Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Afshan.

Today we are going to learn about something very important in Islam, the Shahadah.

It's a special statement that helps Muslims remember their faith and stay connected to God.

The lesson is called "The Shahadah: Harmony Through Faith" from the unit "Muslims." How does prayer and fasting help Muslims find harmony? The learning outcome of today's lesson is "I can explain the meaning of the Shahadah and why it is important for Muslims." By the end of today's lesson, we will be able to explain what the Shahadah is, why it's important for Muslims, and how it helps them find harmony with God and each other.

Let's get started.

These are some of the keywords we will be exploring in our lesson today.

The words are Shahadah, the Muslim declaration of faith in God and His prophet, prophet, a messenger of God, and declaration, a solemn promise.

Shall we have a go at reading these? Let me help you.

First it would be my turn and then your turn.

Let's start, Shahadah.

Repeat after me, Shahadah.

Prophet.

Prophet.

Declaration.

Declaration.

Great, you did that really well.

We have three cycles in our lesson "The Shahadah: Harmony Through Faith," but first, we will be looking at what is the Shahadah and when may Muslims say it.

Let me introduce you to Ahmed, a Sunni Muslim boy.

Ahmed is curious and learning about Islam from his family and community.

Ahmed recently learnt about the Shahadah, faith, which is the first pillar of Islam.

This is the Shahadah written in Arabic.

It's usually translated as, "There is only one God, Allah, and Prophet Muhammad is His messenger." Time for a check for understanding.

What is the first pillar of Islam? Is it salat or Jummah prayer or the Shahadah? What do you think? That's correct.

It's called the Shahadah, which is the first pillar of Islam.

Well done.

Shahadah, the faith, is the most sacred statement in Islam, and it is recited in the Arabic language.

It is the declaration of faith for Muslims. This is what Ahmed says about his belief in Shahadah: "When I say the Shahadah, I remind myself that I believe in only one God, Allah, and that the prophet Muhammad is His messenger." The Shahadah is very important because it helps Muslims remember their faith.

When they say it, they remind themselves that Allah is the only God, and Prophet Muhammad is His messenger, just like Ahmed shared with us.

The Shahadah is recited by Muslims at important moments in their life.

What do you see? What might be happening? Hmm.

A newborn baby is welcomed to Islam by whispering the Shahadah into the baby's ear, like you can see in the image.

How might the Shahadah be recited here? That's correct.

The Shahadah is also an important part of adhan, the call to prayer.

It's also recited during the daily prayer, salat.

Time for another check for understanding.

The shahadah is an important part of adhan, the call to prayer.

True or false? What do you think? Have a go.

True.

That's correct.

It is an important part of adhan, and why? Because it is recited to remind Muslims of their faith in the oneness of Allah and in prophet Muhammad as His messenger.

Well done.

Time for our task.

Izzy is not sure when the Shahadah is recited by Muslims. Laura says, "It is the declaration of faith for Muslims and is recited multiple times during the day." Can you help Izzy? Write two examples to help Izzy understand when the Shahadah is recited by many Muslims. You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers with me.

Let's check our answers.

Give two examples to help understand when the Shahadah is recited by many Muslims. These are some of the possible examples.

Many Muslims recite the Shahadah in a newborn's ear to welcome them.

Many Muslims recite the Shahadah every day when they pray salat.

The Shahadah is an important part of the adhan, the call to prayer.

Well done if you had those examples in your answers.

We now know how the Shahadah is recited by Muslims at different moments in their life and how it is the declaration of faith for Muslims. Now, let's look at what does the Shahadah mean.

Here's Ahmed.

Ahmed recites the Shahadah, (speaks in foreign language).

The first part, "There is only one God," means there is only one God, Allah, and He is the creator of everything.

The second part, "Prophet Muhammad is His messenger," means that the prophet Muhammad was chosen by Allah to teach Muslims the correct way to live.

Let's check if you got that.

What was the main role of Prophet Muhammad? Is it to teach Muslims the correct way to live, or to be a king and rule over the people, or to become the richest person? What do you think? That's correct, to teach Muslims the correct way to live.

You got that right.

Muslims believe the Shahadah, but in the Shi'a tradition, there is an extra sentence.

Let me tell you about Rasool, a British Shi'a Muslim from Leeds.

Rasool also believes in the Shahadah as the declaration of faith.

However, in the Shi'a tradition, it is recited with additional words to honour the Imam Ali, Prophet Muhammad's cousin, as the friend of Allah.

