Lesson video

Hello there, my young scholars of religion.

My name is Ms. Marx, and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

Today we're going to be doing all about the Ten Obligatory Acts within Shi'a Islam, and they're particular to one branch of Shi'a Islam called Twelver Shi'a Islam.

And these actions are very important for upholding the faith of those Muslims. So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of this lesson today, you'll be able to explain what the Ten Obligatory Acts are, and give examples of them in action.

So let's start with our key terms. Jihad, Arabic term for struggle, effort, or fight; the personal or collective struggle against evil.

Khums, one fifth, an additional 20% tax paid by Shi'a Muslims. Shi'a Islam, Muslims who believe in the successorship of Imam Ali and other Imams from the Prophet Muhammad's bloodline.

Twelver, a branch of Shi'a Islam whose follows believe there are 12 Imams after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

So look out for those in today's lesson.

So our lesson today will have two sections, the Ten Obligatory Acts and the Ten Obligatory Acts in action.

So let's start with our first section, the Ten Obligatory Acts.

Twelver Shi'a Islam is the largest branch of Shi'a Islam.

So Shi'a Islam is a branch of Islam, and within that, Twelver Shi'a Islam is the largest.

There's other branches of Shi'a Islam, but the Twelver is the largest branch.

Twelver Shi'a Muslims believe there've been 12 Imams, with Imam Ali as the first and Imam Mahdi as the final.

So there's been 12 and Imam Ali as the first who was announced by the Prophet Muhammad to be his successor after his death.

And the Ten Obligatory Acts are a set of important practises for Twelver Shi'a Muslims. So they're particularly set out in this way within Twelver Shi'a Islam, these 10 acts.

And Fatemeh is an example of someone who's a Twelver Shi'a Muslim, and she's going to explain this to us.

"The 12 Imams are a sign of Allah's justice as they help guide Muslim beliefs and practises.

I have Ten Obligatory Acts that I follow as part of my religion as a Twelver Shi'a Muslim." Thank you, Fatemeh.

So what sources of authority have informed the Ten Obligatory Acts then? Well, the ultimate source of authority in Islam and for Muslims is the Qur'an, is the direct word of God.

And the Ten Obligatory Acts each have their basis in the Qur'an.

They're also shaped by the Hadith, so the sayings and the narrations about the life of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the guidance of the 12 Imams as the ones who were rightly sort of chosen and appointed by Allah to lead the Muslim faith.

And then also scholarly opinions.

So those scholars who've looked at the example of the Imams and the guidance, as well as the example of Prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an in order to compile what the correct actions and practises are for Muslims. And so this is how the Ten Obligatory Acts have kind of come to be.

You may also be aware of the five pillars, which are five very important practises, particularly known in that way within Sunni Islam.

Well, four of those five pillars are also part of the Ten Obligatory Acts.

The Shahadah isn't, but it's still important to Shi'a Muslims as a statement of faith.

But I've heard Shi'a Muslims explain it to me as it's more about what you believe the Shahadah, and then the actions are things that you do because of that belief.

So it kind of underpins all the actions that are taken, which is why it isn't singled out on its own.

So we can see here that we've got those four of the five pillars, salah, zakah, sawm, Hajj, and then we've got jihad, khums, and then we have amr bil maruf, nahi anril Munkar, tawalia, and tabarra.

And so we've got the 10 acts here, and those first four are within the five pillars.

Let's do a quick check.

The Ten Obligatory Acts have no basis in the Qur'an.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

That is false, isn't it? But why? It's false because they each have their basis in the Qur'an as interpreted by Twelver Shi'a scholars.

Well done.

So let's have a look at some of these sources of authority within the Qur'an then.

So for salah, we have got this verse.

"So glorify the praise of your Lord, and be among those who bow down." And you know that action of prostrating and bowing down is an important one within salah.

Zakah, "Charities, zakah, are for the poor and the destitute." So here we've got that instruction for who that money should go to.

Sawm, "O you who believe.

Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become righteous." So here is the very clear instruction that fasting is given as an action for those who believe to do.

And then Hajj, "Announce the pilgrimage, Hajj, to humanity." So the idea of everyone coming at least once in their life, if they're able to, to do the pilgrimage of the Hajj.

What about jihad then? Well, the source of authority we can use for jihad is in the Qur'an, and we've got here, "Believe in God and His messenger, and strive in the cause of God with your possessions and yourselves." How could that support the practise of jihad then? Can you spot the words which could be used for that then? Pause the video and have a think, and you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done.

It's this word strive, which can mean jihad, it could be translated as effort, fight, struggle.

It's that effort that someone puts in.

