Lesson video

Hi there, my young theologians and scholars of religion.

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

Today, we're going be doing all about the Muslim practise of the Shahadah, which is a really important statement of faith and is the first of the Five Pillars.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of this lesson today, you'll be able to explain what the Shahadah is as part of the Five Pillars.

So let's start with our key terms then.

Halal, actions or things which are permitted within Islam, such as eating permitted foods.

Haram, any actions or things which are forbidden within Islam, such as eating forbidden foods.

Shahadah, the statement of faith in Islam.

Sharia, a set of moral and religious rules that guide Muslims based on the teachings of the Qur'an and the Hadith.

So watch out for those in today's lesson.

So our lesson today will have three sections.

Firstly, what is the straight path? Secondly, the Five Pillars.

And thirdly, the Shahadah.

So let's start with our first section, what is the straight path? Imagine it's a hot summer's day, and you're walking through the countryside, and you feel hot and thirsty, and you hope there's clear water nearby, and you see a path that's leading you to that water.

So it's a hot sunny day, and you're feeling all hot and thirsty, and you know that there's gonna be some water, and you see a path that's gonna lead you down to that water.

What might you think about that path? Have a pause of the video.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, for Muslims, the sharia is that path to clear water.

So it's as if there's a path leading them through life and how they can live a life that's pleasing to Allah.

So let's look at the meaning of the term sharia, then.

The term sharia comes from Arabic, and it has this root, sh and r.

And the term's literal meaning is a well-trodden path to water, so just like we thought about a path leading down to water.

So it's a way that people have gone to water.

And sharia is often translated as the straight path, and it's a guide for how Muslims can act in order to follow the religion Allah has sent them.

The sharia sets up the actions which are allowed and those that are forbidden.

So the sharia is a source of Muslim authority, and we can see in the Qur'an as the ultimate source of authority for Muslims where this term is used, "Then we set you upon a pathway, sharia, of faith, so follow it, and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know." And here we've got Tareeq, who's an imam, explaining to us.

He says, "The sharia has been given for us to know how to behave on Earth.

It supports life, education, equality, and dedication to Allah." So all these practises that Muslims do are part of the sharia, the way to behave on Earth.

What sources could make up the sharia? So how could a Muslim know what the right actions are to do? Can you think of the sources a Muslim might use to know how to behave and what to do? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, you may have said the Qur'an and the Hadith as the narrations about the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

So there are two different sets of sources that are used for compiling the sharia and knowing how to behave and what practises a Muslim should do.

And we could split this into primary sources and secondary sources.

So the primary sources are the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

So the Qur'an as the direct, revealed words of Allah, but then also the example of the Prophet Muhammad, who Aisha, his wife, even called the walking, talking Qur'an.

So he lived out the example of how to follow the instructions from the Qur'an, so Muslims look to his life to know how they should too.

But those aren't the only sources that make up the sharia.

We've also got secondary sources, because if there's a situation that's happening in the world that's not something that happened at the time when the Qur'an was revealed, it might not be able to give us a direct ruling.

Similarly with the example of the life of the Prophet Muhammad, that was at a certain time in a certain place.

So there might be some things which have come along since then where Muslims need to know what the right behaviour would be.

So Muslims can turn to secondary sources, and included in these is consensus, so an agreement among all the scholars.

We've got analogy, so we can use things from the Qur'an and maybe apply them to a new situation, as well as critical thinking.

So using the mind that Allah has given a person, particularly the scholars, to think about and work out what the right thing is to do.

So all of these make up the sharia and knowing what the right practises are and how to behave.

Why are those secondary sources needed for compiling the sharia? If there's the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet Muhammad, why are these secondary sources needed? Pause the video and have a think, and again, you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, that's right, isn't it? There could be situations in life where things change, and the world is always changing and we need to have a way of knowing what the right behaviour is, even if it wasn't directly revealed about in the Qur'an and during the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

Let's do a quick check.

Which three of these sources are used to compile the sharia? The example of the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur'an as the word of Allah, consensus and agreement between religious leaders, and a list of things which are haram or halal.

Which of these are used to compile the sharia? You need to find three.

