Download R - WhiteHouseCurriculum

R.E.
TITLE OF UNIT :
The Shahadah
KEY THEME:
Beliefs and Concepts
Y6 Autumn
1
KEY CONCEPT:
Allah / God
STRANDS/
FIELDS OF ENQUIRY: AT 1: Beliefs, Teachings and Sources
AT 2: Identity and belonging
AT1

AT2

Learning outcomes
 To be able to explain the importance of Shahadah for Muslims.
 To explain that Shahadah is the pillar from which the others flow.
 To understand that in accepting the Shahadah, Muslims submit to Allah’s guidance in all areas of
life.
 To state that Muslims believe in one God ‘Allah’ and that for Muslims Allah is perfect.
Expectations – levels of attainment (See Local Agreed Syllabus)
Nearly all can:Many can:Some children have progressed further and can:Skills
 Reflection
 Communication / Expression
 Empathy
 Interpretation
 Reasoning
 Analysis
 Evaluation
Key attitudes and values
 Respect / Sensitivity for all
 Open mindedness
 Appreciation, Awe and Wonder
Opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
(See Local Agreed Syllabus)
e.g.
 Explore the importance of belief.
 Reflect on the words “Peace & Submission”.
 Reflect upon the names for Allah given e.g. the Compassionate.
 Discuss the idea that man is forgetful and needs constant reminders of God ‘Allah’.
Every child matters
Cross curricular links
Social cohesion
Being Healthy
Drama
How art/ culture can be
Enjoy and Achieve
English
distinctive but link communities
Making a Positive Contribution
Art
across the globe.
Staying Safe
Music
Prior learning
Awareness that many faiths share similarities.
Year 4: Abraham
Year 5: Muhammad
Key vocabulary
Shahadah
Prophet
Muhammad
Allah
Ash-Hadu (I declare)
Salah / Salat
Saum / Sawm
Minaret
Mosque
Profession of Faith
Muezzin
Zakah / Zakat
Key questions for enquiry
Possible teaching activities
Muslims believe that their faith is a bit like a temple held up by five Pillars; Islam means peace &
submission to the will of Allah.
The Shahadah
Salah / Salat
Zakah / Zakat Saum / Sawm
Hajj
The
The giving of
Making a
Declaration of
money to the
pilgrimage to
Faith / Belief
Prayer – Five
poor
Saum – Fasting Makkah at least
‘There is no
times a Day
during the
once in a
God but Allah,
month of
lifetime
and
Ramadan
Muhammad is
the messenger
of Allah”.
The Shahadah
The Shahadah is the first pillar. It means “I declare” - ‘ash-hadu’. It is a declaration of faith and
belief. It is the pillar from which the others flow.
Reciting this statement of belief three times in front of witnesses is all that anyone need do to
become a Muslim.
Muslims believe that only Allah is perfect. Statues and pictures of humans are forbidden as it is
impossible to represent Allah.
The greatest sin is the sin of SHIRK. To suggest that anyone or anything is equal to Allah.
Explore what the pupils mean by the word ‘belief’.
Using some simple everyday items like honey, a lemon and an apple. Explain to the pupils that we
can say that we believe that the honey is sweet; a lemon is sour but what about the apple? How can we
discover if our belief is right? We can taste each one and discover if we are right.
We can also say that if the sky is black and cloudy that ‘we believe it might rain’. It might rain, of
course, it might not.
Belief in God is not quite as easy to explain. It is often very personal and built on individual, personal
and spiritual experiences.
(You might like to interview some members of a faith community about their beliefs).
Many world faiths have a belief in one God. For example: Christians use the word God, Jews use
Yahweh and Muslims use Allah.
Because Muslims are unable to draw any pictorial representation of God they have devised a special
type of Art based on three forms:
 Geometrical form using geometrical patterns

Arabesque using plant life and growth

Calligraphy the word of God from the Qur’an
If you look closely at the writing below. It is the special Arabic writing called Calligraphy. It is one of
the ways in which Muslims declare their faith.
It is called the ‘Shahadah’. Translated it means
‘There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. The Calligraphy for Allah
looks like a W. See below.
The Calligraphy for Muhammad is the writing below
If you look closely at the examples of the Shahadah you will be able to pick out the names for Allah
and Muhammad.
Think about some of the key names for God (see below).
Explore some of them e.g. The creator.
Ask the pupils to think about what they believe. The things that are important to them.
Design a page using words and pictures (but not of a human) to outline their key beliefs.
Assessment opportunities
Imagine you are a Muslim child. Write 50 words for the school magazine explaining the Shahadah
(your key beliefs) and why it is important to you.
Resources
Inspire-to-learn.co.uk
Other names for Allah:
The Merciful
The Compassionate
The One who Rules
The Peace
The Almighty/Powerful
The Creator
The Judge
The Patient
The Generous
The One who Answers
The Bringer of Death
The Perfect/Eternal
The Light
The Guide
The Shahadah:
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”.
The Shahadah is the declaration of faith and is the first of the five pillars of Islam.
Some of the 99 names for Allah and why?
E.g. As–salam - The Peace
Al-mumitt - The Bringer of Death
In accepting this truth a Muslim submits to Allah’s guidance in all areas of life.
Concept of prophet– Muhammad the first prophet in Islam.
The importance of the Shahadah for Muslims.
The words are written on the Saudi-Arabian flag.
Man/Woman is forgetful and needs constant reminders of Allah.
Reciting the Shahadah is a constant reminder.
Shahadah
"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad (pbuh) is his messenger."
This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a
Muslim.
When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:



That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad (pbuh) is his prophet
That they personally accept this as true
That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life
A Muslim is expected to recite this statement out loud, with total sincerity, fully understanding what it
means.
The Arabic can be transliterated into the Roman alphabet like this:
Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah Transliteration of the shahadah
from the Arabic
The Shahadah is written in Arabic on the flag of Saudi Arabia, the state that contains Islam's holiest places.