Living the Muslim Life

• Ten Obligatory Acts in Shi'a Islam


  • Salah (prayer)
  • Sawm (fasting)
  • Zakah (charitable giving)
  • Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)
  • Khums (annual tax at a rate of 20%)
  • Jihad (struggle)
  • Amr-bil-Maroof and Nahi Anil Munkar (enjoying what is right and forbidding what is wrong)
  • Tawalla (love)
  • Tabarra (aloofness)
• Sunni Muslims would also agree that doing good and avoiding evil are essential to being a good Muslim
• The first four - salah, sawm, zakah and hajj are the same as the five pillars. (All Muslims follow these)
• Khums


  Annual tax at a rate of 20% that goes towards supporting Islamic education and anyone descended from Muhammad who's in need
• Jihad


  Struggle or striving, either the struggle to be a perfect Muslim or Holy War
• Amr-bil-Maroof and Nahi Anil Munkar


  Enjoying what is right and forbidding what is wrong (Qur'an 9:71)
• Five Pillars of Islam

  • Shahadah (declaration of faith)
  • Salah (prayer five times a day)
  • Zakah (charitable giving)
  • Sawm (obligation to fast during Ramadan)
  • Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)
• Shahadah


  Declaration of faith - "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger"
• Muslims should say the Shahadah several times a day, at birth and death, as well as in the call to prayer (adhan) and prayers
• The exact words of the Shahadah aren't in the Qur'an, but come from passages such as Qur'an 3:18 - "Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him"
• Good Muslims will say the Shahadah 5 times a day
• The Shahadah is said 3 times in order to convert to Islam (no ceremony is needed)
• The Shahadah is essential to Shi'a Muslims too, though it's not one of their Ten Obligatory Acts. They add "Ali is the helper of Allah", as Ali is significant to their faith
• The Ten Obligatory Acts

  • They were established by Muhammad, Ali and the Imams
  • They unite the followers in a common set of beliefs and practice, enabling them to 'enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong'
  • If you follow the first 4 you are following the Prophet's example
  • Allah will have mercy on those who believe (Qur'an 9:71)
  • They distinguish Shi'a and Sunni Muslims
  • Shi'a Muslims believe they must distance themselves from the enemies of Allah, and the enemies of the Prophet and his family
• Salah


  Prayer, obligatory for all men and women, 5 times a day
• Muslims must ensure the place for prayer is clean, they dress in clean clothes and make sure the body is covered appropriately
• Salah


  • Keeps Muslims in close contact with Allah and encourages moral and spiritual discipline
  • Reminds Muslims that everyone is equal
• When at the mosque, women and men pray separately so people concentrate on Allah rather than on the opposite sex
• Most men are obliged to go to Friday prayers (Jummah) at the mosque, which are led by an imam who also gives two sermons
• Wudu (washing before prayer)


  • Important because Muslims must be pure and clean when approaching Allah, both physically and spiritually
• Muslims wash their face, arms, feet and part of their hair before prayers
• Muslims should face Makkah in Saudi Arabia when praying, the direction of Makkah is called the qiblah
• Rak'ah


  A set prayer ritual that may be repeated several times at each prayer session, involving standing, kneeling, and putting your forehead to the ground as a sign of submission to Allah
• If several Muslims are praying in one place, the rak'ah is done together at the same time
• Shi'a prayers


  • Shi'a's may combine the prayers and pray 3 times a day
  • Shi'a's touch their foreheads to a clay or wooden tablet during the rak'ah, often made of clay from Karbala, to remind Shi'as of Husayn's sacrifice
• Sawm


  Fasting between sunrise and sunset during the month of Ramadan
• Muslims eat just before sunrise (suhur) and just after sunset (iftar)
• Exceptions to the obligation to fast


  • Children don't have to fast until they're about 12 years old
  • Old people don't have to fast
  • People can be excused for medical reasons
  • Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating can be excused
  • If you're on a journey, you can be excused
• If you've missed a few days of the fast, Qur'an 2:184 says that you should make up for it, either by fasting for the same number of days later on, or by giving food to someone who might need it
• Sawm


  • Doesn't just involve not eating or drinking, but also abstaining from other things such as listening to music, sex and smoking
  • A time of both physical and moral self-discipline, and a time of obedience to Allah
  • Helps Muslims understand hunger, and so makes them more willing to help others
  • Shows publicly that Allah matters more than any physical needs
• Importance of Sawm


  • Keeping the fast is fulfilling the fourth pillar of Islam
  • The Qur'an is the greatest gift God has for humanity and keeping the fast in Ramadan is a way of thanking God for the Qur'an
  • Fasting brings Muslims closer to God so they can concentrate on God rather than the ordinary things of life
  • Fasting promotes self-control which any Muslim needs to practice their faith properly
• Zakah


  Redistributing wealth, usually 2.5% of a person's wealth each year, only given by Muslims who meet a minimum amount of wealth (nisab)
• Importance of Zakah


  • A sign of a Muslim's submission to God and worship of God
  • Means purification, as Islam teaches that wealth can be evil and cut people off from God, but if a Muslim pays zakah they purify the wealth they keep
  • Used to help relieve the suffering of Muslims in many countries
  • The third pillar of Islam, which all Muslims must fulfil
  • Acts of charity will be rewarded by Allah and set a good example to non-Muslims
• Khums


  A special tax paid by Shi'a Muslims, based on Qur'an 8:41, to ensure the descendants of the Prophet are properly cared for, to support religious institutions, and to provide for the poor and needy
• Importance of Khums for Shi'a Muslims

  • Gives special recognition to Muhammad, his descendants and leaders within Shi'a Islam
  • Used to help the poor or those who may be suffering
  • Used to promote the religion of Islam through education
  • One of the Ten Obligatory Acts
• Spiritual benefits of Zakah and Khums

  • Knowing they have helped a fellow Muslim to purify their money
  • Knowing they have helped a fellow Muslim to have their sins forgiven
  • Knowing they have been part of God's plan to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor
• Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Destiny or Power) falls during Ramadan, when Muslims believe Muhammad received at least part of the Qur'an
• Khums


  An important practice for Shia Muslims that gives special recognition to Muhammad, his descendants and leaders within Shia Islam; it is used to help the poor or those who may be suffering; it is used to promote the religion of Islam through education; it is one of the Ten Obligatory Acts
• Benefits of Khums for Muslims

  • Helps relieve people from poverty
  • Spiritual benefit of helping purify money
  • Spiritual benefit of helping have sins forgiven
  • Part of God's plan to redistribute wealth from rich to poor
• The Night of Destiny or Power, when Muslims believe Muhammad received at least part of the Qur'an

  Laylat al-Qadr