SARA: Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity. It has more than 1.5 billion followers called Muslims. In Islam we believethere is only one God and Allah is the Arabic word for God. Muslims believe that God revealed his holy scriptures to a prophet on Earth and his words are recorded in the Qur'an. To understand what it's like to be a Muslim you need to understand the five Pillars of Islam. These are five ways our religionmakes a difference to the way we live our lives. They are like the duties of a Muslim because every Muslim needs to do all of these things in their lifetime.
The first Pillar is Shahadah the basic statement of the Islamic faith. In Arabic it is:
SHE RECITES SHAHADAH IN ARABIC
'I bear witness that Allah is the one and only God and that Muhammad is his messenger.' It's really important to believe in the words that you say because it is like the declarationof becoming a Muslim.
The second is Salat the five set times during the day when Muslims must pray. The first prayer happens before sunrise. The last one is betweensunset and midnight. You are not expected to do all five prayers until you're 12 but I like to try. I've decided to start doing them already because it is good for practice for when I'm an adult so it is not a complete shock. I have prayed the early one quite a few times but I haven't started doing it every day yet. But I'm going to soon.
The third Pillar of Islam is Zakat which means giving money usually to charity. Muslims must give away 2.5% of their savings every year. Millions of pounds are given by UK Muslims to help needy people all over the world. It's a really important thing in our religion because some people don't have as much as money as us and some people don't have food and water and it's important to give money to do that.
The fourth Pillar of Islam is called Sawm. It means to fast during daylight hours for the month of Ramadan. It's not just about eating and drinking it's also about being a little bit more spiritual. Cos I know definitely me I'm always snacking on food and when you don't eat food it helps you stop thinking about that and just be a bit more spiritual.
The fifth and final Pillar of Islam is Hajj. This is when Muslims from all over the world gather in the holiest city of Islam Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It's where the Prophet Muhammad came from. It's basically a pilgrimage that every Muslim needs to make at least once in their lifetime.
The five Pillars of Islam are the basis of Muslim life and how we put our faith into action. I think it's because it is kind of like a metaphor because pillars hold things up so if you do these five things then it will hold you up and make you a good Muslim.
Video summary
Eleven-year-old Sara gives a brief guide to her religion by describing the Five Pillars of Islam, the main rules Muslims try to live by.
The Five Pillars are declaring your faith in God, prayer, charity, fasting during Ramadan and going on pilgrimage to Mecca (also known as Makkah).
In the BAFTA-winning BBC programme "My Life, My Religion: Islam", British Muslim children explain the beliefs and rituals of their faith.
This is from the series: My Life, My Religion: Islam.
Teacher Notes
Ask pupils in teams of five (one pupil for each Pillar) to create a page with between 6 and 12 facts on it about each of the Pillars.
They can use the clip as the basis for this, gathering further information from other resources - including Muslim people they know if possible.
Turn these information sheets into questions and run an inter-team quiz about the 5 Pillars around your class.
These clips will be relevant for teaching Religious Education at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and First and Second Level in Scotland.
The Qur'an. video
Kaisan and Naeem share ways that the Qur’an makes a difference to their lives.
The Mosque. video
Kaisan, aged 12, shows us round the East London Mosque or Masjid, house of prayer.
Being a young Muslim. video
A young Muslim girl from London called Sara introduces herself, her Muslim faith and her family.
The Muslim pilgrimage, Hajj. video
Sara, aged 11, describes how the Hajj pilgrimage has an impact on Muslims.
Prayer in Islam. video
Kaisan, a 12 year old British Muslim boy, explains how he prays five times a day, and says what it means to him in spiritual terms.
The washing ritual, 'Wudu' video
Before prayer, Muslims make sure they are clean, using the washing ritual - ‘Wudu’.
Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr. video
Sara, aged 11, explains why fasting is good: for devotion to Allah, for self discipline and for sympathy for the poor, explaining her religious practice.
The Hijab. video
Sara, aged 11, has decided to start wearing the hijab as she begins secondary school. She explains why this matters to her and expresses her Muslim faith.
