Islam

KEY QUESTIONS AND READINGS

Textbook pgs. 319 - 331

What types of holy day are celebrated in the Islamic tradition
What need is fulfilled by ritual in the Islamic tradition?
What evidence is provided in the source material which highlight the significance of ritual on people and how they live their lives today?
Identify key symbols of Hajj, The Eid's, Friday Prayer, and Salah.

Click on a link to explore a ritual:

Hajj

The Eid's

Friday Prayer

Salah

THE FIVE PILLARS

The Five Pillars of Islam are the ritual acts by which Muslims express their faith and identify themselves as Muslim. They describe in practical terms how Muslims are to worship, or what it means to be Muslim.

Shahadah - The First Pillar

CREED

"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger."

This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a Muslim.

When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:

That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad is his prophet
That they personally accept this as true
That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life

The Shahadah is the sign of belonging to the Muslim community

Salat - The Second Pillar

PRAYER

Salat is the obligatory Muslim prayers, performed five times each day by Muslims. It is the second Pillar of Islam.

God ordered Muslims to pray at five set times of day:

Salat al-fajr: dawn, before sunrise
Salat al-zuhr: midday, after the sun passes its highest
Salat al-'asr: the late part of the afternoon
Salat al-maghrib: just after sunset
Salat al-'isha: between sunset and midnight

All Muslims try to do this. Muslim children as young as seven are encouraged to pray.

Zakat - The Third Pillar

ALMS GIVING

Zakat is the compulsory giving of a set proportion of one's wealth to charity. It is regarded as a type of worship and of self-purification. Zakat is the third Pillar of Islam.

Zakat does not refer to charitable gifts given out of kindness or generosity, but to the systematic giving of 2.5% of one's wealth each year to benefit the poor.

The 2.5% rate only applies to cash, gold and silver, and commercial items. There are other rates for farm and mining produce, and for animals.

Sawm - The Fourth Pillar

FASTING

Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

During the 29/30 days of Ramadan all adult Muslims must give up the following things during the hours of daylight:

Food or drink of any sort
Smoking, including passive smoking
Sexual activity

Muslims do not only abstain from physical things during Ramadan. They are also expected to do their best to avoid evil thoughts and deeds as well.

Muslims who are physically or mentally unwell may be excused some of these, as may those who are under twelve years old, the very old, those who are pregnant, breast-feeding, menstruating, or travelling. If an adult does not fast for the reasons above they should try to make up the fast at a later date, or make a donation to the poor instead.

Hajj - The Fifth Pillar

PILGRIMAGE

Once a year, Muslims of every ethnic group, colour, social status, and culture gather together in Mecca and stand before the Kaaba praising Allah together.

It is a ritual that is designed to promote the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah.

The Hajj makes Muslims feel real importance of life here on earth, and the afterlife, by stripping away all markers of social status, wealth, and pride. In the Hajj all are truly equal.

The Hajjis or pilgrims wear simple white clothes called Ihram. During the Hajj the Pilgrims perform acts of worship and they renew their sense of purpose in the world.

Mecca is a place that is holy to all Muslims. It is so holy that no non-Muslim is allowed to enter.

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