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

Well done.

It was the first three.

The example of the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur'an as the word of Allah, and the consensus and agreement between religious leaders.

But the list of things that are haram and halal isn't a source for the sharia.

That is something that the sharia can give to us.

Well done.

Well, let's have a think then about what haram and halal actions might be then.

So halal are actions which are allowed, they're permitted.

And haram are actions which are forbidden or not allowed.

So you might have heard this when people are speaking about Islam, some actions and things being halal and haram.

Halal and haram are used as terms to describe actions which are allowed or encouraged, halal, and those which are forbidden and discouraged, haram.

So one example of halal and haram actions is eating different kinds of meat and meat products.

So you might have seen symbols like this which say halal.

Meat which is halal is allowed to be eaten by Muslims and must be killed in a particular way and be an animal that is halal to eat.

So for example, not eating pork.

And often, there'll be signs and labels showing somebody when something is halal or not.

So here's Ahmed explaining to us.

So Ahmed says, "If I buy snacks on my way home from school, I always check if they're halal.

Sometimes there are product from pigs in sweets, which you don't even expect." So it's always good for a Muslim to know that something is halal, approved, so it's an animal that's allowed to be eaten and it's been killed and treated in the way that it's halal.

So Iqbal, Zainab, and Sarah are all Muslims, and they're gonna explain what haram actions they avoid, so this is the actions that are not allowed.

Iqbal says, "The instruction in the Qur'an to avoid intoxicants means that I won't ever drink alcohol.

It's haram, it's forbidden." And Zainab says, "The Prophet Muhammad instructed us not to backbite." So that's a bit like gossiping behind people's backs.

"So I will not talk badly about people, it is haram." And Sarah says, "The Qur'an instructs us not to charge interest on loans.

This means I won't engage in banking that charges interest, it's haram." So here we've got things that are permitted, halal, and things that are not allowed, haram.

Thank you, Iqbal, Zainab, and Sarah.

Let's do another check.

Is this true or false? The term haram refers to actions which are allowed according to the sharia.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, that is false, isn't it? But why? Well, it's false because haram is actions which are not allowed according to the sharia.

The term halal refers to actions which are allowed.

Well done.

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

So Jacob and Izzy here are discussing what the sharia is.

Who has the more accurate view? And explain why you think this is.

So let's read them.

Jacob says, "The sharia is a book of laws that the Prophet Muhammad was given by Allah.

It shows Muslims what they have to do.

The actions which are allowed are called haram, and the actions which are not allowed are called halal." And Izzy says, "The sharia is a guide for how Muslims should behave, and it's compiled using the Qur'an, the example of the Prophet Muhammad, consensus, analogy, and critical thinking.

Halal actions are allowed, and haram actions are forbidden." Which of these is more accurate, and why? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

Some great thinking there.

Well, Izzy had the more accurate view, didn't she? But why? Well, because Izzy's view shows there are several sources which were used to compile the sharia.

Izzy's mentioned the Qur'an, the example of the Prophet Muhammad, consensus, analogy, and critical thinking.

They're all, you know, the primary and the secondary sources together compiling to make the sharia.

And also, Izzy uses the correct terms for the actions which are allowed, halal, and those which are not allowed, haram.

She's got those the right way round, whereas Jacob got them the wrong way round, didn't he? Well done.

So onto our second section then, the Five Pillars.

So here we have an image showing the Five Pillars of Islam, and these are core practises that Muslims do.

We've got Shahadah, which is a testimony of faith, prayer, salah, fasting during Ramadan is sawm, charity, zakah, and pilgrimage to Makkah, which is hajj.

So these are five actions that Muslims take as part of their life.

And they're essential and core actions within Islam.

And the sharia helps a Muslim to work out how to do these, so it sets out how a Muslim can actually complete them, so what are some of the kind of guidance and the guidelines for how they can complete these different core actions.

So why are these actions called the Five Pillars then? Well, Izzy's asking Tareeq, "Why are these actions called the Five Pillars, Tareeq?" And Tareeq says, "A pillar in a building holds up the roof and helps the building to stay strong and secure.