So not only about the believing in God and God's messenger, but also striving and doing the right thing in the cause of God.

What about khums then, that 20% tax that's paid by Shi'a Muslims? Well, here we've got in Surah 8, "And know that whatever spoils you gain, to God belongs its fifth, and to the Messenger, and the relatives, and the orphans, and the poor, and to the wayfarer." So which bit in here relates to khums then? Reread the passage, and you can pause the video, talk to the person next to you and talk to me.

Well, here we've got this idea of the fifth being 20%.

I've done the maths for you.

And who this goes to, the Messenger, and the Messenger's relatives, orphans, poor and wayfarer.

The fifth of spoils belongs to God, payment to the Messenger, relatives, orphan, the poor, and wayfarer or traveller.

What about source of authority for amr bil-maruf and nahil anril munkar then? "Well, let there be among you a community calling to virtue goodness, and advocating righteousness, and deterring from evil.

These are the successful." And this phrase about doing good and avoiding evil actually occurs nine times in the Qur'an.

So where can you see it in here, this idea of doing good and avoiding evil? How does this passage support to those Ten Obligatory Acts then? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, we've got this idea of calling to virtue, encouraging people to do good and then deterring from evil, so forbidding people from doing bad.

And this idea is we're going to encourage the right actions and forbid and discourage the wrong actions.

Muslims should encourage people to do good or virtuous actions.

Muslim should forbid and discourage people from doing evil actions.

And finally, what about source of authority connected to tawalia and tabarra? So Tawalia being showing love to the Prophet Muhammad and Allah and the relatives, and tabarra, disassociating from the enemies of Allah and the enemies of the Prophet Muhammad and his relatives.

We have here, "I ask of you no wage for it, except affection among the near of kin." And "You will not find a people who believe in God and the Last Day, loving those who oppose God and His Messenger." So how can these passages support tawalia and tabarra then? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done.

We've got this idea of showing affection and love to the near of kin, and kin is a word that just to do with relatives or family, and so this idea of showing love to the family.

Then we've got this idea of not loving those who oppose God, so disassociating from those who are opposing God.

Affection for the near of kin means to love the relatives of the Prophet Muhammad, and within Shi'a Islam, that'd relate to the Imams. And that Muslims should not love those who oppose God but disassociate from them.

Let's do a quick check.

Which of the three of the following statements are accurate about the Ten Obligatory Acts and the Qur'an? The Qur'an instructs Muslims to give a fifth of their spoils.

The Qur'an instructs Muslims to strive for God.

The Qur'an instructs Muslims to encourage good and forbid evil.

The Qur'an instructs Muslims to announce Hajj to only Muslims. Three of these are correct, one is incorrect.

Can you find it? Pause the video and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

A, B and C were correct.

D is incorrect because the Qur'an instructs Muslims to announce Hajj to the whole of humanity, not to only Muslims. Well done.

So Shi'a Muslims believe that Imams were guides for the religion of Islam following the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

So along with the Qur'an and the Hadith about the Prophet Muhammad, Shi'a Muslims also look to the guidance of the Imams. This guidance also helped to shape what the Ten Obligatory Acts are and how they're completed.

So for example, Imam Ali, who we know was the first Imam after the Prophet Muhammad, he fought alongside the Prophet Muhammad.

He was known to be very brave, very courageous.

And so this showed the importance of striving for God, and he fought alongside the Prophet Muhammad and risked his life for him actually.

And then we have Imam Hussain, who's the third Imam, who was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of Imam Ali.

Now, he was martyred when he stood up against an unjust ruler.

He was forbidding the evil of that unjust ruler, and he was encouraging good, encouraging people to be just and fair in their dealings with each other.

So that's also helped to shape those Ten Obligatory Acts.

So Fatemeh and Hassan are both Shi'a Muslims, and they're going to discuss the importance of the 12 Imams to the Ten Obligatory Acts for us.

And Fatemeh says, "The guidance from the 12 Imams means I can know how to fulfil the commands of the Qur'an and follow the example of Prophet Muhammad." And Hassan says, "Yes and I trust their guidance because I believe they're infallible, protected from sin, and that Allah had chosen them to be our guides." So this idea of it is God who has chosen the Imams to lead the faith and give that guidance to Muslims. Let's do another check.

Which of the three following statements are correct reasons why Shi'a Muslims follow the guidance of the Imams? A, because they're infallible, B, because they're prophets, C, because Allah chose them to be guides, D, because they were from the Prophet Muhammad's bloodline? So three of these are correct and one is incorrect.

Can you find it? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've got in a moment.

Well done.

A, C and D were correct.