This is what Rasool recites, which is also written in the Arabic language.

Rasool says, "This means there is only one God, Allah, and the prophet Muhammad is His messenger.

And Imam Ali is the friend of Allah and the successor of the Prophet." Time for another check.

Who is considered the friend of Allah in the Shi'a tradition? Is it the Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad, or Abu Bakr? What do you think? That's correct, the Imam Ali.

Imam Ali is considered the friend of Allah in the Shi'a tradition.

Well done.

Even though Ahmed and Rasool say the Shahadah a little differently, they share important ideas.

They share the ideas of a belief in God, Allah, and that the Prophet Muhammad is Allah's messenger, and a respect for each other's traditions and being part of the worldwide Muslim community.

Here's another task.

I hope you're ready.

Here's Sofia.

Sofia is saying, "I'm not sure what the difference is between Sunni and Shi'a beliefs regarding the Shahadah." Can you help Sofia find one similarity and one difference between Sunni and Shi'a beliefs about the Shahadah? You can pause the video now and come back so we can check our answers.

Let's check our answers.

Let's look at one similarity and one difference between Sunni and Shi'a beliefs about the Shahadah.

Both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims believe that the Shahadah is the declaration of faith that there is only one God, Allah, and that the Prophet Muhammad is His messenger." Now let's look at one difference.

In the Shi'a tradition, the Shahadah is recited with additional words to honour the Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin, as the friend of Allah." Great if you got them right.

Now let's move on and find out what does the Shahadah help Muslims remember.

The Shahadah teaches Muslims to believe in Allah, who is the central focus of their faith, and follow the Prophet Muhammad's example.

Here's what Ahmed says: "Every day I say the Shahadah because it helps me live the way Prophet Muhammad taught, and reciting it makes me feel happy and peaceful, and in harmony with Allah." Time for another check.

How do Muslims feel when they say the Shahadah? Confused and scared? Happy and peaceful? Or worried and unsure? What do you remember? That's correct.

Muslims feel happy and peaceful when they say the Shahadah.

That's correct.

Now let's see what Rasool says.

Rasool says, "Every day I say the Shahadah because it helps me remember that I believe in Allah and that I want to live in a way that finds harmony with Allah.

It also reminds me the Prophet Muhammad was kind and caring, and I want to be the same." Let's remind ourselves.

The Shahadah reminds Muslims that there is only one God, Allah, who loves everyone and listens to their prayers, to be kind, help others, and take good actions, that the Prophet Muhammad is an example of how to live a happy life filled with kindness and respect.

Time for another check.

Let's see if you got that.

The Shahadah helps Muslims remember that there is only one God, Allah.

Is it true or false? That's true, and why? Because the Shahadah helps Muslims remember that there is only one God, Allah, and that the prophet Muhammad is His messenger.

Well done.

Let's go to our task.

Jacob says that the Shahadah reminds Muslims to be kind and honest.

Can you write three more sentences about how the Shahadah helps Muslims to remember their faith and live in harmony with Allah? You can pause the video now and come back to check your answers with me.

Let's check our answers.

Write three more sentences about how the Shahadah helps Muslims to remember their faith and live in harmony with Allah.

Some of the possible sentences are: "It helps Muslims remember that there is only one God, Allah.

It reminds Muslims that the Prophet Muhammad was the messenger of Allah.

And it reminds Muslims to be kind, help others, and take good actions.

And it helps Muslims get close to Allah and makes them live in harmony with Him." Great effort.

Well done.

The Shahadah helps Muslims find harmony because it helps them connect with Allah and with each other.

When Muslims say the Shahadah, they remember the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, who showed everyone how to live in a peaceful and kind way.

Every day when Muslims say the Shahadah, they feel happy and peaceful, and it brings them closer to Allah.

Let's quickly recap what we've learned today.

We've learnt that the Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam, and it is the declaration of faith.

In the Shahadah, a Muslim declares that there is only one God, Allah, and that prophet Muhammad was His messenger.

We also learnt that most Shi'a Muslims add a sentence to the Shahadah to say that the Imam Ali, the prophet's cousin, is considered a friend of Allah, also how the Shahadah helps Muslims live in a way that makes them close to Allah.

Well done.

Great job.

You've learnt about an important part of Islam today, and I hope you understand how the Shahadah brings harmony through faith.

Brilliant effort today, and I hope to see you in our next lesson.

Bye.