In that way, doing the practises of the Five Pillars helps a Muslim to have secure faith as well as help the whole Muslim community, ummah, support each other more." So if you remember what those Five Pillars are, we've got a testimony of faith, prayer, giving to charity, fasting, and then pilgrimage, how could that help support a Muslim's faith then? Have a think about that, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, let's see what Nadia's going to say then.

Jacob asks Nadia, "How do the Five Pillars support your religious beliefs, Nadia?" And Nadia says, "They remind me of the most important beliefs and help to show daily dedication to Allah through prayers." In this image here, we have Nadia praying.

"By performing zakah and sawm, which is charity and fasting, I feel more connected to other Muslims, and when I perform hajj, the pilgrimage, I will feel even more connected to the story of Ibrahim and the Ka'aba." So for Nadia, these all kind of help to connect her with her faith and to connect her with God more deeply.

Thank you, Nadia.

So let's do another check to see what we've learned then.

Which of the three of the following are part the Five Pillars? Sawm, fasting during Ramadan, salah, daily prayers, akhirah, Muslim teachings about life after death, and hajj, pilgrimage to Makkah and the Ka'aba.

Which three of these are part of the Five Pillars? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've got in a moment.

Well done, it was A, B, and D because akhirah is a belief, it's not a practise.

It's beliefs about life after death.

The other three are all practises or actions.

Well done.

So let's look to a Muslim source of authority to see where these Five Pillars are mentioned then.

And here we've got the Hadith, which is narrations and stories about the Prophet Muhammad, what he said and what he did.

And here we've got a Hadith mentioning some of these pillars then.

And here we've got a Hadith mentioning the Five Pillars, and it says, "Islam is raised on five pillars, testifying the fact that there's no God but Allah, that Muhammad is His messenger, and the establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, Pilgrimage to the House, Ka'aba, and the fast of Ramadan." How could this Hadith support the importance of the Five Pillars then? Read it again and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, it says here that Islam is raised on these five pillars.

So these five things will uphold the faith, which is what Tareeq said to us earlier about the Five Pillars and a Muslim's faith.

So we've got testifying, which means saying and speaking out loud about there's only one God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Then we've got prayer, zakat or charity, pilgrimage, hajj, and then fasting for Ramadan.

So we've got the Five Pillars, testimony, prayer, zakat, pilgrimage, and fasting.

They're all here in this source of authority.

Well, Izzy and Jacob are explaining to us now how that Hadith could show why the Five Pillars are important to Muslims. And Jacob says, "The Hadith says that Islam is raised on five pillars, which means that these five practises support a Muslim's faith and the whole Muslim community, like a pillar can support a building." And Izzy says, "The Hadith mentions all five of the pillars, testifying to the existence of God, Muhammad as the messenger of God, prayer, zakat, pilgrimage, and fasting during Ramadan." Thank you, Jacob and Izzy.

And what I really like about what they've done is they've mentioned the source where it came from, the Hadith.

Well done.

Let's do another check.

Which source of authority says, "Islam is raised on five pillars"? Which source of authority was it? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

It was the Hadith.

Time for another practise task to see what we've learned then.

You're going to explain two reasons why the Five Pillars are important to Muslims, and you're going to refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.

And your guidance is, for both of the reasons you're going to give, because you're going to give two reasons, you're going to give a point and then develop it.

And the phrase you could use is one reason is, this means that.

But then for one of those points that you make, you're going to link to a source of authority, it could be the Qur'an or the Hadith, and then say what it teaches and then apply it to the Five Pillars.

And you could use the phrase again, this means, or this shows.

So you're going to choose two reasons why the Five Pillars are important to Muslims. Pause the video and off you go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some great thinking there.

So I asked you to explain two reasons why the Five Pillars are important to Muslims. And you might have said: One reason why the Five Pillars are important to Muslims is because they can help their faith feel supported and strengthened.

The Hadith says Islam is raised on five pillars.

This means the five pillars are holding up or raising the faith of Muslims, showing their dedication to their faith.

Another reason why the Five Pillars are important to Muslims is because they can strengthen the worldwide community of Muslims. For example, zakat and sawm can help Muslims care about other Muslims who are in need.

