Islam Practices Flashcards
What do Sunni Muslims believe about the five pillars?
That they help them to live a perfect Muslim life and show commitment to Allah. It also helps to create a community that binds Muslims together. / They are the foundation of the Islamic religion
What are the five pillars of Sunni Islam?
- Hajj: pilgrimage
- Salah: prayer
- Shahadah: declaration of faith
- Zakat: charity
- Sawm: fasting
What is Hajj?
Making pilgrimage to the house of Allah in Mecca
How many Muslims roughly take part in Hajj?
3 million
What is a Qur’anic verse about Hajj?
‘Pilgrimage to the house is a duty owed to God by people who are able to undertake it’
What do Muslims believe happened 4000 years ago?
God told the prophet Ibrahim to take his wife and son to Arabia and told to leave them on their own with some supplies of food and water, within a few days the supplies had run out and Hajira and Ishamel were suffering from hunger nd dehydration. Looking for help Hajira ran up and down two hills before collapsing beside her son and paying to Allah. ishamel struck his foot on the groun dcausing water to guh up from the earth, they traded some of the water for food and other supplies when Ibrahim returned, he was told by God to build a shrine dedicated to Him which was the Ka’aba. Ibrahim was told to make the Ka’aba a pure place of woship and call people to do hajj there.
What is Salah?
Prayer - to be given to Allah five times each day from sunrise to sunset - they change slightly everyday
How many times a day do Shi’a Muslims pray?
Three times - they combine the five prayers
What do Muslims have to do before prayer?
They have to make sure they are spiritually clean before they pray. They do this through spiritual washing, ablution (wudu)
What is a Quranic verse about wudu?
‘You who believe, when you are about to pray, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, wash your feet up to the ankles, and if required wash your whole body’
How do mosques ensure Muslims perform wudu?
They set aside two rooms for washing, one for men and one for women
How is ablution performed?
Under running water, not a basin to ensure the water is clean. If water is not available, a dry form of washiing is allowed using sand or dust. This illustrates that it is not about physical cleanliness but spiritual cleanliness.
In what direction do Muslims face when praying?
Muslims face the holy city of Mecca - this means all Muslims are mentally and physically focusing on one place assocated with God.
How do Muslims find the direction of Mecca?
If outside the mosque, they use a special compass. If in the mosque there is a mihrab to indicate the direction of Mecca.
Who leads prayers in the mosque?
The imam
What is the Rak’ah?
A series or sequence of actions Muslims perform during prayer e.g. when Muslims are standing they recite the first chapter of the Qur’an, when they are bowing they say in Arabic ‘Glory be to my Lord who is the greatest’ three times
What is a Qur’anic quote about rak’ah?
‘So woe to those who pray, that are heedless of their prayer’
What is dua?
Personal prayers
What is Jummah?
Prayer at midday every Friday. All male Muslims are expected to attend the mosque for this prayer whilst women can go if they wish.
What is preached on Jummah?
A sermon which reminds Muslims of their obligations and duties to God
What are the effects of prayer on Muslims?
- It creates a great awareness of God - motivates a Muslims to do God’s will
- Unites Muslims - they all pray in the same way
- Reminds Muslims how important the Qur’an is - recite it when they pray
- Reminds them God is greater and more important than they are - they prostrate before Him
What is the Shahadah?
The Muslim profession of faith, the belief that there is only one Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s messenger - identifies Islam as a monotheistic faith
‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah’
What do Shi’a Muslims add to the end of the Shahadah?
‘And Ali is the friend of God’ - demonstrates that Ali (Muhammad’s cousin and son-law ) was the true successor Muhammad.
What is Zakat?
Almsgiving, 2.5% of income to the poor
What do Muslims performing zakat show?
They are acknowledging that everything they own comes from God and belongs to Him so should use their wealth to remember God.
Who is required to give Zakat?
Only Muslims with savings greater than a certain figure
What is a Qur’anic quote about zakat?
‘Alms are meant only for the poor, the needy’
What is sadaqah?
Voluntary giving - money and time
What do Muslims following sadaqah show?
They’re fulfilling a duty given by God and it strengthens communities by the rich supporting the poor
What is Sawm?
Fasting sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan
When is Ramadan?
The 9th month of the Islamc calendar
What is suhoor?
An Islamic term referring to the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting. This is before dawn, following morning prayer (Fajr)
What happened during Ramadan?
The Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad
What do Muslims focus on during Ramadan?
- Fasting - sawm
- Charity - give to charity as a reminder that the poor feel like that all the time
- Pleasing God
What is forbidden during Ramadan?
- Food
- Drink
- Smoking
- Sex
- Gossiping
Who is excused from fasting during Ramadan?
- Pregnant women
- Sick people
- Traveling people
- Elderly
- Breast feeding
- Chlildren under 12
- Women on their period
If you can, you would make up the fast at another point
‘Fasting is the best way to show commitment to Allah’ - arguments in favour
For:
- It shows how far you are willing to go for Allah
- Gives understanding of those who are poor/suffering
- Muslims beleive that during Ramadan your good deeds are multiplied (Akhirah)
- It limits distractions
‘Fasting is the best way to show commitment to Allah’ - arguments against
- Prayer also shows commitment as it is every day, all year
- Fasting is only for a month
- Sadaqah as it’s voluntary rather than complsory
- Hafiz - more difficult
What is the Night of Power?
A festival that marks the beginning of God revelation to Muhammad
What are the Ten Obligatory Acts?
- Hajj: pilgrimage
- Salah: prayer
- Zakat: charity
- Sawm: fasting
- Amr-bil-maruf: encouraging others to be good.
- Tabarra: avoiding the enemies of God.
- Khums: 20% tax on income after all personal expenses have been deducted.
- Nahi Anil Munkar: Discouraging people from doing what is wrong.
- Jihad: Struggle to keep the faith and to defend Islam.
- Tawallah: To be loving towards the friends of God, including Muhammad
and the Imams
What is Amr-bil-maruf?
What is Tabarra?
What is Khums?
Shi’a Muslims should give 20% of their disposable income to charity in iaddiotion to Zakat
What is Nahi Anil Munkar?
What is Jihad?
It is an arabic word that refers to struggling against evil
How many types of Jihad are there?
Two; greater and lesser
What is greater Jihad?
A personal, inward struggle of all Muslims to live in line with the teachings of their faith - they must observe the five pillars, examples of how Muslims improve themselves
What is greater Jihad a struggle against?
- Your own ego
- Desires
- Temptations
- Sin
- To control oneself
What is lesser jihad?
The outward struggle to defend Islam from threat
FESTVALS
What is Tawallah?
What is expressed in the Shahadah?
The oneness of God and that Muhammad is His prophet
When is the Shahadah said?
- If a person wishes to become a Muslim
- In their daily prayers
- To a newborn baby (so it’s the first thing they hear)
- Before they die
How is the Shahadah different for Shi’a Muslims?
They add an extra line including Ali as the friend of God
What do you need to do to become a Muslim?
Truthfully recite the Shahadah in front of two adult Muslim witnesses
What are the implications for accepting the shahadah?
- Obey all the rules/laws from Allah - submission
- Prophet Muhammad is a role model
- Avoid idolatry
What is the Adhan?
The call to prayer
What is ummah?
Muslim community
How does Salah help Muslims?
They help Muslims to remember God and keep them from doing bad deeds
Where do Muslims face during Salah?
Muslims face the Ka’bah in Mecca
How do Muslims ensure they are prepared for Salah?
- Perfom wudu
- Ensure they are fully covered
- Remove their shoes
- Find a clean space to pray
- Have a prayer mat
- Find the direction towards Mecca
How does salah affect Muslims?
- Mentally helpful and relieving - are able to speak with someone
- It spiritually cleanses their soul
- They become spiritualy closer to God
- There is a greater chance of being in Jannah
- They’re following Allah’s commandments
- Helps to become more organised - structure their day
- God has commanded Muslims to pray. God does not need prayers, but they must perform them
What does wudu do?
It ensures Muslims are spiritually and physically clean before God - performing wudu gets Muslims to think about their sins and seek forgiveness
What similarities do Sunni and Shi’a Muslims have in their daily prayers?
- All Muslims are called to prayer with the adhan
- All Muslims can pray in a mosque or at home
- All Muslims recite five prayers
- All Muslims believe in one God - Allah and only pray to Him
- Men and women pray separately
What is a qur’anic quote about zakat?
‘alms are only meant for the poor, the needy’
