CCSS2 Unit 5: reading on the 5 Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam are the foundations of Muslim life and are: faith, prayer, the zakat

or alms-giving (concern for people in need), fasting and pilgrimage to Mecca, for those

who can make the journey.

1. Faith

“There is no divinity greater than God, and Mohammed, with whom peace and God’s

blessing rest, as he is God’s messenger”.

This testimony of faith is called SHAHADA, a simple formula which all believers pronounce.

In Arabic, the first part says La ilaha Illa Llah which translates as “There is no divinity

greater than God”; Ilaha (divinity or god in lower case letters) refers to anything which we

may feel tempted to replace God with, for example, wealth or power. After this comes Illa

Llah “only God”, the source of all creation.

The second part of the SHAHADA says Muhammadun rasalu Llah which means

“Mohammad is God’s messenger”. This message of guidance came from a normal

person, like us.

2. Prayer

SALAT is the name given to the compulsory prayers which are said five times a day

and are a direct link between the believer and God. There is no hierarchical authority

in the world of Islam, no equivalent of priests or bishops, and so, prayers are led by a

learned person who knows the teachings of the Qur’an. This person is elected by the local

community. These five prayers contain verses of the Qur’an and are said in Arabic, the

language of the Revelation. God may also be addressed in personalised prayers in the

language of the believer.

Prayers are said at dawn, midday, in the afternoon, at sunset and night-time. The prayers

mark the rhythm of the day. Although it is preferable to say prayers in the Mosque, a

Muslim may say them in any place, in the country, in the office, in a factory or at university.

Persons visiting Arabic countries are often surprised at the importance that prayer has in

everyday life.

3. El Zakat (Alms-giving)

One of the most important principles of Islam is that everything belongs to God and so,

a person’s wealth is only temporary. The word “ZAKAT” means both “purification” and

“growth”. Our possessions are purified by giving a part to people in need; in the same way

we prune trees, this cutting of wealth brings balance and encourages new growth.

Each Muslim calculates their own SAKAT individually and it consists of an annual payment

of two and a half percent of each person’s income.

A pious person can also give as much as they wish by a donation called a SADAQA, and

does this preferably in secret. This word is often translated as “voluntary charity” but it also

has more meanings.

4. Fasting

Each year, during the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from daybreak to sunset,

abstaining from eating, drinking and sexual relations.

Sick people, the elderly, those who are travelling abroad and pregnant women, or women

who have to breastfeed their babies have permission to break the fast and make up an

equal number of days during the rest of the year. If they cannot do this for any reason,65

they must provide a person in need with food for each day that they did not complete their

fast. Children normally begin to fast (and pray regularly) following puberty, though many

begin before,

Although fasting is very beneficial for a person’s health, it is considered principally as a

way of purification. The person who fasts, through not consuming simple and mundane

pleasures for a short period of time, has more compassion for people who suffer from

hunger, at the same time their spiritual life becomes more profound.

5. The pilgrimage (Hajj)

The yearly pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, the Hajj, is an obligation only for those

who are able to make the trip financially and physically. Despite this exception, almost

two million people travel to Mecca every year from all corners of the globe, and it is a

unique opportunity to meet people from different nations. Although Mecca is always full of

visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar (which is lunar

and not solar, and therefore both the Hajj and Ramadan may fall in summer or winter).

Pilgrims must wear special clothing within 10 kilometres of Mecca; two white sheets which

symbolise leaving differences of class, wealth and culture to one side and showng that all

are equal before God.

The basic rituals of the Hajj include walking around the Ka’ba seven times, touching the

Black Stone and travelling seven times also between the Mount Safah and Mount Marwah.

The pilgrims come together on the wide sands of Arafa and pray together asking God for

forgiveness, in what is sometimes seen as an early version of the Final Judgement.

The end of the Hajj pilgrimage is celebrated in all Muslim communities all over the world

with a celebration called the Eid-al-Adha, in which people pray and exchange gifts. This

celebration and the Eid-al-Fitr, the day which commemorates the end of Ramadan, are

the two most important holidays in the Islamic calendar.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Look for the following terms in the text and explain them in your own words: Shahada,

Salat, Sakat and Hajj.

2.What does the fast which Muslims perform in Ramadan consist of?

3. Why is a person’s wealth considered to be only temporary in Islam?

4. How much is the SAKAT?

5. What must a Muslim do if he is unable to perform the fast at Ramadan and does not make up for it at another time of the year?

