The Purpose of the

Ten Obligatory Acts

1. Identify the key
Shi’a Islamic beliefs
that form the
foundation of their
religion
2. Allow Shi’a
Muslims to worship
Allah through their
beliefs and actions
3. Bring them
closer to Allah and
follow his rules and
Why are they important for Shi’a Muslims today? laws
The ten Obligatory Acts unite Shi’a Muslims; it gives purpose to their lives and helps
them to understand how they should behave on a daily basis. Muslims will face
challenges from modern society and the Acts help them to identify in their lives
how they should act and how Allah wants them to live.
The Shahadah is where Muslims state their belief in one God who is Allah, and in the
prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe they should submit to Allah in all areas of
their life. They will repeat this statement to show that they recognise the power and
supremacy of Allah in their lives, as well as the prominence given to Muhammad as
the Prophet chosen by Allah
It sums up two key beliefs
• There is one God called Allah – this is Tawhid and is central to Islam
• Confirming they accept Muhammad as a prophet of Allah
RECITING THE SHAHADAH
It confirms to the person speaking and those THE IMPORTANCE OF SHAHADAH FOR
listening that the person is claiming to be a MUSLIMS TODAY
Muslim.
It will be spoken the first time a person It contains the basic beliefs of Islam.
formally declares that they are Muslim and It is seen as the starting point of Muslim
should be stated three times in front of beliefs and repeating shows their
witnesses. commitment to Allah is continuous.
They will be spoken out loud with sincerity It reinforces belief in Tawhid and Risalah,
and with full understanding of what they which are contained in the six beliefs of Islam.
mean. Muslims believe their whole life should be in
This makes up part of the adhan –the call to submission to Allah.
prayer. It is said to new-born babies and, if The first pillar underpins and supports the
possible, as the final words just before other Pillars as they are further acts of
The second Pillar is Salah and this is compulsory prayer, it is seen as a way of communicating
with and getting guidance from Allah. Prayer enables Muslims to get closer to Allah and
understand him better, also demonstrating their submission. Sunni Muslims consider those
who do not pray 5 times a day unbelievers whereas Shi’a Muslims combine two of the Salahs,
and pray only three times a day. It is important that Muslims are spiritually clean before they
pray. This is achieved by ritual washing (or ablution called
Performing wudu).
Salah
 When praying, Muslims should face the holy city
of Makkah. This means that all Muslims are
physically and mentally focusing on one place
associated with God. If all prayers are taking
place in a mosque, this is easy to achieve.
 All mosques have a mihrab, this is a semi-
circular niche built into the qiblah wall. This
 Men and women pray in separate shows the exact direction of Makkah.
spaces. The voice of the imam is  Muslims stand in rows, shoulder to shoulder.
often broadcast in the women’s This shows equality and solidarity.
prayer room at the same time,  Many mosques have special carpet that look like
 When Muslims pray, they follow a separate rows or prayer mats,.
set system of movement called  The midday prayer every Friday is considered to
rakahs, These demonstrate ideas of be special, and it is called the Jummah prayer.
obedience and submission to Allah Once the prayer is complete, the imam will
because Muslims are lowering deliver a sermon that reminds Muslims of their
WHY IS PRAYER IMPORTANT FOR MUSLIMS?
❖ It is regular communication with Allah
❖ It helps Muslims to connect to Allah and to remember that their lives should be
in submission to him.
❖ It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and therefore is a duty that every Muslim
should perform
❖ Salah offers a chance for Muslims to step away from their daily lives and reflect
on their faith. It allows them to focus on Allah which is the purpose of their
existence.
❖ It is important that prayers are said with the right intention – Muslims believe
Similarities and differences between Muslims and Christians
that just saying prayers is meaningless if they do not feel and understand the
▪ Prayer is important in both religions as a way of communicating with God. Both have set
words.which they can complete as part of a service or individually. They also both have
prayers
the flexibility to worship in their places of worship or at home. However, there are a
number of differences between them, such as:
▪ Muslims perform the rakahs whilst praying, whereas Christians tend to stay in one
position, possibly with their hands together.
▪ Muslims face Makkah- their holy city – whilst praying.
▪ They both believe in one God but Christians may direct their prayers towards the idea of
the Trinity which Muslims do not accept
▪ Although Christians may have common times to pray, they are flexible whereas Muslims
have fixed times to pray throughout the day.
Fasting
Sawm is the fourth pillar of Islam and means
fasting. All Muslims must fast and Sawm
happens during the ninth month of the Islam
calendar, called Ramadan. For one whole
month of Ramadan, every healthy adult
Muslim should go without food and drink
during daylight hours and should not indulge in
anything considered to be sinful.
What are the rules for fasting?
• Muslims are very strict about fasting and
believe that nothing should pass the lips.
This includes food, drink (including water),
chewing gum or smoke from cigarettes.
• It can take a lot of self-discipline to follow
the rules of fasting. Muslims believe that
unintentional eating or drinking, does not
cancel the fast.
• Muslims follow a lunar calendar, which is
based on the cycles of the moon. This
means that Islamic months do not run at
the same time each year, therefore
Who should fast?
✓ Muslims believe that every healthy adult
who is able should take part in the fast.
Children from the age of ten will take
part .
✓ Some people are excused from fasting.
This includes women who are
menstruating, pregnant or
breastfeeding.
✓ Other groups who are excused include
those who are sick or who might harm
themselves by fasting, the elderly and
young children.
✓ If a Muslim is in the army or tackling a
long journey, they are also excused
because they need their energy to keep
up their strength.
✓ If a person cannot fast for any period
they are advised to make up any missed
What is the significance and purpose of fasting?
 The Qur’an says that Sawm is an obligatory duty to perform as it is one of the Five Pillars.
 Muslims believe that fasting helps them to appreciate everything that Allah has provided
for them.
 Having to give up something teaches Muslims self-control and discipline as they need to
overcome the challenge of going without food or water in the daylight hours.
 The Prophet Muhammad himself is believed to have fasted when he was alive and he gave
the instruction of following Sawm in his final sermon.
 The month of Ramadan is important to Muslims as it is during this month that Muhammad
received his first revelation of the Qur’an.
 Muslims believe the hardship of not eating or drinking will also teach them how the poor
and needy suffer.

The Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)

o The Night of Power is an important festival that marks the beginning of God’s revelation to
Muhammad. The exact date this happened is not agreed on, but it is believed to be one of
the odd-number dates in the second half of Ramadan.
o It is important for several reasons:
o Muhammad realised he had been chosen to be a Prophet of Allah
o The Qur’an was revealed through this event
o It marks the arrival if the final guidance from Allah to humanity.
o Some Muslims believe it to be the holiest night of the year and a time to receive special
blessings
 Zakah is the third Pillar of Islam and is an obligatory poor tax. It is often translated to
mean ‘charity’, ‘alms’, ‘welfare’ or ‘tax’. It is a type of charity that is intended to help the
poor. It is a form of worship because the money is given in the name of Allah.

How does it work?

➢ According to Islamic law, Why are Zakah and Khums seen as impor
Muslim countries have the
authority to collect and
distribute Zakah.
➢ Some Muslim states follow
this practice, while others
and many non-Muslim
countries leave it to the
individual Muslim to
organise their payment.
➢ In the UK the money is
often collected by the local
mosque for distribution.
➢ Failure to pay Zakah is
taken by Muslims as a sign
of unbelief in Allah and the
religion of Islam.
a. Hajj , or pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Actions performed on Hajj
Islam. ▪ Muslim pilgrims circle the Ka’bah in an anti-
b. It is a sacred journey that happens once clockwise. This action is known as Tawaf.
a year. ▪ In one corner of the Ka’bah is the black
c. It is a duty that every Muslim should try stone, which many Muslims will try to kiss
to complete once in their lifetime. or touch.
d. However it is physically demanding and ▪ Muslims will move through a passage
can be expensive, so not every Muslim between the hills of Marwa and Safa seven
Whywillis itbeimportant?
able to achieve this goal. times.
It is one of the Five Pillars and is therefore
▪ Pilgrims travel to Mount Arafat. Where they
considered to be obligatory.
stand and beg forgiveness.
It shows equality between all Muslims.
▪ Many Muslims read from the Qur’an and
Everyone wears ihram, completes the same
perform their daily prayers there.
actions and stands before Allah as equals.
▪ Pilgrims travel to Mina where they collect
It is a ritual designed to unite Muslims as a
49 pebbles. They throw these at three
community (ummah)
stone pillars to symbolise rejecting the
It helps Muslims renew their sense of
devil.
purpose in the world. Hajj is a strenuous
▪ Then, Muslim pilgrims sacrifice an animal,
journey that they undertake for Allah.
often a sheep or a goat, to remember
Makkah is the holy city for Muslims where
Ibrahim’s sacrifice.
much of the history if the religion began
▪ Many Muslims may pay together for this
and so it is a n important spiritual place for
and the meat is shared with as many
them to visit.
 The Islamic term jihad literally translates to ‘struggle’ or ‘striving’.
Greater Jihad Lesser Jihad
Greater jihad is considered to be Islam is a peaceful religion but even those who support
the most important form of jihad ideas of peace can find themselves in situations of
and refers to the effort of every conflict. Muslims believe that all peaceful methods
Muslim to live their life as a should be tried to resolve conflict before resorting to any
Muslim as well as possible. kind of fighting, but lesser jihad is often interpreted as
This means living their life holy war.
according to the rules of Allah Muslims believe that Muhammad taught his followers
and the Qur’an, doing everything that Muslims should defend Islam and there are many
they can to help those around stories that he himself led others into battle. There are
them. To do this they might: strict requirements. Some are listed below.
