S16 E16: The One About GCSE RE Islam Practices: Salah, Saum, Night of power

Explain two ways Muslims perform Salah.
One way is when performing ablution.
This is known as wudu, which involves washing specific body parts before praying.
Another way is by completing the rakkah which are prayer movements.
These involve standing, reciting, bowing, prostrating and kneeling

Explain two ways Muslims perform Friday prayer
One way is with others at the Mosque
Jummah prayer must be performed with a group of Muslims and not alone.
Another way is listening to the sermon.
Jummah prayer involves the Imam giving a speech about current Islamic issues.

Explain two ways Muslims practice saum
One way is by not eating, drinking and sexual relations.
This is done from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
Another way is by staying away from sin because fasting allows Muslims more time to focus on Allah.
This means a Muslim tries to be the best Muslim they can.

Explain two ways Muslims practice the Night of Power
One way is by staying up at night.
Muslims may spend the night in prayer asking Allah to forgive their sins.
Another way is reading the Quran as Ramadan was when the Quran was revealed Muslims would read it all to receive blessings.

Explain two reasons why Salah is important to Muslims.  You must refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer.
One reason is because it is one of the five pillars of Sunni Islam and 10 obligatory acts in Shia Islam.
This means it is one of the main ways Muslims worship Allah.
Another reason is that it keeps Muslims away from sin.
When Muslims pray their five daily prayers, they are constantly reminded of Allah so would be aware of their actions.
The Quran says Salah keeps you away from immorality and wrongdoing.
This shows how prayer is important to help you be a good Muslim.

Explain two reasons why Jummah prayer is important to Muslims. Refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer.
One reason is because it is done on a holy day which is Friday.
The Quran says, ‘when you are called to Jummah prayer, hasten to the remembrance of Allah.'
This shows that Muslims are expected to attend Jummah.
Another reason is that it brings the Muslim community together as Friday prayer must be done in congregation
As it is believed it is 27 times more powerful

Explain two reasons why fasting is important to Muslims. Refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer.
One reason fasting is important to Muslims is because it's a pillar of Islam.
It is done in the holiest month, Ramadan, and it's seen as an important act of worship.
Another reason is that it makes Muslims more aware of Allah.
When fasting, they are constantly aware that Allah is watching them, so they would improve their behaviour.
The Quran says 'fasting makes you God conscious.'
This shows the main purpose of fasting is to build a strong connection with Allah.

Explain two reasons why the night of power important to Muslims. Refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer.
One reason is because it is the night the Quran is revealed.
The Quran says read in the name of your Lord.
These were the first words revealed to Prophet Mohammed on this night.
This shows why the Quran is recited a lot on this night.
Another reason is the night of blessings where Allah forgives sins and multiplies the rules for the people.
It is believed to be worth 1000 months

Transcript

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Before we get started, I'd like to thank Reimagining Education for sponsoring the RE Podcast. They share our passion for making learning exciting, meaningful, and accessible to everyone. It's so good to have their support so we can keep bringing you more conversations about religion, ethics, and philosophy. To learn more, just head to reimaginingeducation.uk.

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Welcome to the RE Podcast, the first dedicated RE podcast for students and teachers. My name is Louisa Jane Smith, and this is the RE Podcast.