B isn't correct because the Imams are not believed to be prophets within Shi'a Islam, and Prophet Muhammad is the last and final prophet, the seal of the prophets for all Muslims. So they're not considered to be prophets.

Well done.

Let's do a practise task to see what we've learned.

You're going to complete the table below by stating which of the Ten Obligatory Acts each source could support, and then write a sentence explaining each of them.

So here we've got four of our sources that we had earlier in the lesson.

"I ask of you no wage for it, except affection among the near of kin." What act could that support and why? "Whatever spoils you gain, to God belongs it's fifth." What act could that support and why? "Believe in God and His messenger, and strive in the cause of God." What act could that support and why? And "O you who believe.

Fasting is prescribed for you." Which act could that support and why? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some great thinking.

So I asked you to look at each of the sources that we've had in today's lesson and say which act it could support and give an explanation as to why.

And your table may look something like this.

"I ask of you no wage for it, except affection among the near of kin" could support tawalia, showing love, because the love of the near kin relates to showing love to the Imams as being from the Prophet's bloodline.

"Whatever spoils you gain, to God belongs its fifth" could relate to khums, the charity tax.

Khums means one fifth, and this is donated by Shi'a Muslims each year.

The source, "Believe in God and His messenger, and strive in the cause of God" could support jihad, striving for Allah.

Striving could mean struggle or effort put into something.

This could be physical or spiritual.

The source, "O you who believe.

Fasting is prescribed for you." Sawm, fasting during Ramadan.

Shi'a Muslims fast this month of Ramadan, as the Qur'an instructs.

Well done.

So onto our second section then, the Ten Obligatory Acts in action.

Here are three examples of the Ten Obligatory Acts in action.

Here we've got a Shi'a Muslim performing salah, and if you could see in the picture here, he is praying on a stone here, rather than on the mat directly, 'cause Shi'a Muslims would not pray directly on a human made mat, but would pray on something natural, earth, or here he's got a stone.

Here we've got Muslims performing Hajj, which all Muslims perform, whether Sunni or Shi'a.

All Muslims will perform this as once in there.

Here we have Hajj, which is obligatory for all able Muslims, Sunni, Shi'a together.

And here we've got some Muslims performing Hajj.

And then tawalia, and this could be an example of tawalia, a reenactment showing what happened when Imam Hussain was martyred.

So a sign of showing that love for Imam Hussain, and what he was doing in standing up against an unjust ruler, keeping that memory alive through reenactment plays like this.

So Izzy's asking Rasool, "As a Shi'a Muslim, how do you perform salah, Rasool?" And Rasool says, "I pray five prayers a day, at three separate times, early in the morning, in the early part of the afternoon and just after sunset.

This is because the Prophet Muhammad sometimes combined prayers in this way.

I also pray on something natural, like earth or stone, as the Prophet Muhammad did this too." Can you think of what might be similar or different to how Sunni Muslims will usually perform salah then? Pause the video and have a think, and you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, Sunni and Shi'a Muslims both have five set prayers a day to say, but Shi'a Muslims will usually combine those to three separate times.

Sunni Muslims can sometimes too when they're on journeys, 'cause the Prophet Muhammad did this.

But within Shi'a Islam, it's accepted to do those five prayers on three separate times.

Similarly, within Shi'a Islam and Sunni Islam, Muslims prostrate and they bow down.

And within Shi'a Islam, this would usually be onto something that's not manmade, but it's something natural, or like a stone or the earth, because they have hadiths that say that the prophet Muhammad did this.

Whereas in Sunni Islam, often people will pray on a prayer mat because, again, they have some hadiths that say the prophet Muhammad did this.

Well done.

And Izzy's asking Fatemeh, "As a Shi'a Muslim, Fatemeh, how do you perform Hajj?" And Fatemeh says, "I've been to Hajj once in my lifetime, which was an incredible experience.

I performed the rituals alongside Muslims from all over the world.

I prayed alongside my Sunni sisters, in the religion of Islam, and I felt the unity of our religion.

I've also taken pilgrimages to the site of Imam Hussain's martyrdom." Thank you, Fatemeh.

So what is similar and what is different to how Sunni Muslims will usually perform pilgrimages then? Pause the video and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, firstly, Fatemeh has said she did the Hajj alongside Sunni Muslims. They were there together performing these rituals for Hajj, all Muslims united there.

But what might be different is that Fatemeh also has taken pilgrimages to places like Karbala, which is where Imam Hussain was martyred, and that's more likely to happen with a Shi'a Muslim than than a Sunni.

Well done.

Time for a quick check.

Which of these images shows a Shi'a Muslim performing salah? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

It's B, isn't it? Well done.