• Learn the Qur’an off by heart 1. The opponent must always have started the fighting.
• Take part in Muslim 2. It must not be fought to gain territory.
community activities to try 3. It must be fought to bring about good.
and strengthen the ummah 4. Every other way of solving the problem must be tried
• Work for social justice before resorting to war.
• Forgive those who have done 5. Innocent people should not be killed
Significance of Jihad
wrong to them.
They accept that greater jihad, as the daily struggle against temptation faced by Muslims, was
considered to be more important by Muhammad. They believe every Muslim faces a daily
battle to resist evil in the world.
Jihad is seen as an act of sacrifice. It may mean Muslims have to sacrifice their time, skills,
money or even their life for Allah. They believe there are some occasions when fighting is the
CELEBRATIONS AND COMMEMORATIONS
Id-ul-Adha
• Id-ul-Adha means ‘Festival of Sacrifice’.
It is a festival that remembers the
Prophet Ibrahim’s demonstration of
faith and trust in Allah. Ibrahim trusted
God completely and prepared to carry
out his will. Before Ibrahim sacrificed
Isaac, Allah provided a ram to be killed
in his place in his place.
• Muslims celebrate this story as it
reminds them of the importance of
developing faith and trust in Allah.
• Today in Muslim countries it is a public
holiday. They usually organise the
sacrifice of an animal as a reminder.
The meat is shared, special prayers will
be spoken at the mosque and cards and
presents will be given. Often extra
money is given to the poor.
Id-ul-Fitr
▪ Id-ul-Fitr means ‘Festival of breaking the
fast’ and is a celebration that takes place at
the end of Ramadan.
▪ It signifies the end of Muslims performing
the fourth Pillar of Islam, which is Sawm.
The first Id is believed to have been
celebrated by Muhammad in 624CE.
Muslims believe that they are celebrating
the end of fasting. They are also thanking
Allah for the strength he gave them to
complete this Pillar since it takes
determination and self-discipline.
▪ Muslims will buy new clothes to wear and
attend special services in the mosque. This
brings the Islamic Ummah together.
▪ There are many celebratory processions
through the streets and a celebratory
Id-ul-Ghadeer
o Shi’a Muslims recognise and
celebrate the festival of Id-ul-
Ghadeer on 18 Zilhajj.
o It remembers the appointment of
Ali ibn Abi Talib by Muhammad as
his successor. As there is a
disagreement between Sunni and
Shi’a Muslims over the authority
of succession in Islam after the
death of Muhammad, this festival
is not recognised by Sunni
Muslims.
o Muhammad is believed to have
announced Ali as his successor, as
told by Allah. Shi’as also believe
that immediately after this it was
revealed that Allah had perfected
the religion of Islam.
o They often celebrate this festival
by fasting or by sharing food with
the poor.
o They will spend time thanking
Allah and Muhammad for
Ashura
▪ Ashura is a celebration recognised by both Shi’a
and Sunni Muslims.
▪ It takes place on the tenth day of Muharram, the
first month of the Islamic calendar. For Shi’a
Muslims, Ashura is a solemn commemoration of
the martyrdom at Kabala in 680CE of Hussain,
who was a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
He was killed in a battle with his followers.
▪ There are often mourning rituals and passion
plays that retell the stories. Shi’a Muslims may
dress in black and parade through the streets.
▪ For Sunni Muslims, Ashura is a fasting day which
remembers how Nuh left the Ark and how Musa
was saved from the Egyptians by Allah.
Why are these important to Muslims?
A. They mark and remember significant events in
the history of Islam
B. They are a way to connect to the past.
C. The events still have significance today in
helping Muslims live as Allah wants them to
D. Muslims believe special occasions bring them
closer to Allah
E. Celebrations and festivals help to reinforce the