The Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam

• What are the Ten Obligatory Acts?

  1)Salah --> compulsory prayer five times a day

  2) Sawm -->Fasting during daylight hours during Ramadam

  3) Zakah --> donating 2.5% of wealth to help the poor

  4) Hajj

  5) Khums

  6) Jihad

  7) Amr-bil-Maroof --> commandments from the Qur'an which instructs a Muslims on how they should act and behave

  8) Nahi Anil Munkar --> forbidding what is evil/ not sinning

  9) Tawalla --> expressing love towards what is good; following examples of the prophet

  10) Tabarra --> moving away from evil, e.g staying away from those who choose to turn away from Allah
• Why are the Ten Obligatory Acts important to Shi'a Muslims?

  -guides them in how they should live their lives

  -allows them to get closer to Allah in performing the actions he wants; allows them to achieve the reward of paradise after death by following the rules of Allah

  -helps them continually focus actions in their lives towards Allah

  -unites all Shi'a Muslims and gives meaning to their lives
• "Whatever you spend with a good heart, give it to parents, relatives, orphans, the helpless, and travellers in need. Whatever good you do, Allah is aware of it." (Surah 2:215) --> importance of charity
• Why is Zakah important?

  means "to purify wealth" by giving a compulsory donation to good causes; it is the third of the Ten Obligatory Acts, and is also the third Pillar of Sunni Islam.

  Muslims see wealth as belonging to Allah, so giving Zakah helps make people more equal- and is also believed to purify souls for not being greedy. It is also said that the giver of the money will receive a "hundred-fold" back in the afterlife.

  Nisab --> to be obliged to give Zakah an individual must have a certain amount of wealth of savings, this ensures the poor do not suffer hardship to give Zakah
• "Know that whatever of a thing you acquire, a fifth of it is for Allah, for the Messenger, for the near relative, and the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer" (Surah 8:41) --> Khums
• Why is Sawm important to Muslims?

  -they obey God and exercise self-discipline

  -they become spiritually stronger

  -they appreciate God’s gifts

  -develops empathy for the poor

  -give thanks to the Qur’an, which was believed to have been revealed in the month of Ramadan
• "Whatever you give in charity... will earn multiple rewards" (Surah 30) --> Zakah
• "You who believe be mindful of God... and strive for his cause" (Surah 4) --> Jihad
• "The believers, both men and women support each other they order what is right" (Surah 9) --> Ambril ma'roof
• "The believers... they forbid what is wrong" (Surah 9) --> Nahi anil munkar
• "You who believe, do not take My enemies as your allies" (Surah 9) --> Tabarra
• Explain two reasons why the Ten Obligatory Acts are important to Shi'a Muslims

  1)Salah --> "keeping up regular prayer is obligatory" Salah acts as the foundation of having a connection with and displaying faith to God

  2) Hajj --> is a "duty owned to God", Muslims are expected to complete this Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. Practice of Sunnah
• "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you" (Surah 2)
• Khums --> in Shi'a Islam, one of the Ten Obligatory Acts

  Involved paying 20% of one's surplus income: half of which go to the poor, half of which goes to the Ummah

  The recipients of khums have been the descendants of Muhammed and those within the Shi'a Islamic
• Importance of Zakah for Sunni:

  -one of the Five Pillars, so is a duty

  -wealth is believed to be a gift from Allah that should be shared

  -is a sign of unity and supports the Ummah

  -frees Muslims from greed and selfishness
• Importance of khums for Shi'a Muslims:

  -gives special recognition to Muhammed and his descendants

  -is used to help build Islamic schools or Islamic projects

  -is used to help the poor/ suffering

  -promotes religion through education

  -one of the Ten Obligatory Acts
• "keeping up regular prayer is obligatory" (Surah 4)
• "Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owned to God by the people who are able" (Surah 3) --> Hajj
• "Strive in His cause as you ought to strive" (Surah 22) --> Jihad