Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to another religious education lesson with me, Mr. Green.

Today we are going to do some fine theology together.

And in particular, we are going to be learning about the second pillar of Islam which is Salah.

Now before we get started, you just need to make sure you have a few things with you.

So please take a moment to make sure that you have a pen, a different colour pen, some paper, and most importantly, your theology brains.

Now if you need to get any of those things, please pause the video now and go and get them.

So, today we are learning about Salah, and in order to do that we are firstly going to define, and explain different types of prayer.

Then identify the benefits of those different types of prayer and support each of those different types of prayer with Scripture verses and that's going to give us a really deep understanding of Salah.

Now, firstly let's remind ourselves of what we mean by Salah.

Salah means connection or contact.

Therefore it means praying to and worshipping Allah.

Muslims are obliged to pray to Allah at five set times each day, and Salah is the second pillar of Islam.

Now, let's just make sure we're really clear on that word obliged.

If you are obliged to do something, that means you have to do it.

It is not optional.

So essentially, Salah is the requirement for Muslims to make five prayers every day.

Now hopefully, you're familiar with some of these terms as well 'cause these form part of Salah.

The first term you can see there that's just cropped up on your screens is Adhan.

Adhan is the call to prayer, and that forms or plays sorry, two particular purposes.

Firstly, it's practical.

It reminds Muslims when it is time to pray.

And secondly, it has a spiritual purpose too.

It reminds Muslims some of the key beliefs which motivates and inspires prayer.

Another key term that you can hopefully remember is Wudu.

Remember Wudu is the ritual cleansing before prayer.

And that's essentially a physical cleaning.

But the physical cleaning represents a spiritual cleaning as you prepare to pray to Allah.

And thirdly, hopefully you can remember some of the actions that Muslims perform during prayer.

And you can even remember the word Rak'ah.

And Rak'ah is a sequence of actions and words that Muslims perform during prayer.

And one of those specific actions they do is bow and prostrate to show submission to Allah.

And the direction of prayers also very carefully considered.

When Muslims pray, they pray towards the spiritual home of Mecca.

So that gives us a brief recap of what you may already know about Salah.

So, our next job is to take this further by looking at different types of prayer.

So, one type of prayer that we need to know about is the Jummah prayer.

Now the Jummah prayer is one of the Salah prayers.

It's the congregational prayer held every day at Friday.

Well, I'll say that again.

It's a congregational prayer held every Friday at midday.

Now, one of the Salah prayers means obviously it's obligatory because the Salah prayers are obligatory.

And it's the Salah prayer that happens midday on a Friday.

So the Jummah prayer is one of the 35 Salah prayers.

And you might think, where did Mr. Green get that number 35 from? The mathematicians watching this will be able to calculate the seven days of the week.

There's five daily prayers.

You times the seven by five and you get your 35 Salah prayers, then you check this definition one more time.

Jummah prayer, the congregational prayer held every Friday at midday, and that tells us that the Jummah prayer is one of the 35 Salah prayers, the Friday midday prayer.

Another type of prayer you need to know about is Du'a prayers.

And Du'a prayers are the personal prayers offered to Allah by Muslims. These aren't compulsory.

These are additional prayers.

So Muslims have to make the Salah prayers, but in addition to the Salah prayers, if they wish, they can also make these Du'a prayers, voluntary, additional, non-obligatory prayers.

Now, when Muslims pray, they may pray in public.

Public prayer are those prayers which are held in public places so Muslims can pray together.

The most obvious public place that Muslim might undertake that public worship is in a mosque.

But, prayers can also take place privately.

Individual prayers might be done by yourself at home.

So, let's now do some quick fire questions to make sure we have remembered all that key information and to help us remember it.

So first question, Jummah prayers are optional.

Say to yourself or point your screen, is that true or false? It is indeed false, isn't it? Well done.

Next question.

Jummah prayers are one of the five daily prayers, is that true or false? Excellent, well done.

That is true.

Next question.

Jummah prayers are obligatory, true or false? Well done, it's true.

Next one, Jummah prayers are done at home, true or false? Well done, it's true.

Next question.

Can you tell me whether it's true or false that Jummah prayers are done at a mosque? Well done, it's true.

Next question.

Jummah prayers are separate to the five daily prayers, true or false? Well done, it is false.

Jummah prayers are additional prayers to the five daily prayers, is that true or false? Well done, it is false.

Next question.

Jummah prayers are done on a Thursday, true or false? Well done, it's false.

Next question.

Jummah prayers are an example of private worship, true or false? Well done, it is false.

Next question.

Jummah prayers are an example of public worship, true or false? Well done, it's true.

Next question.

Du'a prayers are obligatory, true or false? Well done, it's false.

Next question.

Is it true to say a Muslim can choose when and where to do Du'a prayers? Well done, that is true.

