What mistakes do students make with Islam - 3.1.5.2 Practices?

Stating that Shi'a Muslims do not follow the Five Pillars. Shi'a Muslims do practice the core pillars (except Shahadah is not listed as an 'act' but is fundamental), but they are categorised within the Ten Obligatory Acts. Confusing Zakah and Khums. Zakah is a 2.5% charitable giving required in both traditions, whereas Khums is an additional 20% tax specific to Shi'a Islam. Assuming Jihad only means holy war. Jihad primarily refers to the 'greater jihad', which is the personal, internal struggle to live as a good Muslim, alongside the 'lesser jihad' of defending the faith.

What are the exam tips for Islam - 3.1.5.2 Practices in Religious Studies AQA GCSE?

When evaluating the importance of practices, compare how Sunni and Shi'a Muslims categorise their duties differently while sharing core beliefs. Use specific Arabic terms like 'Amr-bil-Maroof' and 'Tawallah' when discussing Shi'a practices to demonstrate precise subject knowledge. Always define Jihad as a 'struggle' rather than simply 'war', ensuring you mention both the greater and lesser jihad in your explanations.

AQA · GCSE · Religious Studies

Course version: 8062 · Version from Sept 2018

Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam…

Full specification wording

Islam - 3.1.5.2 Practices: Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam (students should study the Five Pillars and jihad in both Sunni and Shi’a Islam and the additional duties of Shi’a Islam).

The Five Pillars (Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj) form the foundation of Sunni Islamic practice, guiding daily life and worship.

Point 2 of 11
4 key terms

Study notes

From the teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

Identify the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam: Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj.
List the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam, noting the inclusion of Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj, and Jihad.
Explain the additional Shi'a duties: Khums, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahi Anil Munkar, Tawallah, and Tabarra.
Define Jihad in both Sunni and Shi'a contexts, distinguishing between greater (internal) and lesser (external) jihad.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Stating that Shi'a Muslims do not follow the Five Pillars.
Put it right: Shi'a Muslims do practice the core pillars (except Shahadah is not listed as an 'act' but is fundamental), but they are categorised within the Ten Obligatory Acts.
Confusing Zakah and Khums.
Put it right: Zakah is a 2.5% charitable giving required in both traditions, whereas Khums is an additional 20% tax specific to Shi'a Islam.
Assuming Jihad only means holy war.
Put it right: Jihad primarily refers to the 'greater jihad', which is the personal, internal struggle to live as a good Muslim, alongside the 'lesser jihad' of defending the faith.

Exam tips

When evaluating the importance of practices, compare how Sunni and Shi'a Muslims categorise their duties differently while sharing core beliefs.
Use specific Arabic terms like 'Amr-bil-Maroof' and 'Tawallah' when discussing Shi'a practices to demonstrate precise subject knowledge.
Always define Jihad as a 'struggle' rather than simply 'war', ensuring you mention both the greater and lesser jihad in your explanations.

Try the lesson

The start of the Islam - 3.1.5.2 Practices: Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam (students should study the Five Pillars and jihad in both Sunni and Shi’a Islam and the additional duties of Shi’a Islam). lesson, made from teaching notes for this specification point.

Have a go first

Which of the following is one of the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam but is not one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam?

Tip: press 1 to 4 to choose

Listen

The Five Pillars (Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj) form the foundation of Sunni Islamic practice, guiding daily life and worship. Shi'a Islam shares these core practices but structures them within the Ten Obligatory Acts (Furu ad-Din). These include Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj, alongside Khums (a 20% wealth tax), Jihad (the struggle to maintain faith and defend Islam), Amr-bil-Maroof (encouraging good), Nahi Anil Munkar (discouraging evil), Tawallah (loving the Prophet's family), and Tabarra (disassociating from enemies of God). A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identify the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam: Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj. List the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam, noting the inclusion of Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj, and Jihad. Explain the additional Shi'a duties: Khums, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahi Anil Munkar, Tawallah, and Tabarra. Define Jihad in both Sunni and Shi'a contexts, distinguishing between greater (internal) and lesser (external) jihad. A common slip: Stating that Shi'a Muslims do not follow the Five Pillars. Instead, Shi'a Muslims do practice the core pillars (except Shahadah is not listed as an 'act' but is fundamental), but they are categorised within the Ten Obligatory Acts. Exam tip: When evaluating the importance of practices, compare how Sunni and Shi'a Muslims categorise their duties differently while sharing core beliefs.

See it

A flowchart with two starting points. The first, 'Five Pillars of Sunni Islam', branches to five items: Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj. The second, 'Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam', branches to ten items: Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj, Jihad, Khums, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahi Anil Munkar, Tawallah and Tabarra. The four items Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj are reached from both starting points, showing they are shared, while Shahadah appears only under the Five Pillars and Jihad, Khums, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahi Anil Munkar, Tawallah and Tabarra appear only under the Ten Obligatory Acts. — It shows the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam, with Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj shared between both lists.

Key words

Say what each word means before you turn the card.

Jihad

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Sunni practices

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Shi'a practices

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Religious duties

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See every definition

Jihad: The struggle to maintain faith and defend Islam, representing both the internal spiritual struggle and the outward defence of the faith.
Sunni practices: The Five Pillars, which form the foundation of Sunni Islamic practice, guiding daily life and worship.
Shi'a practices: The Ten Obligatory Acts, within which Shi'a Islam structures the core practices it shares with Sunni Islam.
Religious duties: The Five Pillars and jihad in both Sunni and Shi'a Islam, together with the additional duties of Shi'a Islam.

Label the diagram

Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A flowchart with two starting points. The first, 'Five Pillars of Sunni Islam', branches to five items: Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj. The second, 'Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam', branches to ten items: Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj, Jihad, Khums, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahi Anil Munkar, Tawallah and Tabarra. The four items Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj are reached from both starting points, showing they are shared, while Shahadah appears only under the Five Pillars and Jihad, Khums, Amr-bil-Maroof, Nahi Anil Munkar, Tawallah and Tabarra appear only under the Ten Obligatory Acts.

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2Box 2
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Test your understanding of Islam - 3.1.5.2 Practices: Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam (students should study the Five Pillars and jihad in both Sunni and Shi’a Islam and the additional duties of Shi’a Islam).

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Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam…