Islamic Practices Flashcards
What are the 5 Sunni pillars?
- Shahadah
- Salah
- Zakah
- Sawm
- Hajj
What is the analogy of the house and the pillars?
A house is held up by 5 pillars, but if you remove one, it crumbles. If you remove one of the 5 pillars of Islam, the religion crumbles.
What are the 10 Shi’a obligatory acts?
- Salat (Prayer)
- Sawm
- Zakah
- Khums
- Hajj
- Jihad
- Amr-bil-Maroof
- Nahi Anil Munkah
- Tawalla
- Tabarra
What is Amr-bil-Maroof?
Commanding what is good
What is Nahi Anil Munkah?
Forbidding what is evil
What is Tawalla?
Expressing love towards good
What is Tabarra?
Expressing disassociation from evil
What is the Shahadah?
The declaration of faith
What is the translation of the Shahadah?
‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’
What is the importance of the Shahadah?
It embodies the belief in Tahwid, and must be said to become a Muslim. The words should be whispered to new born babies, such that they are the first words they are, and they should be the last words said before death.
What are the 5 prayer times?
- Fajr: Between dawn and sunrise
- Zuhr: Midday prayer
- Asr: Late afternoon prayer
- Maghrib: Prayer just after sunset
- Isha: Night-time prayer
Why is it important to pray?
It was the first duty imposed by Allah, and must be done to declare your faith in Allah. Muslims perform Salah to seek to gain Allah’s favour.
What is Salah?
The Muslim prayer ritual carried out 5 times per day.
What happens during prayer?
Salah prayer involves the recitation of phrases along with a sequence of movements. There are eight movements in each prayer sequence (Rak’ah), each having a religious significance.
What is a minaret?
A tower of a mosque
What is the Adhan?
The call to prayer
Who is a Muezzin?
A person who gives the adhan
What is the Iqmah?
The second call to prayer in the mosque to let worshippers know prayer is about to begin
What is the process of the call to prayer?
A muezzin enters a minaret, and gives a recital of the adhan in Arabic.
What is the purpose of prayer?
To provide a line of direct communication with Allah. It also reminds Muslims of the concepts of Tahwid and shirk.
What is the Ummah?
The brotherhood of Muslims
What is the Jummah prayer?
The special Friday congregation for Zuhr prayers, in which every male Muslim must make every effort to attend as a reminder of the Ummah. During these prayers, Allah is at his most merciful. Muslims will line up in rows to carry out the rak’ahs. They face the mihrab, a circular niche in the wall of the prayer hall that indicated the direction of Mecca.
What is a Qibla compass used for?
To determine the direction towards Mecca.
What happens after Salah is completed in Jummah?
The imam delivers a sermon called a Khutba. This allows the Ummah to develop a sense of unity, and provide a time for the community to discuss any problems.
What is Wudu?
The washing ritual Muslims must perform before prayer.
What is Niyyah?
A Muslim’s intention to worship Allah with a pure heart
What happens during the Wudu ritual?
A Muslim washes their arms, hands, feet and mouth. If there is no water available, they can use a form of washing called tayammum. After performing the ritual, A Muslim will say “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and he is one and has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and messenger”.
Qur’an evidence for Jummah
“When the call is made for prayer on Friday, hurray towards the remembrance of Allah”
Qur’an evidence for Wudu
“When you rise up to prayer wash your faces and your hands as far as your elbows and wipe your heads and your feet to your ankles”
Qur’an evidence for Salah
Surah 4:103
“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times”
What is a Du’a prayer?
A personal or supplication prayer calling upon Allah.
What are prayer beads used for?
Prayer beads made of 33 or 99 beads are used to recite the 99 names of Allah or prayer rituals. However, some Muslims do not use them because Muhammad did not use them.
What is the significance of Du’a prayer?
It allows Muslims to show faith in Allah’s closeness and immediacy.
Qur’an evidence for Du’a prayer
Surah 2:186
“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.”