Well done.

So onto our third and final section then, the Shahadah.

So the Shahadah is the first of the Five Pillars, and we can see it in our diagram here.

So the Arabic term Shahadah means to witness or give testimony of something.

You might have heard of the phrase witness before where somebody might go to court to say what they witnessed and what they saw.

So this is where someone is speaking about something that they believe.

The Shahadah in Islam is a statement of faith which is central to many Muslim practises.

It is said when someone converts or reverts to Islam.

It's said into the ear of a newborn baby, so it's the first thing that baby hears when they're born.

It often might be what a dying person hears last or what they request to hear last, so it sort of bookends the whole of life for somebody from the moment they're born until they die.

It's also said as part of the call to prayer and daily prayers.

It might be displayed in houses and mosques.

People might have beautiful kind of calligraphy with it written on their wall, or they might have that on the entrance to a mosque as people are coming in.

And it's also said during remembrance of God in meditation.

So some Muslims who like to practise remembrance of God, which is a bit of a meditative practise, will say the Shahadah over and over and use it as a thing to focus on with their thoughts.

The Shahadah has two sections, and some Shi'a Muslims also say a third section.

So let's have a look at these sections.

The first section, "I bear witness that there's no God but God, Allah." Now, this shows the importance of a belief in the oneness of God, or tawhid.

So the first bit of the Shahadah is "There's no God but God." There's only one God.

The second section of the Shahadah, "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." So this shows the importance of prophecy.

This could really link to those ideas to do with prophecy and how do people know about this one God through the prophets that have been sent revelations.

So "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" really shows that importance of prophecy and how people can know about God.

And some Shi'a Muslims say, "Ali is a friend of Allah." And this shows the importance of the imamate, or the imamah, within Shi'a Islam.

So the idea that Ali is not a messenger, Ali is not divine.

So we have, "I bear witness there's no God but God, Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and Ali is a friend of Allah." So you can see here how you could use the Shahadah as a source of authority to support lots of different beliefs within Islam too.

Let's do a quick check.

All Muslims say "Ali is a friend of God" at the end of the Shahadah.

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

Well done.

That's false, isn't it, because "Ali is a friend of God" is said as part of the Shahadah by some Shi'a Muslims but it's not said by Sunni Muslims generally.

Well done.

So a source of authority that supports the importance of the Shahadah is the Qur'an.

So I've said the Shahadah can be used as a source of authority, but we can also look to the Qur'an as the kind of ultimate authority within Islam to see where the Shahadah is.

And we've got here in Surah 3, "God bears witness that there is no God but He, as do the angels and those endowed with knowledge, upholding justice.

There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise." So how does that passage link to the phrases we've just seen in the Shahadah then? Pause the video, have a reread.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, this idea of bearing witness, remember, that's the Arabic for bearing witness, is Shahadah.

And we've got this idea of there being no God but God, no God but He.

God bears witness that there is no God but He.

Well done.

So now let's have a listen to Iqbal.

He's a Sunni Muslim, and he's going to say the Shahadah in Arabic for us.

(Iqbal speaking in Arabic) <v ->Thank you, Iqbal.

</v> So we've seen there's many times when a Muslim might say or hear the Shahadah.

So let's together give three examples of when a Muslim might say or hear the Shahadah.

Hmm, it might be said into the ear of a newborn baby and during daily prayers.

So over to you then.

Give a further example of when a Muslim might hear or say the Shahadah.

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

I've got here during daily prayers.

You might have also said during remembrance of Allah.

So let's explore this a little bit more then.

Jacob's asking Ahmed, "When have you said or heard the Shahadah in your life as a Muslim, Ahmed?" And Ahmed says, "My parents said the word of the adhan, which is the call to prayer, in my ear as soon as I was born.

The call to prayer includes the words of the Shahadah.

I've heard this phrase every day when I pray with my family." Why might the Shahadah be said into the ear of newborn babies and Muslim families, though? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

And now Izzy's asking Sarah, "Why has the Shahadah been important in your life, Sarah?" And Sarah says, "I'm a Muslim revert," which means she's a convert or she changed religion, "and when I reverted to Islam, I said the Shahadah at the mosque in front of other Muslim women as my witnesses.

