Shahadah - the declaration of faith
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what the Shahadah is as part of the Five Pillars.
Key learning points
- 'Sharia' means 'the straight path' and halal actions are those that are permitted for Muslims.
- The Five Pillars are important practices for both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims.
- The Shahadah is the declaration of faith for Muslims and forms part of the Five Pillars.
- The Shahadah states there is only one God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
Keywords
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
Common misconception
That the Shahadah is only said by Sunni Muslims.
The Shahadah is important to all Muslims, but some Shi'a Muslims state that 'Ali is a friend of Allah' in addition to the statement that Sunni Muslims say.
Teacher tip
If pupils are not aware of the debate around the succession after the death of the Prophet Muhammad that has informed some differences in practices between Sunni and Shi'a branches of Islam, then pupils could cover this before any lessons which introduce these differences.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following best describes the role of prophets in Islam?
Q2.What is the term for the worldwide Muslim community?
Q3.What is the role of angels in Islam?
Q4.Why is the Qur’an considered the ultimate source of authority in Islam?
Q5.The belief in prophets in Islam is called .
Q6.In Islam, angels are believed to record every person’s good and bad .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'Shariah' means 'the path' and guides Muslims on how to live a good life.
Q2.What are the Five Pillars in Islam?
Q3.What must someone say to become a Muslim?
Q4.What concept is reinforced by the phrase “There is no god but Allah”?
Q5.What is the key difference between Sunni and Shi’a views of the Shahadah?
Q6.Which of these practices is not one of the Five Pillars of Islam?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Shahadah - the declaration of faith, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Shahadah - the declaration of faith, 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.