So now Alex is asking Zainab, "As a Shi'a Muslim, Zainab, how do you perform jihad?" And Zainab says, "Jihad means to strive in the way of Allah, and I'm striving to be a better Muslim every day when I perform the other Ten Obligatory Acts.

Everyone's jihad is personal to them, and for me, my jihad is to work hard at school and not get involved in gossiping, which can take my focus away from Allah." Thank you Zainab.

And Izzy's asking Hassan, "As a Shi'a Muslim, Hassan, how do you perform khums?" And Hassan says, "Zakah is in the Ten Obligatory Acts, but I believe that only applies to certain goods, like gold and silver, which I don't have.

What I do have is earnings and savings from my job, and so I pay one fifth of that each year when performing khums. It feels like a lot, but I know it belongs to Allah, and I pay it on my birthday." Thank you, Hassan.

And Alex is asking Zainab now, "As a Shi'a Muslim, Zainab, how do you enjoin or encourage the good and forbid the bad?" So this is two of the Ten Obligatory Acts here.

How does Zainab do this? And Zainab says, "I try to live my life as a good person and encourage others to be good.

I make sure I set a good example to my younger siblings, and I teach them how to share and be kind.

Also, during Ashura last year, I volunteered as part of a protest against injustice in the world, following Imam Hussain's example." So here Zainab is discouraging her younger siblings from doing bad, and she's also discouraging injustice in the world by taking part in this protest.

Thank you Zainab.

And Izzy's now asking Rasool, "As a Shi'a Muslim, how do you show love to Allah and disassociate from the enemies of Allah, Rasool?" And Rasool says, "When I commemorate Ashura, I'm showing love to Allah, and the near relatives of the Prophet Muhammad, as Imam Hussain was his grandson.

He stood up to an unjust ruler, so I disassociate from that ruler.

When I retell the story, I make sure not to praise him or give him any glory." Thank you, Rasool.

So we've seen here there's many ways that Twelver Shi'a Muslims will perform the Ten Obligatory Acts.

Let's together give the first of two ways that Muslims may perform the Ten Obligatory Acts.

Hm, I think to not praise or glorify the enemies of Imam Hussain during Ashura.

So over to you then, give the second of two ways that Muslims may perform the Ten Obligatory Acts.

Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

I've got here donating one fifth of their savings to charity, khums. So here is a full evaluation question.

You're going to.

No, sorry.

So time for a practise task to see what we've learned then.

Here is a full evaluation question.

You're gonna write a paragraph in support of this statement, and the following slide has some planning points you might like to use.

And the statement is, "The best way for Muslims to serve Allah is to perform the Ten Obligatory Acts." In a full answer, you would refer to Muslim teaching, give reasons for and against, and then also reach a justified conclusion.

But what you are going to do is just do one paragraph in support.

So here are some planning points.

The Ten Obligatory Acts all have their basis in the Qur'an.

The Ten Obligatory Acts were compiled following the example of the Prophet Muhammad and with the guidance of the Imams. The Ten Obligatory Acts include striving for Allah, as well as encouraging good and forbidding evil.

And the Ten Obligatory Acts can be applied to all aspects of a Muslim's life.

So you're going to write one paragraph in support of this statement.

"The best way for Muslims to serve Allah is to perform the Ten Obligatory Acts." Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some good thinking there.

I asked you to write a paragraph in support of this statement.

"The best way for Muslims to serve Allah is to perform the Ten Obligatory Acts." And your response may look like this: Twelver Shi'a Muslims would agree with this statement, as the Ten Obligatory Acts have their basis in the Qur'an and follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad and the guidance of the Imams. They provide a complete set of actions for Muslims to follow, not only for their own lives as Muslims, but also in support of the community.

Shi'a Muslims can encourage good actions and discourage evil actions in many different situations, as well as striving for Allah when performing the other acts.

The Ten Obligatory Acts also have daily and yearly actions which Muslims complete as part of their faith, with prayer and fasting during Ramadan.

This shows that the best way for Muslims to serve Allah is to perform the Ten Obligatory Acts.

Well done.

So let's summarise everything we've learned then.

The Ten Obligatory Acts.

The Ten Obligatory Acts are performed by Twelver Shi'a Muslims. These acts have their basis in the Qur'an, the Hadith, and the guidance of the Imams. Four of the acts are in the five pillars, salah, sawm, zakah and Hajj.

The additional actions include jihad and khums, encouraging good actions, forbidden evil, showing love to Allah, and disassociating from the enemies of Allah.

There are some similarities and differences between how some of these acts are performed by Sunni and Shi'a Muslims as different branches of Islam.

So well done for your hard work today, and I hope to see you again soon.

Bye-bye.