How and why Muslims perform salah
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why there are five daily prayers and why Muslims greet the angels with 'salam' during prayer.
Key learning points
- Salah is performed as five daily prayers.
- According to Muslim tradition, the five daily prayers were set by Allah during the Night Journey.
- During salah, Muslims offer peace to the angels who record their deeds.
- Muslims are 'called' to prayer from mosques with the words of the adhan.
Keywords
Adhan - the Islamic call to prayer, announcing that it is time to pray
Deeds - actions a person does, good or bad
Salam - Arabic term meaning 'peace' and is a greeting in Islam
The Night Journey - the miraculous journey of the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem
Common misconception
Only Sunni Muslims perform the five daily prayers of Islam.
All Muslims perform the five daily prayers, but most Sunni Muslims perform the five daily prayers at five different times, while most Shi'a Muslims combine the five prayers into three prayer times. Sunni Muslims also sometimes combine them, however.
Teacher tip
Students can mindmap how the practice of salah in Islam links to important foundational beliefs for both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The Pillars are the essential practices all Muslims follow to express their faith.
Q2.Muslims follow the actions which are permitted according to Islamic law.
Q3.What does ‘Sharia’ mean in Islam?
Q4.Which statement about the Shahadah is true?
Q5.Which of these is not one of the Five Pillars?
Q6.Some Shi’a Muslims add which phrase to the Shahadah?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Muslims believe the five daily prayers were given to Muhammad during the Journey.
Q2.Muslims greet the on their shoulders during prayer because they record their deeds.
Q3.Although Muslims pray five times daily, the reward is said to be as great as prayers.
Q4.What is the purpose of the adhan?
Q5.Why do Muslims perform five daily prayers?
Q6.Only Sunni Muslims perform the five daily prayers of Islam.
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: How and why Muslims perform salah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: How and why Muslims perform salah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Islam: Practices unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.