan.

• Muslims come together to celebrate in a Mosque.

• It is believed that it is a time where Allah forgives sins.

• During Ramadan the Qur’an is read from beginning to end.