Islam - practices Flashcards
What are the 5 pillars of islam?
- Shahadah; declaration of faith
- Salah; five daily prayers
- Zakah; giving of wealth as a tax to the needy/poor
- Sawm; fasting during month of Ramadan
- Hajj; pilgrimage
What are the 10 obligatory acts (Shi’a Islam) (Furu’al-din)?
1 - Shahadah
2 - Salah
3 - Sawm
4 - Hajj
5 - Khums; annual tax of 20 percent of savings, paid to religious leaders to help poor
6 - Amr-bil-maroof; commanding what is right (promoting good action)
7 - Nahi Anil Numkar; forbidding what is wrong
8 - Tawalla; expressing love towards good
9 - Tabarra; hatred towards evil
10 - Jihad; struggle to live the way God wants
What is the Shahadah (+Quote)?
The Shahadah is a declaration of faith
“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger” (kalimat al-tawhid)
What are the implications of the Shahadah?
- The Shahadah embodies Muslim beliefs in Tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and the monotheistic nature of Islam
- Allah is worthy of worship; he alone is God, supreme over all things
-reminds us Allah chose the prophets to reveal himself to us - it is a way of professing your faith; first and last words
- words must be accompanies with understanding of their meaning
- professed till death, sin of apostasy - abandoning it.
What is Salah (+ Quote on Jumma prayer)?
Salah is the ritual Muslim prayer, practiced 5 times a day.
“O believers! When the call is made for prayer on Friday, hurry towards the remembrance of Allah!”
What are the implications and purpose of Salah?
- Salah was the first duty given by Allah
- 99 Names of Allah “The hearer”; praying is direct communication with God
- Allah listens and responds to what we say
- offering Salah; seeking to gain Allah’s favour
Praying in congregation at mosque > praying alone.
What are the differences in Sunni and Shi’a Islam towards Salah?
- Shi’a Muslims are allowed to join Zhur and Asr prayer, as well as Maghrib and Isha, so it appears they pray x3 daily
- Shi’a Muslims only prostrate and rest their heads of natural materials in Salah
(backed up by pbuh Muhammad; his prayer mat was natural fibres)
Describe the call to prayer.
- The adhan is made by the mu’addhin in Arabic, while facing the qibla in direction of Makkah
- In Muslims countries, they climb a minaret (tall tower)
- The 2nd call to prayer is the iqamah, letting worshipers know prayer is beginning
What is Wudu (+ Quote)?
- Ritual washing before Salah prayer; symbolic action to reinforce the niyyah (intention to worship Allah with a pure heart)
“Allah loves those who turn to him and care for cleanliness”
Describe the action of Wudu.
1) Wash Hands x3
2) Rinse Mouth x3
3) Wash Nose out x3
4) Wash face x3
5) Wash arms including elbows x3 (RH first)
6) run hands over top of your head and clean ears x3
7) wash both feet x3 (RF first)
What is supplication in Islam? (+ Quotes about immanence)
- Du’a (supplication) is a private prayer where a Muslims brings their personal concerns to Allah (e.g. thanksgiving, requests, forgiveness etc.)
“Indeed I am near.”
“I respond… when he calls upon me”
“we are closer to him than his jugular vein”
What are implications carried with supplication?
- Du’a’ is when Muslims seek Allah’s guidance
- Showing faith in Allah’s closeness and immanence
- different from structure form of Salah, demonstrating further dependence upon Allah
What are prayer beads? What is the argument about them?
Prayer beads are bands containing 33 or 99 beads. They are typically used to recite the 99 names of Allah, or repeat “subhanallah” “alhamdulillah” “allahuakbar” 33 times each.
- Prophet Muhammad didn’t, so some people say you shouldn’t
- it isn’t natural, and is adding things onto prayer
what is Zakah?
- obligatory Almsgiving, in which Sunni Muslims give 2.5% of their wealth, if above nisab (minimum amount to have, for you to be able to donate)
- to the local mosque or as a tax money, to be used to help the poor.
- Shia give 20%, and Sunnu 2.5%
- Zakah isnt that monetary savings, but also wealth, produce, livestock
What are the implications of Zakah?
- Zakah means purification; purification of a person heart of greed
- We will be accountable to Allah on D of J, so we should be honest in giving
- all wealth provided by Allah, so we should share our wealth
- receiving Zakah should feel like a blessing
What is Sadaqah? (+ Quotes)
Sadaqah is further voluntary donations, with no limits or guidelines.
- It is a sign of sincerity to their faith
- charity extends beyond money
“every act of goodness is charity”
“save yourself from hellfire … with charity”
What is Khums?
The Shi’a equivalent of Zakah
- 20 % of a person’s annual wealth giving in donations to religious leaders
- Khums was given to Muhammad’s successors and the Imams
- Money that was for Khums and not giving is stolen money and haram
What is sawm? Who is exempt from it?
- sawm is fasting in the month of ramadan, going without food, drink and sex in daylight hours
‘fasting has been prescribed for you’ - sick people, pregnant people, women menstruating are exempted.
What are the implications and benefits to fasting?
- participating in sawm with an attitude of repentance, means sins can be forgiven by Allah
- develop self discipline in obedience to Allah; to become a Muttaqi, in complete obedience
- helps them appreciate the needs of others and empathy
- thankful to Allah that all he has provided
- developing awareness of God’s presence; Taqwa
- sense of community
What are duties during Ramadan?
- Muslims get up for Suhur, the predawn meal.
- They break fast with Iftar, then pray maghrib and eat the main meal.
- ## special prayers in Ramadan, Taraweeh are said in the mosque, with recitations from Qur’an
What is the Night of Power?
- final ten days of ramandan, where prophet muhammad pbuh first recieved 1st ten pages of the quran
- focus on worship
- follows prophet muhammads pbuh example of going to mosque
- tawareeh prayers
What is Hajj?
- pilgrimage to holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabi
- not an obligation, if you dont have financial resources or physical ability.
What are the origins of Hajj?
- Ibrahim and his wife Hajr, and son Ishmael were stranded in the desert. Hajr ran between hills Safa and Marwa looking for water.
- Jibril came and created a spring of fresh water for Ishmael, the well of Zamzam
- Ibrahim was tod by Allah, to build a mounment, the Kaaba
what is ihram?
- a state of holiness, mulsims must be in to go on hajj.
- In Ihram, you must wear special clothing, women must be fully covered, wearing white
- symbol of purity, and everyone looks the same, takes the same status
- “Here I am at Thy service O Lord”, a prayer recited
