Download Islamic Awareness

Islamic Awareness
Introduction to Islam and
Muslims
 Islam
Means submission. Muslim is the one
who submits himself to Allah [God]
 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide
 80% of Muslims are non-Arabs
 Indonesia is the largest Muslim country
Islam in the UK
 Approx
2.4 million Muslims [3%]
 Mainly from Asian sub-continent
 In 1891 there were 4037 Muslims settled in
the UK
 The first UK Mosque established in 1860 in
Cardiff
 Approx 3000 Mosques/Islamic centres today
Key Beliefs
 One
God
 The Prophet Mohammed as the last
messenger of God [Jesus, Moses Abraham
etc are all Prophet’s of God]
 The Quran as the last of all revelations
 Previous revelations like the Gospels,
Psalms and Torah all were revelations from
God.
 Belief in Hereafter [Heaven and Hell]
The Five Pillars of Islam
 Shahadah:
Declaration of Faith [Belief in
one God and Mohammed as His Prophet]
 Salah- 5 daily acts of worship
 Zakah- Annual Charity Donation [2.5% of
savings]
 Sawm- Fasting in the Month of Ramadhan
 Hajj- At least once in a lifetime pilgrimage
to the Holy City of Mecca [Saudi Arabia]
1. Shahadah
 Declaration
of Faith
 Not necessarily a special ceremony
 ‘I testify that there is no one worthy of
worship but Allah, and Mohammed [peace
be upon Him] is His Messenger’
2. Salah/Worship
5 times a day in congregation or single
[Congregation is preferred]
 Each Prayer has a fixed time window
 Time variations depending on length of day
[window is longer in summer than in winter]
 The call to Prayer [AZAN] is called prior to each
Prayer
 Main Congregational worship is Friday [Jummah]
 Perform Ablution [Wudhu] prior to Prayers
 Direction towards the Kaba in Mecca [Saudi
Arabia]

Ablution [Wudhu]
 Washing
both hands and arms [upto the
elbow]
 Washing the face. A miswak is used to clean
the mouth
 Passing wet hands over the head/hair
 Washing both feet
 Fajr
 Zohar
 Asar
 Maghrib
 Isha
Points Regarding Prayer
When a Muslim is at Prayer he
connects solely to Allah and will
not respond to voices or calls
from those around him
Walking in front of a person who
is praying should be avoided
• A typical act of worship takes
10-15 mins.
•
•
3. Zakah [Charity]

Each wealthy Muslim is required to pay
2.5% of his/her annual savings to the poor
4. Sawm – Fasting
 Muslims
fast the whole month of Ramadhan
 Month is Lunar rather than solar [29 or 30
days]
 A fast consists of avoiding eating, drinking
or sexual relations during light hours
 Those who are elderly, weak, ill, frail or
undertaking a journey need not fast
5. Hajj – Pilgrimage



Muslims should perform Hajj at least once in a lifetime
The Hajj period is fixed [once a year]
It is the largest annual human gathering [2-3 million
people]
Hajj Route
The Quran
 Revealed
to Prophet Mohammed
 Revealed and recited in Arabic
 Translated in many languages
 Respected by Muslims
 Placed on a high place [never on the floor]
 Should be touched with clean hands/clean
gloves
The Prophet Mohammed
[Peace be upon him]
Born in Mecca [570]
 Received first revelation at age 40
 The last and final Prophet of Allah
 Migrated to Medina [622]


Died in and buried in Medina [632]
DIET- HALAL
The term HALAL means lawful
 The term HARAM means unlawful
 Halal includes all fruit, veg, eggs, fish and certain
animals when ritually slaughtered
 Haram includes pig/pork and by-products,
alcohol, animals not ritually slaughtered, all meat
eating animals etc.
 There should be no cross contamination between
Halal and Haram
 Kosher meat is also Halal/permissible for Muslims
to consume

Conditions for Halal Slaughter
 Slaughterer
is Muslim
 Supplication offered [symbolising
permission and authority]
 The animal is alive at the time of slaughter
Common Questions/Issues
 Dog
Searches
 Cross gender searches
 Prayers in Workshops/Education
 Prayers during patrol state
 Terrorism/Extremism/Suicide
Bombings
 Shariah Law