6. Why do they fast?

7. Why do Muslims all wear white sheets when approaching Mecca?

CCSS2 Power point on the history of al Andalus

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53685594/CCSS2%20History%20of%20al%20andalus.pptx

CCSS3 Unit 10 Power Point (Complete)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53685594/CCSS3%20Unit%2010.pptx

CCSS2 Reading and Questions: The Three Abrahamic Religions

Read and answer the questions below, or download the same material in a word document by going to this link:  https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53685594/CCSS2%20Unit%205%20Simplified%20reading%20on%20the%20Abrahamic%20Faiths%20and%20questions.dot

Geographic Origins of the Abrahamic Faiths

Abraham was a person who lived during the Iron Age, sometime after 2000 BCE, in
the city of Ur, in Mesopotamia. Accounts of his life vary, but all have two common threads:
Abraham (or Abram) was called by God to take his family and migrate to another place.
Abraham was the ancestor of many peoples.

Among Abraham’s descendants were the major prophets of the monotheistic tradition. The
land where Abraham and his descendants settled came to be called the Holy Land, a region
on the eastern Mediterranean coast between Mesopotamia and Egypt, and the desert toward
its south—the land where the prophets described in the Biblical and Qur’anic scriptures
lived, traveled, and preached. Today, that land includes all or part of several modern
countries, including Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and parts of Egypt, Iraq,
and Syria.

During the past four thousand years, the monotheistic tradition has brought forth the world religions called
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The prophets mentioned in the Torah, the Bible, and the
Qur’an were born and lived in this region—that is why this geographic space is holy in all of
the Abrahamic faiths.


Basic Beliefs and Common Stories

Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with
Abraham to keep the faith in One God, and to worship Him, to keep that faith and teach the
practice of worship to his children down the generations, and God would preserve, protect
and multiply the children of Abraham. This covenant became the legacy, or trust, for the
children of Abraham to continue. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael (son of Hagar) and Isaac
(son of Sarah), whom he settled in different parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the latter near
Jerusalem, and the former near Makkah. According to the scriptures, Abraham was promised
that his offspring would become the fathers of great nations. These nations are the people
who are now called Jews, Christians, and Muslims.They are called monotheists, meaning
people who believe in one God, the Creator of all that is in the universe and on earth.

An act of Abraham that belongs to the core story is that God told him in a dream to sacrifice his son. He and his son were prepared to obey this divine command, but God redeemed the sacrifice with a magnificent ram. This miracle meant that God does not require human sacrifice, but only the willingness to obey. The Biblical
account says that the son to be sacrificed was Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac, while the Qur’an states that it was the first-born son Ishmael, whose mother was Hajar. The lesson of obedience and strength of faith, however, is the same.

God, Prophets, and Revelations Over Time

All of the monotheistic faiths share a belief that God, the Creator, has “spoken” to
humankind over time. The word for this divine communication is “revelation.” It comes from
the word “reveal” (to make visible or apparent). Adherents of the Abrahamic religions
believe that God revealed Himself to certain individuals called prophets over the course of
human history.

The Abrahamic faiths have in common a belief in angels as God’s messengers to
human beings. The angel of revelation is named Gabriel. The human beings chosen by God
as bearers of revelation to other human beings are called prophets. Some of them were
chosen and inspired to teach people, while the major prophets received revelations that have
been memorized, recited and written in holy books or scriptures over the centuries.

Abraham is very important to the monotheistic faiths, but he was not the first leader.
Adam and Eve are the first human beings mentioned in the scriptures as receiving revelation
from God. Other prophets included Elijah, Isaiah, Noah, Jonah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses,
David and Solomon. The Abrahamic religions differ, however, over two of these individuals,
Jesus and Muhammad, who lived about 600 years apart.

The scripture of Judaism is the Torah, which  contains the revelation that was given to Moses.
The scripture of Christianity is the Bible, including the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible
of Judaism), and the New Testament. The New Testament includes the books that describe the life and
teachings of Jesus and the history of the early Church. As the titles of the parts of the
Bible indicate, it was compiled from the writings of many authors over time.

The scripture of Islam is the Qur’an. Muslims believe that it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
through the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The Qur’an describes and affirms
the basic spiritual and moral messages of the Torah and the Bible. The Qur’an text states
that it is a continuation of God’s message to humankind from earlier revelations.

Another concept common to the Abrahamic faiths is the Messiah. The word means
one who is chosen by God for a specific holy task.

• Jews believe that a Messiah is still awaited, and coming at some future time. Jews do not
believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Some Jews believe that Jesus was a spiritual leader.

• Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They also believe that Jesus was the son of
God, who came to redeem human beings from sin or wrongdoing, and that he
compensated for all human sins with his suffering and death. This salvation, or being
saved and given eternal life, is the central teaching of the New Testament (which means
promise or pledge, i.e. the salvation through Jesus)

• Muslims also believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but they do not believe that he was the
son of God, and Muslims also believe that God did not allow him to die at the hands of
human beings.

• Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus was raised up to God, but Christians
believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, or resurrected. Muslims believe that Jesus
was one of the greatest prophets. Muslims also share the belief with Christians in the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ near the end of time.

