How to Teach the Five Pillars of Islam to Pupils

The five pillars of Islam are the core traditions and teachings in Islam.

Trying to explain the tenets of another religion to your students can be a difficult task. They have so many emotional ties with the things they believe in that discussing an alternative belief system might make them uncomfortable. Fortunately, though, when teaching about world religions everyone has a place at the table because everyone has beliefs about God. Tapping into these sometimes subtle differences can provide a way to teach students about any given religion. In the case of Islam, taking the religion's five pillars one at a time will allow you to discover what kind of diversity exists among your students.

Instructions

1. Talk about the "shahadah," which says, "There is no god except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." Find out if all your students agree whether or not Muhammad was a messenger from God. Examine what atheists, Jews and Christians believe about the issue of a single God. Everyone has a belief about God, whether or not he believes that God exists. Setting these beliefs in high relief to one another can help the overall discussion stick better in their minds.

2. Discuss the "salah," the practice of praying five times a day while facing Mecca. Ask your students if and how often they pray. Find out from them what the purpose of prayer is, and what the results are. Have the students relate incidences where they believe that their prayers have been answered.

3. Present to the students the practice of "zakah" in which Muslims give a fixed portion of their income to help the poor. Start a discussion with them about how different religions respond to humanitarian relief and other issues. Tease out their personal beliefs about helping other people, and see how those match up with their religion.

4. Discuss "sawm," where Muslims refrain from food and drink during the month of Ramadan, with your students. You may want to choose a major leader from each world religion who incorporated fasting into his prayer life in a public way, or simply have the students relate their experiences with hunger and prayer.

5. Talk about the "hajj," the holy pilgrimage that Muslims take to Mecca at least one time in their lives. Find out which of your students have been on pilgrimages, or other kinds of religiously motivated journeys either to see a sacred site or to meet a religious leader of some kind. Talk about the meaning of pilgrimage, and the function it serves in society.

References

• Teaching Ideas: The Five Pillars of Islam