Living the Muslim life

• Types of charity


  • Optional (Sadaqah)
  • Compulsory
• Zakah


  Compulsory for both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, they give 2.5% of their wealth to charity, purifies and blesses the heart of the person paying, given when they meet a certain threshold called nisab, applies once they have met the basic needs of their families
• Uses of Zakah


  • Poverty
  • Helping those in debt
  • Providing comfort for travellers
  • Providing ransom for prisoners of war
  • Other beneficial things for society
• Importance of Zakah to Muslims


  • It helps create a peaceful society and the word Islam derives from the word 'peace'
  • Zakah is seen as a form of worship
  • All acts of charity will be rewarded by Allah
  • Follows in Prophet's footsteps
• Hajj


  The pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia that all Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime
• Khums


  A Shi'a practice of giving 20% of money to other causes, 'One fifth of your battle gains belongs to God and the messenger', Imam receives the money and spends it in whatever way necessary for the Muslim community
• Makkah


  • City in Saudi Arabia where Prophets like Ibrahim, Isma'il and Muhammad lived and preached
  • Holiest place on earth
• Ka'ba


  The first place dedicated to the worship of Allah
• Jihad


  Personal struggle in the way of Allah
• Importance of Khums to Muslims


  • It serves others as part of their faith
  • The Prophet encouraged others to give to charity and showed that it is more important to give than receive
  • Owning money that should have gone to charity is not pure
• Hajj


  1. Perform Tawaf (walk around the Ka'ba 7 times anticlockwise)

  2. Move to Mina

  3. Pray on mount Arafat/Mount of Mercy

  4. Collect pebbles

  5. In Mina, throw pebbles at the wall representing Satan

  6. Sacrifice an animal and shave their heads to symbolise forgiveness of past sins

  7. Perform the final Tawaf
• Greater Jihad


  • Jihad al-akbar
  • Jihad bi al-nafs (striving with the soul) - Improving one's character
  • Jihad bi al-nisan (striving with the tongue) - Speaking truth or telling others about Islam
  • Jihad bi al-qalam (striving with the pen) - Writing about or defending your beliefs
• Qur'an: 'Strive for his cause.'
• Qur'an: ''Purify my house for those who walk around it.''
• Lesser Jihad


  • Resisting evil through physical or military means
  • 'Fight them until there is no persecution' Qur'an
• Qur'an: ''Proclaim the pilgrimage to all people.''
• Ten Obligatory Acts for Shi'a Muslims


  • Salah - prayer five times a day
  • Sawm - fasting during the month of Ramadan
  • Hajj - Pilgrimage to Makkah
  • Zakah - 2.5% money to charity
  • Khums - 20% to Shi'a leaders
  • Jihad - striving in the way of Allah
  • Amr bil ma'roof - encouraging good actions
  • Nahi anil munkar - discouraging evil actions
  • Tawalla - celebrate what's right
  • Tabarra - forbid what is wrong
• Why Muslims perform Hajj


  • It is compulsory
  • It demonstrates equality and bonds the Ummah (Muslim brotherhood/community)
  • It allows sins to be forgiven
• Shahadah


  First of the Five pillars of Sunni Muslims - declaration of faith
• Lesser Jihad can be allowed if - persecution is reaching an extreme level, religious freedoms are being taken away, it is self-defence, it is authorised by a Muslim leader.
• Salah


  Prayer five times a day
• Challenges of Hajj


  • It can be expensive
  • It is demanding to complete all the rituals
  • Difficult when a Muslim returns home the lessons from Hajj are remembered
• Jihad is important - it was performed by the Prophet, the Qur'an teaches we need to resist evil within ourselves and society and Allah will reward those who become better people.
• Id-ul-Adha


  The festival of sacrifice that commemorates the story of Ibrahim and Isma'il
• Essence of Islam


  Consists of two statements: 'There is no other God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.'
• Sawm


  Fasting during the month of Ramadan
• Supported by the Qur'an teaching 'there is no god but Him'
• Hajj


  Pilgrimage to Makkah
• Id-ul-Adha


  1. Ibrahim dreamt he was sacrificing his son

  2. Isma'il was ready to give up his life for Allah

  3. Just as Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God called out to him to stop but praised both of their dedication to him
• Muslims believe that Allah sent down the Prophet Muhammad to deliver the final message of Islam
• Zakah


  2.5% money to charity
• Salah


  Practice of prayer five times a day – 2nd Pillar
• Prophet Muhammad is called 'an excellent model' in the Qur'an
• Khums


  20% to Shi'a leaders
• The Qur'an says that humans have been created to worship Allah
• Importance of Shahadah to Muslims


  • Declaration of a Muslim's belief which has to come before all the other pillars
  • If anyone converts to Islam, these are the words they must recite. It is the basic requirement of faith
  • It is a testimony - reminds a person about an important commitment they have made and will also make them more likely to honour it
  • Rewards are promised to those who put Allah and the Prophet before everything else 'whoever obeys God and the Messenger will be among those He has blessed'
  • Recite the Shahadah since the time of the Prophet Muhammad. First phrase a newborn hears
• Worship


  Anything that involves devotion for the sake of Him
• Id-ul-Adha


  • It commemorates obedience shown to Allah and reminds Muslims to be as obedient
  • Started by the Prophet
  • A time where meat is shared amongst the poor, animals are sacrificed for Allah and families go to the Mosque
• Jihad


  Striving in the way of Allah
• Sawm


  Muslims should fast during the month of Ramadan