What is hajj?
The required pilgrimage to Mecca for all Muslims
What does hajj literally mean?
To set out for a definite purpose
Qur’an evidence for hajj
“The people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage. They will come to you walking or riding on various exhausted [means of transport]. They will come from the farthest locations.
What is the significance of hajj?
- Pilgrims may gain a greater sense of ummah
- Pilgrims may feel closer to Allah, leaving them with a lasting sense of awe
- Pilgrims may feel relieved from the weight of sin, making them more obedient to Allah
What is Ihram?
The state of holiness that Muslims are required to be in before beginning Hajj
What are the Ihram regulations?
- Muslims must wash their body fully or perform wudu before they arrive at Mecca
- Muslim men must where 2 pieces of unsewn white cloth called ihram
- Muslims must recite the Talbiyah prayer
- Muslims are not allowed to have sex during hajj
What are the 2 exemptions to hajj being obligatory?
- Physically unable to attend
- Does not have the financial resources to attend
What is the order of rituals in hajj?
- Mecca (Tawaf)
- Sa’y
- Arafat
- Mina
What happens during the stage of hajj in Mecca?
- Pilgrims say niyyah
- Travel from the holy mosque to the kaaba to perform tawaf
- Muslims move to the Station of Ibrahim to pray
What is Tawaf?
The circling of the kaaba 7 times in an anticlockwise in a demonstration of unity and desire to worship Allah
What is Sa’y?
The running between the 2 hills As-Safa and Al-Marwa 7 times to re-enact Hagar’s search for water. The spring that was made by Isma’il kicking the ground is called the Well of Zamzam and can be visited today.
What is Arafat?
- After the fajr prayers, Muslims travel to the Mount of Mercy in the plain of Arafat. Pilgrims then face towards the kaaba and plead with Allah for the forgiveness of their sins.
- Pilgrims then move to Muzdalifah, where they will perform Maghrib and Isha prayers
What is Mina?
- The ‘stoning of Iblis’ takes place in Mina. Pilgrims throw 7 stones at each 3 pillars representing Iblis over 3 days, reflecting when Iblis told Ibrahim not to sacrifice Isma’il 3 times.
- Pilgrims who can afford to have to offer an animal sacrifice. They can eat the meat, but at least 1 third is given to pilgrims who cannot afford to make the sacrifice.
What is zakah?
The 2.5% donation of earnings about the nisab.
What does zakah literally mean?
Purification
What is the nisab?
The minimum net worth of an individual required to pay zakah
What is khums?
The Shi’a obligatory act which states that 20% of a Muslim’s earnings must be taxed about a certain threshold.
What must zakah and khums be paid on?
- Livestock
- Produce
- Payments on property
- Wealth gained from holy war
- Earnings
What is zakah collected?
In Muslim countries, it is taken directly from your salary. In other countries, you donate it to your mosque for distribution.
How is zakah and khums distributed?
To the poor in the ummah, and as well as being used for religious purposes, e.g. running mosques or religious schools.
What is sadaqah?
A voluntary donation on top of khums or zakah. It is often given as a celebration of the birth of a child.
Qur’an evidence for zakah
“Save yourself from hell-fire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity”
What is sawm?
The act of fasting during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan
What does Sawm commemorate?
Muhammad’s first revelation of the Qur’an on the Night of Power
Who is exempt from fasting?
- The sick
- People travelling on long journeys
- Pregnant women
- Women who are menstruating
What is the importance of Sawm?
Muslims believe that if you participate, your sins will be forgiven by Allah, therefore, Muslims will spend extra time praying and studying the Qur’an.
Why are the final 10 days of Ramadan very important, and what do some Muslims do for this reason?
The Hadith says that the night of power occurred during these final 10 days. In addition to this, Muhammad spent the final 10 days of Ramadan in the mosque. Some Muslims will take these 10 days off work to focus on worship. Muslims also aim to attend the taraweeh prayers in these final 10 days.
