Summary GCSE Religious Studies - Islam Practices

The Five Pillars
-​ Fundamental practices of islam (everything else built on them)
-​ Key to living a perfect muslim life
-​ Shahadah - declaration of faith
-​ Salah - prayer
-​ Zakah - charitable giving
-​ Sawm - fasting
-​ Hajj - pilgrimage

The Ten obligatory acts
-​ Combine five pillars with additional duties
-​ Followed by twelver shia muslims
-​ Salah - prayer Jihad- struggle to maintain faith/defend islam
-​ Sawm - fasting Amr-bil-Maruf - Encouraging to do good
-​ Zakah - charitable giving Nahi Anil Munkar - discouraging from wrong
-​ Hajj - pilgrimage Tawallah - showing love for god/his followers
-​ Khums - 20% tax Tabarra - dissociating with enemies of God

Shahadah
-​ Expresses core beliefs of Islam
-​ Provides foundation for other pillars
-​ Shia muslims add - and Ali is the friend of God - shows belief that ali is true successor
-​ Said when becoming a muslim (converting) in front of muslim witness
-​ Recited many times during life e.g when born or at funeral

Salah Times
-​ Worked out from times of sunrise/sunset
-​ Change each day
-​ Fajr - before sunrise
-​ Zuhr - after midday
-​ Asr - afternoon
-​ Maghrib - after sunset
-​ Isha - night

Shia prayer
-​ Pray 3 times a day
-​ Combine zuhr + Asr and Maghrib + isha prayers
-​ Believe in using only natural elements when prostrating themselves (clay tablet/turbah)

Preparing for Salah
-​ Muslims perform ritual washing (wudu) - to be spiritually clean
-​ Done by washing faces, hands, feet under running water
-​ Mosques have special rooms for men/women to do wudu
-​ If no water available - muslims can ‘wash’ themselves using sand/dust -
tayammum(spiritually clean)
-​ Important → Helps muslims fully focus on God during Prayer

, Direction of Prayer
-​ Must face the kaaba, city of Makkah
-​ Mihrab - indicated direction of makkah
-​ Qibla wall - niche in wall which faces makkah - muslims use this to pray in right direction
-​ Muslims can use special compass
-​ Important → whole ummah prays in same direction - all muslims focus on one place

Prayer inside a mosque
-​ Mosques have carpet (prayer mat)
-​ Each person given own space to pray
-​ Prayers led by imam - positioned at front of congregation, voice broadcasted for all to hear
-​ Men/women pray separately

The Rakah
-​ A set sequence of actions and recitations
-​ Prayers made up of Rak’ah
-​ Rakats change according to what prayer
-​ Stand and recite first surah → Bow (shows respect) → stand → prostration (shows
complete obedience to God) → Recite while sitting

Jummah Prayer and Prayer at home
-​ Special communal prayer
-​ Every friday at midday
-​ Compulsory for men but not women
-​ After prayer, imam gives a sermon - reminds muslims of their duties to God
-​ If done at home, use a prayer mat and pray as usual

Significance of prayer
-​ Helps muslims become closer to God
-​ Motivates them to do God's will
-​ United Ummah and muslims around the world (all pray same way)
-​ Protestation/bowing is a reminder that God is the greatest
-​ Is a command from God (5 pillar)

Sawm (fasting) and Ramadan
-​ Most important month in islamic calender
-​ Muslims focus on their faith by fasting, reading quran, doing charity
-​ Month when angel jibril revealed quran to muhammad
-​ Obligatory for muslims since 7th century
-​ Suhoor → muslims wake up before sunrise to eat/drink, sustains them during daytime
-​ Iftaar → fast broken at sunset, meal with family/friends
-​ Food, Drink, smoking and sex is forbidden during day
-​ Exceptions → Children, the sick, pregnant/breastfeeding, Menstruating
-​ Expected to make up for it/ pay for a meal as charity
-​ Shows self-discipline required and Obedience to God
-​ Inspired muslims to help those in poverty who can't afford to eat/drink