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The podcast for those of you who think RE is boring, which it is, and I'll prove it to you. In this series, I am taking you through GCSC RE, focusing on AQA, Islam and Christianity. We are looking at key content and exam skills that you need to be successful in teaching GCSE RE or setting an exam in it. So if you are a teacher of GCSE RE or a student, I hope this episode is helpful to you. As a teacher, you might be new to teaching GCSE RE or just new to this specification. You might be returning after a break, or you might just need a bit of a refresh or reinvigoration. Or maybe you are a teacher from a different subject and you want to feel more confident in RE. As a student, you might use this episode to consolidate what you've already learned in lessons. Or maybe to help you prepare for some exams that are coming up. Or maybe you've moved schools or had some absence and want to catch up with what you've missed. Maybe you're a parent and you just want to support your child in their revision. Whatever your reason for listening, I hope this episode is helpful for you. I've already done a series on Christian beliefs, one on Christian practices and one on Islam beliefs. And so if you've listened to the general introduction to paper one, you know that you will have to do an entire question on each of those topics. We've now moved on to Islam practices, and you will also have to do an entire question on this topic too. Last episode we focused on the five pillars of Islam, the ten obligatory acts, as well as the shahadah as part of the Islam practices unit on the AQARE specification. This episode we're going to focus on two more Islam practices, which are Sallah and Summ, prayer and fasting, which feature in both the Sunni Five Pillars and the Shia Ten Obligatory Acts. So we will briefly look at some of the differences between how different Muslims do these practices. So let's start with Sallah itself, with prayer. Now there are many things to cover as Salah has got many different aspects. So Sallah literally, or by definition, is prayer. And you will see it in both the five pillars of Sunni Islam and the ten obligatory acts of Shia Islam. Although in the exam you'll only have to know two ways of practicing Salah, there are actually many more elements of Salah you have to know about for your exam. So I'm going to make sure we cover all of those elements to make sure we all know what they are. So the first element of Salah that a Muslim has to know is that before the salah actually begins, they have to perform something called wudu, which is ablution. And it is ritual washing that involves washing of the face, washing of the arms and hands, washing of the head and washing of the feet to purify their body physically but also spiritually. The second aspect before the prayer even begins is that a Muslim has to face Mecca. So when they face Mecca, which is known as Qibla, they have to face in the direction of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. So nowadays there are many apps that will give the direction of Mecca. And then they begin their Sallah. And in their salah, they have to complete certain movements. And these movements, all together as a collective, are called raqah. Now raqqa involves a few things. It involves standing facing Mecca, and they already know what direction that is because they've already found that out. It involves reciting verses of the Quran. It involves bowing and it involves prostrating, which means putting their head on the floor. It also involves them sitting on their knees. So there are many things done in terms of the raqah that Muslims must do as part of their Sallah. So that's how prayer is done, but what about other things about Sallah or prayer that you have to know? Well, Muslims believe that there are five prayers that must be done in a day. And these can be done both at home or at the mosque, on their own or with a group of people. Either way is as important as the others, but many Muslims would say that praying in the mosque is much more rewarding and much more blessed because you're in a holy building and with a group of people, which makes the blessing multiplied. And actually, it is believed to be 27 times more powerful. So the prayers prayed in congregation, according to Muhammad. Now, how do Shia and Sunni Muslims perform and see Salah differently? Well, although they both believe in five daily prayers, the timings slightly differ. Shia Muslims combine the five daily prayers. What do I mean by that? Well, if I take the five prayers, the first prayer is done at sunrise, the second and third prayer are both done in the afternoon, and the fourth and fifth prayers are done in the evening after sunset. So you can see that there are five prayers completed at three separate times of the day. In Sunni Islam, however, the five prayers have five completely separate times. The first prayer is at sunrise, the second prayer is at noon, the third prayer is later in the afternoon, the fourth prayer is at sunset, and the fifth prayer is later in the evening. So five separate times for the five daily prayers for Sunni Muslims. So Shia Muslims still have five daily prayers, but prayed at three different moments throughout the day. A second thing you might see that is different between Sunni and Shia in terms of how they pray is their hand placement. So Sunni Muslims will fold their arms when they pray either on their chest or by their stomach, whereas Shia Muslims will have their hands by their side. And again, even though they may pray slightly differently, both Sunni and Shia Muslims are trying to pray the same way that Prophet Muhammad prayed. But the sources they use to decide how Prophet Muhammad lived his life are going to be a little bit different. So that's why they pray slightly differently. So why is Salah important to Muslims? Well, it is one of the five pillars of Islam and one of the ten obligatory acts, so that makes it important by itself. And secondly, it helps Muslims build a relationship with Allah constantly. So five moments in a day or three