I had to mean what I said very sincerely with all of my heart, and this was a very special moment for me." Why might the Shahadah be said when someone converts or reverts to Islam then? And Sarah's just said here that it was a very special moment to her.

Why? Pause the video and have a think.

And you can talk to person next to you or talk to me.

And Izzy's asking Tareeq, "When would Muslims hear the Shahadah being said at your mosque, Tareeq?" 'cause Tareeq is an imam.

Tareeq says, "I'm an imam at a mosque.

This means I help to lead the prayer.

We say the Shahadah every time we call people to pray, and it's part of our daily obligatory prayers.

The Shahadah is so important to us that it's written on the entrance as you come into the mosque." So here we've got it as people walk into the mosque, they're hearing it being said from the mosque, and also it's being said during the prayers.

So it's very central to what's happening there for Tareeq, isn't it? Why might the Shahadah be written on the entrance to the mosque then? Pause the video and have another think, and talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

And finally, Jacob's asking Layla, "Why do you say the Shahadah as part of your remembrance of Allah, Layla?" And Layla says, "I'm a Sufi Muslim.

Part of my practises is the remembrance of Allah, which is known as dhikr.

This is when I repeat phrases like 'there's no God but God' and that 'God is the greatest.

' This helps me focus on who God is and less on myself.

And I sometimes use prayer beads to help me with this, and I can feel very connected to Allah." So it's used as a kind of focal point to what the nature of God is like and who God is.

Why might the Shahadah be used as part of that remembrance then? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, we've seen from all of our characters here how important the Shahadah is as a Muslim practise.

Not only because it's the first of the Five Pillars, but because it's said so often as part of a Muslim's life.

It's the thing that somebody says if they want to become a Muslim.

It's whispered in the ear of a baby that's born into a Muslim family.

It's said for the five daily prayers.

It might even be written on the walls in somebody's house or the entrance to the mosque that they go into, in to pray.

So why is that so important then? Perhaps because it sums up so many of the important beliefs within Islam, the idea that there is only one God, and the oneness of God, and that Muhammad is the messenger of God, and that God has sent prophets and revelations that Muslims can understand that God.

But is it the most important Muslim practise? Let's have a think.

Time for a practise task to explore that then.

Here's Jacob, who has given us some planning points for this evaluation question.

The full evaluation question is, "The Shahadah is the most important Muslim practise." You're going to evaluate this statement considering arguments for and against, and you are going to refer to Muslim teachings and give that sort of for side paragraph, the paragraph explaining why people might agree with this statement.

Jacob's done some of the thinking for us, and he's got some planning points for us which we're going to write into a paragraph.

And his points are, for the statement "The Shahadah is the most important Muslim practise," Jacob's points are, it's the first thing a Muslim baby will hear.

Muslims say this every day during prayers.

Some Muslims meditate on this during the remembrance of Allah.

It's what someone says to convert to Islam.

And in the Qur'an, it says, "God bears witness that there's no God but He." So Jacob's given us lots of points here that we can use for our paragraph.

Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

Some great thinking there.

So here's the points that Jacob gave us, and you might have said: Some Muslims would agree that Shahadah is the most important practise because it's the main belief that all other practises rest on.

It's the first thing a baby will hear and the statement someone says to become a Muslim.

The Shahadah is also part of Muslim prayers and the remembrance of Allah, and the Qur'an itself says, "God bears witness there's no God but He," showing how important that testimony is.

Therefore, it is the most important Muslim practise.

Well done for your hard work there.

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

Muslims have been given a guide for how to live known as the sharia, or the straight path, based on the Qur'an, Hadith, and interpretation.

Things that are permitted are halal, and things that are forbidden are haram.

The Five Pillars are five core essential practises in Islam, the statement of faith, prayer, fasting, charity tax, and pilgrimage.

And the Shahadah is the first of those Five Pillars and the statement of faith in Islam.

The statement affirms the oneness of Allah and Muhammad as the messenger of Allah.

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