What are taraweeh prayers?
Prayers said every night at the mosque during Ramadan
What are the benefits of fasting?
- Helps you to become obedient to Allah (becoming a Muttaqi)
- Heightens your awareness and understanding of the faith
- Makes the ummah more close
Qur’an evidence for Sawm
“Fasting has been prescribed for you just as it was prescribed for people before you so that you may become mindful of God”
What is greater Jihad?
The struggle to live according to the ‘straight path’.
What is lesser Jihad?
The goal of removing evil from society and making the world an abode of peace.
Qur’an evidence for greater Jihad taking precedence over lesser Jihad
“We are finished with the lesser Jihad; now we are starting with the greater Jihad”
What are the conditions for a war of lesser Jihad?
It must be a defensive war as a last resort, or a war against an unjust regime. The Qur’an uses the word ‘qital’ to talk about holy wars, rather than Jihad
Qur’an evidence for holy war being the last resort
Surah 2:190
“Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah does not love aggressors”
Surah 8:61
“But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou also incline towards peace, and trust in Allah; for He is One that hears and knows all things”
What does Munkar mean?
Striving against doing wrong
What does Maruf mean?
Seeking to do good
Qur’an evidence for greater Jihad
“Do great Jihad with the help of the Qur’an”
What is Eid-ul-Adha?
The festival of sacrifice at the
end of Hajj. Origins in Ibrahim’s sacrifice of
an animal instead of his son, Isma’il
What happens during Eid-ul-Adha?
- Wudu and offera prayer (Salah al-Fajr)
- More prayers at the mosque and a sermon from the Imam
- Id prayers in an open-air place
- Gifts and cards
- An animal is selected for sacrifice
- Bismillah is said over it
- The animal is roasted and divided into 3 portions:
One for the family
One for friends and relatives
One for the poor
What is the significance of Eid-ul-Adha?
- Demonstration of willingness to make sacrifices to Allah
- Opportunity to show thanks to Allah
- Developers the sense of Ummah
What is Eid-ul-Fitr?
A festival celebrated at the end of Ramadan. A public holiday in Muslim countries where gifts and cards are
exchanged, and new clothes are brought for children.
What happens during Eid-ul-Fitr?
- Id prayers in the mosque
- Imam delivers a sermon which focuses on duty of care to the poor
- Friends and families have parties in their homes with special food
- They exchange gifts, buy new clothes and celebrate
What is the significance of Eid-ul-Fitr?
It provides an opportunity to:
- Forget past disagreements
- Show thanks to Allah for helping them fast
- Look forward to their reward on the Day of Judgement
- Visit the cemetery to remember those who have died, so everyone is united in the celebrations
What is Eid-ul-Ghadeer?
A Shi’a festival that celebrates the appointment of Ali as successor to Muhammad and Muhammad’s last sermon. Presents are given, there are special prayers and celebratory meals.
What happens during Eid-ul-Ghadeer?
- Perform wudu
- Complete specific prayers in the mosque
- Listen to accounts of the event as a reminder
What is the significance of Eid-ul-Ghadeer?
Allows Shi’a Muslims to re-affirm their commitment to Ali the first Imam
What is Ashura?
A Shi’a festival that commemorates:
- The martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson Hussayn in 680CE
- The day Nuh left the ark
- The day Musa was saved from the Egyptians by Allah
What happens during Ashura?
- Public expressions of mourning and grief
- Some whip Muslims whip themselves on the back, beat themselves or cut themselves
- Some Muslims make pilgrimages to Mashhad al-Husayn, the shrine in Karbala that is believed to be Hussayn’s tomb
What is the significance of Ashura?
- Emphasis of Hussayn’s death as a symbol of the struggle against injustice and oppression
- The mourning and whipping enable Muslims to empathise with Hussayn
- Some Muslims believe that this will help them on the Day of Judgement