moments in a day where a Muslim is remembering God. So throughout the day, a Muslim is remembering Allah. And by remembering Allah throughout the day, they're building a relationship with Him because they're speaking to Him at five moments in a day. So let's have a look at what the Quran says about Sallah. The Quran says Sallah keeps you away from immorality and wrongdoing. So that's almost another reason why Sallah is so important, because by performing Sallah, Sallah keeps the Muslim away from any kind of wrongdoing. It'd be quite wrong of a Muslim to once they've stopped praying, they go back to doing something that was quite bad. Prayer is meant to remind a Muslim of their duty towards Allah. So once they finish their prayers, it should motivate them to keep their relationship built with Allah and then to do good and not to keep doing evil. This means you can link Salah to one of the other 10 obligatory acts of doing good and avoiding evil. Plus, you can link it to the belief section and beliefs about the afterlife and human responsibility. So it all links up really nicely, which is great because it helps you to add a little bit more extra texture or detail to your 12 markers. Another part of the topic of Salat that you have to know about is Friday prayer, which is called Jummah. The Jummah is a Friday prayer done at the mosque, where a sermon is also heard. So how is Jummah or Friday prayer actually done? So first, as the name implies, these must be done on a Friday. You can't do jummah on any other day apart from a Friday. The way it's done is number one, before the Friday prayer begins, the Imam or the leader of the mosque gives a sermon, which is a religious speech. So the Imam would give a speech on a topic that is relevant to the audience about Islam. And secondly, prayer must be done in what they call a congregation, meaning a group, not alone. You cannot pray Jummah prayers on your own. Jummah prayer must be done by a minimum of three people, one leader and then a minimum of two people following. Obviously, hundreds or thousands can follow that one leader because the word jummah comes from the word jummah, and jummah in Arabic means together. And this is also a similar word to umma, which also means community of Muslims. So you can see Jummah and Ummah are all about community, all about coming together as a collective. So you cannot perform Jummah prayer on its own. Jummah must be done as the ummah. It must be done as a group, and that's why it's done in the mosque. So why is Jummah prayer important? Well, firstly, Jummah is done on a Friday, and Friday is a holy day for Muslims in the week. And secondly, notice that the Friday prayer has got a social element to it as well. So the five daily prayers can be done alone, but the jummah prayer must be done with a group of people. Now there's a social element because you're praying together, building relationships with people, and you're praying together so that builds a good bond between the Muslim Ummah or the community. And Muhammad said these prayers are 27 times more powerful if you're praying them as a community. So, what does the Quran say about Jummah prayers? So the Quran says, when you are called to the Jummah prayer, hasten to the remembrance of Allah. And the word hasten just means go quick. So when you are called to the Jummah prayer, go quickly to the remembrance of Allah. So hurry up, go and remember Allah. So again, emphasizing how jummah is really important for that Friday afternoon. So Muslims try to perform it as that's what the Quran teaches, and also because there's a social element but also a spiritual element. So in a format question on practices, you are always asked about two ways Muslims perform something. So two ways Muslims perform Sallah or Jummah prayer or wudu. So have a go at one of these. Remembering the question will be explained two ways Muslims perform, and then either Sallah, Jummah or Wudu. I'm going to give a model answer to explain two ways Muslims perform Sallah. One way is performing ablution. This is known as wudu, and it involves washing specific body parts before praying. So even though ablution is not part of the Sallah itself, it is still done before the salah. It's preparing for the salah, so you'd be given credit for that. And that is a developed point so it'd be worth two marks. A second way is by completing raqah, which are the prayer movements. These involve standing, reciting, bowing, prostrating, and kneeling. So that's a second developed point, so altogether that would get four out of four. What about explain two ways Muslims perform Jummah prayer or Friday prayer? One way is with others at the mosque. That's my first mark. Jummah prayers must be performed with a group of Muslims and not alone. And I've developed my answer there for a second mark. Another way is by listening to a sermon which is a religious speech, third mark. Jummah prayer involves the Imam giving a speech about current Islamic issues. So a develop point there, four marks out of four altogether. I've explained two ways Muslims perform Friday prayers clearly and accurately. With a six mark salah question, because the topic is quite big, there are many things you could be asked about, particularly about the different reasons why different elements of the Salah are important to Muslims. So again, you could be asked about Salah in general, about its importance to Muslims, or about the elements of Sallah like wuddu, like raqah, like recitations in the mosque or at home, or the Friday prayer. So again, you have to be prepared to explain two reasons why each of these elements of prayer are important to Muslims. You can't just know about Muslim prayer in general. So please feel free to pause this episode, giving yourself a time limit of five to six minutes to answer some of those questions. So remember the question will be explain two reasons why Salah or Raqqa or Wudu or Friday prayer is important to Muslims. You must refer to sacred writing or another source of belief and teaching in your answer. So I'm going to have a look at a model answer for the general question about