• Among adherents of the Abrahamic faiths, only Muslims believe that Muhammad was a
prophet, a man who was born in Makkah in about the year 570 CE. They believe that he
received the final revelation from God—the holy book called the Qur’an. Historically,
Muhammad was not accepted as a prophet by Christians.

The Monotheistic Concept of God and the Afterlife

All three Abrahamic faiths share many ideas about the nature of God. He is the
Creator of the Universe. The monotheistic tradition of God includes the idea of a covenant,
or promise, of God. The covenant is a trust placed upon human beings to believe in God, to
worship only Him and not to worship any other gods. The scriptures describe God’s
characteristics or attributes, such as justice, mercy, and power over all of Creation. The
scriptures of the Abrahamic faiths also describe the promise of God to judge all human
beings on the Judgment Day, after they have died, and to reward or punish them according to
God’s justice. All of the faiths believe that God requires human beings to show mercy to others, to do good deeds such as helping others, and that He will reward those who have faithand do good in this world.

Questions:

CCSS2 Unit 5 Questions on The 3 Abrahamic Faiths

1.Who was Abraham?

2. What is a covenant?

3. What covenant do Christians, Jews and Muslims believe that God made with Abraham?

4. What are monotheists?

5. What part of the Bible do Jews use?

6. What is the Qur’an (Koran)? What is in it?

7. What is a Messiah?

8. What do Jews believe about the Messiah?

9. What do Christians believe about the Messiah?

10. What do Muslims believe about Jesus?

11. What do Christians and Muslims agree upon about Jesus?

12. What do Christians and Muslims disagree on when talking about Jesus?

13. Of the three Abrahamic faiths, which believe that Muhammad was a prophet?

14. What ideas do the three faiths share about the nature of God?

CCSS3 Unit 10 Defensora del Pueblo Reading and Questions

WHAT IS THE DEFENSOR DEL PUEBLO?

The Defensor del Pueblo is the High Commissioner of the Parliament responsible for defending the fundamental rights and civil liberties of citizens by monitoring the activity of the Administration and public authorities. 

The Defensor del Pueblo is elected by Congress and the Senate by a three-fifths majority. The term of office is five years and the Defensor del Pueblo does not take orders or receive instructions from any authority. The Defensor del Pueblo must perform his or her functions independently and impartially, autonomously and in his or her own good judgment and enjoys inviolability and immunity in the exercise of his or her office.

Any citizen may request the intervention of the Defensor del Pueblo, which is free of charge, to investigate any alleged misconduct by public authorities and/or the agents thereof. The office of the Defensor del Pueblo can also intervene ex officio in cases that come to their attention without any complaint having been filed.
The Defensor del Pueblo prepares an annual report for the Parliament and may submit case reports on matters which are considered particularly serious or urgent or requiring special attention.

Following ratification by the Spanish State of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 18 December 2002, the Spanish Parliament attributed the functions of the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture (NPM) in Spain to the Defensor del Pueblo in November 2009.

The Defensor del Pueblo, in his or her capacity as the NPM, performs preventive visits to all detention centers to detect problems that might favor the impunity of torture or ill-treatment. The conclusions of these visits are reflected in an annual report presented to the Spanish Parliament and the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture in Geneva.

The Defensor del Pueblo is assisted by two deputies, to whom he or she may delegate his or her functions.
 

WHO IS THE DEFENSORA DEL PUEBLO?

Soledad Becerril Bustamante

Defensora del Pueblo

She is the first woman elected Defensora del Pueblo and was approved by the full House and Senate on 17 and 18 July 2012, respectively. She took office on 23rd of the same month.

Ms. Becerril was the first female Minister of the Democracy, taking over the Ministry of Culture in 1981. She served as a member of the Spanish Parliament throughout six terms.

Comprehension Questions:

1.How is the Defensor del Pueblo chosen?

2. Who does she take orders from?

3. How often must she prepare her report for the Parliament?

4. Who does she investigate for alleged misconduct?

5. What does she do as part of the National Preventative Mechanism against Torture?

From www.defensordelpueblo.es

CCSS2 Unit 5 Questions p.82 Origins of Islam

1.  Where did Islam originate?

2.     Who was living there at that time?

3.     What were the main cities?

4.     What is a prophet?

5.     Who is the prophet of Islam?

6.     Where was he born?

7.     What did the Archangel Gabriel say to him?

8.     Where were Muhammad’s teachings recorded?

9.     What are the five obligations of all Muslims (The Five Pillars of Islam)?

10.  What does it mean to “fast?”

11.  What are “alms?” (check a dictionary)
12. What happened when Muhammad began to gain a lot of followers?
13. What was the Hegira?
14. Where did Muhammad and his followers conquer in 630?
15. Who did Muhammad unite?
16. What does it mean "to flee?"