the importance of Salah. So explain two reasons why Sallah is important to Muslims. You must refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer. One reason is because it is one of the five pillars of Sunni Islam and ten obligatory acts in Shia Islam. This means it is one of the main ways most Muslims worship Allah. So I'll get two marks there for a development. What about my second paragraph? Another reason is that it keeps Muslims away from sin. When Muslims pray their five daily prayers, they are constantly reminded of Allah, so they would be aware of their actions. That's my develop point for two more marks. Now for my source and application. The Quran says Sullah keeps you away from immorality and wrongdoing. This shows how prayer is important to help you to be a good Muslim. And that would give me six out of six. I've hit all the criteria for a six mark question. Let's now look at a six mark question about Friday prayers or Jummah. Explain two reasons why Jummah prayer is important to Muslims. Refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer. So let's look at how we might answer this one. One reason is because it is done on a holy day, which is Friday. Friday is an important day for Muslims where Muslims should remember Allah. So that's two marks for a developed point. The Quran says, when you are called to Jummah prayer, hasten to the remembrance of Allah. So that's my source mark. This shows that Muslims are expected to attend Jummah prayer. So that's the first paragraph. I'd get four marks there, two marks for the developed point, one mark for the source, and one mark for the application. Let's start our second paragraph. Another reason is that it brings the Muslim community together as Friday prayers must be done in a congregation. It is believed it is 27 times more powerful to pray in congregation. And that would be given two marks for that paragraph, because it's a developed point. So giving this whole answer six out of six. So let's have a look at Psalm. So Psalm is the act of fasting from dawn until dusk during the holy month of Ramadan, which is one of the, well, if not the holiest month for Muslims. It is also one of the five pillars of Sunni Islam and the ten obligatory acts of Shia Islam. Swarm has several rules, but there are three main things that Muslims should not be doing while they are fasting, and that is to eat, to drink, and to take part in sexual relations with the husband or wife from sunrise until sunset. So that is the basic level of fasting. So not drinking, not eating, and not having sex during the hours of sunlight. Obviously, while a Muslim is fasting during those hours, they are also expected to try and maintain and grow stronger with their connection to Allah because they'll have more time because they're not eating. So they benefit from fasting not just through the physical of not eating and drinking, which is good for your health, but also by becoming much closer to Allah through their practices, through their worship, through reading the Quran and praying. Now, when it comes to fasting, there are some rules, and one of the rules Islam teaches is the idea that not everybody has to fast. Young children do not have to fast as they are still developing and growing. Any Muslim who is ill does not have to fast if fasting is going to harm their recovery, or food is needed to take medication. A Muslim woman who is pregnant does not fast as it might harm their expected baby. And finally, an elderly Muslim does not have to fast if fasting will harm their health and cause them to become too weak. And the reason behind all of these rules is because Islam teaches, and the Quran teaches, that fasting should not harm anybody. Fasting can be hard, of course, but if it's going to cause you severe harm, then you should not fast. But if you are fit and able to fast, then you are expected to fast. So why is it so important to Muslims? Why is fasting important in Islam? Number one, it is one of the five pillars of Sunni Islam and the ten obligatory acts of Shia Islam. So that makes it really important. And secondly, one of the main purposes of fasting is for a Muslim to get close to Allah, which is obviously very important. It's a really special way of worshipping Allah, which a Muslim does once a year to maintain their connection with God and boost their connection with Him. And that is why there's a quote in the Quran that says, fasting will make you God conscious. And what that means is that through fasting, a Muslim will become more aware of Allah. So while you are fasting, the expectation is for a Muslim to become closer to God and much more aware of God because they're spending more time praying and reading the Quran. Now, the night of power is actually a separate topic to fasting, but it does take place in the month of Ramadan. So although you can put them together, it's not the same thing. So the night of power is seen as the night where Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations of the Quran from Angel Jibril. So that takes place in the month of Ramadan in one of the last ten nights of that month, of the month of Ramadan. So what two things do Muslims do on this night? They will spend the night in worship, praying, reading Quran, because this was the day that the Quran was revealed. So they're obviously going to want to spend time reading the Quran. And on that night they would also pray for forgiveness of their sins because it is such a holy night. And they would believe that Allah on this night is really merciful. And therefore, praying for others and asking for forgiveness of their own sins would be something they do on this night. It's really important to remember that Muslims do not fast on the night of power, because remember, fasting only takes place during the day. The night of power, as the name suggests, is a night. So therefore, fasting is not happening on the night of power because it is dark then and Muslims don't fast when it's dark. They only fast during the daylight hours. Why is the night of power important? Well, it is seen as the holiest night of the year for most Muslims, as it was the night the Quran was revealed. And as the Quran is the main source of authority for Muslims, of course, this is going to make this a very important night. And secondly, it is seen as a night of blessings and forgiveness. The Quran talks about this night being worth a thousand months. So if you do worship on this night, it's like worshipping for a thousand months. So just look at the multiplication of blessings there. A good quote for this also is the quote on the specification, Quran 96. Just the first part of it, which says, read in the name of your Lord. And remember the word Qur'an means read. And this was the very first verse revealed to Prophet Muhammad on this night of power, which again makes it really important. So when we look at formal questions, you're always going to be asked in the practices section about a way that Muslims practice something. So explain two ways a Muslim will fast or explain. Two ways a Muslim would spend the night of power. So again, these kinds of questions they are about actions. So you are expected to write about two things or two ways Muslims do this action, so fasting or on the night of power. So please pause this episode and have a go at one or more of these questions, giving yourself a time limit of three or four minutes. So explain two ways Muslims practice Summ, or explain two ways Muslims practice the night of power. I'm going to give a model answer to the question explain two ways Muslims practice Psom. So one way is by not eating, drinking or having sexual relations. This is done from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. So it's a developed point, but although I've kept it quite short, it is developed because I've explained the rules and the timings of the fast. Another way is by staying away from sin because fasting allows Muslims more time to focus on Allah. This means a Muslim tries to be the best Muslim they can. So even though this answer seems quite short, it is two developed points where I've answered the question, giving myself four out of four. What about this one regarding the night of power? So explain two ways Muslims practice the night of power. So again, it's not asking what happened on this night. It's not asking why it's important, it's asking what Muslims do. So one way is by staying up all night. Muslims may spend the night in prayer asking Allah to forgive their sins. So two marks there for a developed point. Another way is reading the Quran, as Ramadan was when the Quran was revealed. Muslims would read it all to receive blessings. That's another developed point, giving myself two marks for that paragraph too, so making it four out of four altogether. And again, notice here I've not got that misconception where I say that Muslims fast on the night of power. As I mentioned before, fasting is not done on the night of power, it's only done during the day in the month of Ramadan. So, same for your one mark if you're asked to state one thing that Muslims do during the night of power. Don't put fast because you'll get zero. What about six mark questions? So there are two main ways you could be asked about this topic in a six mark question. So explain two reasons why fasting is important to Muslims, or explain two reasons why the night of power is important to Muslims. So again, give this episode a pause if you wish and give yourself five or six minutes to complete these questions so that you can have a bit of a practice. And we're going to model both of them here now. So you can see if you get them correct if you write them beforehand. So let's have a look at explain two reasons why fasting is important to Muslims. One reason fasting is important to Muslims is because it is a pillar of Islam which is done in the holy month of Ramadan. It is therefore seen as an important act of worship. So two marks there for a developed point. Another reason is that it makes Muslims more aware of Allah because when they are fasting, they are constantly aware that Allah is watching them, so they would improve their behaviour. So that's two developed points so far, so that's four marks in total so far. Let's get those extra two marks with a source and an application. The Quran says fasting makes you God conscious. This shows the main purpose of fasting is to build a strong connection with Allah. And now I've got six out of six. So why is a knight of power important to Muslims? I've explained those two reasons. So let's have a look at a knight of power six marker. So explain two reasons why the knight of power is important to Muslims. You must refer to sacred writings or another source of belief and teaching in your answer. One reason is because it is the night that the Quran was revealed. The Quran says, read in the name of your Lord. These were the first words revealed to Prophet Muhammad on this night. This shows why the Quran is recited a lot on the night of power, and that is four marks for that paragraph. I've got my source, I've got my quote, I've got a simple point, I've got development, and I've got an application. What about paragraph two? Another reason is the night of power is where Allah forgives sins and multiplies the blessings for the people. The knight of power is believed to be worth a thousand months. So I get two marks for that paragraph, totaling six out of six altogether. So hopefully this gives you a little bit of grounding in Sallah and Sorm, prayer and fasting, as well as the Knight of Power and how to answer those four and six mark questions. Take some time now if you haven't already. Set a timer, have a go at some of those other four and six mark questions. Take your answers into school for your teachers to mark. Next episode, we're going to look at two more practices, zakqa and hajj, charity and pilgrimage. So I hope you can join me. This podcast is supported by ReimaginingEducation at reimaginingeducation.uk. My name is Louisa Jane Smith, and this has been the RE Podcast. The podcast for those of you who think RE is boring, which it is. I've just proved it to you. But thank you so much for letting me help you get an even better grade in GCSD REST.