Next question.

Do Du'a prayers have to be done in a mosque? No, they do not so that is false.

Are Du'a prayers part of Salah, true or false? Well done, it is false.

Du'a prayers can only be done at set times, true or false? Well done, it's false.

Du'a prayers are an example of public worship, true or false? Well done, it's false.

Are Du'a an example of private worship? Well done, that one is true.

And Du'a prayers can only be done on a Friday? That's false.

Well done.

Alright then, next up, can you tell me whether this statement is about Jummah prayers or Du'a prayers? Again, just point at your screen or say it to yourself.

These prayers can take place any day of the week, Jummah or Du'a? Jummah or Du'a? Point to your screens.

Well done, it is Du'a.

Next question.

These prayers have to take place in a mosque, is that Jummah or Du'a? Jummah or Du'a? Well done, that is Jummah prayer.

Next question.

These prayers have to happen on a Friday, Jummah prayers or Du'a prayers? Well done, it's Jummah prayers.

Next question.

These prayers can be done at home, Jummah or Du'a? Well done, that is Du'a.

This is one of your Salah prayers, Jummah or Du'a? Well done, that's Jummah.

These are optional extra prayers, Jummah or Du'a? Well done.

These are an example of private worship, Jummah or Du'a? Well done, Du'a prayers.

These are an example of public worship? Jummah, isn't it? Well done.

So, now we have consolidated everything we need to know about Jummah and Du'a and their definitions.

I would like you please to draw a table on your sheet.

And the table is have two columns, Jummah and Du'a prayers.

And you can then use this information here to fill in your table.

So, I'll just show you a quick example of what I mean.

Have a look at this slide here and see I've got a nice simple table, Jummah and Du'a the top, then I've just put the word obligatory from that table in Jummah prayers, and the word optional from that table in the Du'a prayers.

So, can you please pause the video and complete your table for me now? So, let's check our work.

Hopefully under your Jummah prayer column, you have written that the Jummah prayers are obligatory.

They're part of Salah.

It's an example of public worship.

They take place at the mosque.

There's a fixed time to do them, and that fixed time is Friday afternoon.

For your Du'a prayers, hopefully you've noted down that they are optional.

They are not part of Salah, and an example of private worship.

They could take place anywhere.

You can decide when to do them and that means they could take place any day of the week.

So, if you need to pause to add to or correct your work with your different colour pen, please do that now and then resume the video once you're done.

So, the next thing we are going to do is have a look at why Jummah prayers are important.

So firstly, within Islam, Friday is seen as being very important.

And there's reason for that.

Friday is believed to be the day that man was created.

Friday is also believed to be the day that the Day of Judgement is going to happen and can you imagine a better place to be found on the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgement , than in the mosque praying? So Friday has great significance within Islam.

So it's really beneficial to show your submission and your faith in Allah on a Friday.

Secondly, the Jummah prayers are mentioned in the Qur'an.

And they're mentioned quite explicitly.

In the Qur'an, it states that angels will record who attends those prayers.

Angels will record.

What does that mean? Well it means it's probably going to be something you're held accountable for on the Day of Judgement.

So, it's really important therefore, that you go to your Jummah prayers.

Secondly, the Hadith also mentions Jummah prayers and how important Jummah prayers are.

It's really clear from Mohammed's word because the Hadith is a set of actions and words Mohammed said that he placed great importance on the Jummah prayers.

Fourthly, it's part of Salah.

We mentioned that at the start of the lesson, didn't we? Salah is the five daily prayers.

The Friday afternoon prayer is one of those prayers.

So, it makes up one of the 35 obligatory prayers for a Muslim.

And finally the fifth reason I'm going to give you is that it shows your priorities.

No matter what you're doing Friday, midday, afternoon, you stop and you go to the mosque to put Allah as the number one priority.

Praying to Allah, submitting to Allah.

So, here are five reasons, why a Muslim might say Jummah prayers are really important.

So, now let's have a look at why Du'a prayers are also really important within Islam.

Firstly, personal relationship.

Remember, these are private personal prayers.

That means that they can be more personal in tone, more personal in content.

So it might be the case that a Muslim can make a Du'a prayer to pray to Allah to ask for help, ask for advice, to share their worries.

When we develop relationships with people, we do that via communication, via talking.

Likewise, for a Muslim to develop their relationship with Allah, they can do that via talking, via communication, via prayer and in particular via Du'a prayers.

Secondly, they can of course show submission.

Yes, it might be the case that you are doing all your obligatory prayers, and that is fantastic.

But additionally, Muslims can show their submission by going above and beyond and making these more personal prayers, voluntary prayers on top of that which they are obliged to do.

Thirdly, important for judgement.

It's also really clear that if you miss any of your obligatory prayers, you can actually make up for missing the obligatory prayers by doing additional voluntary prayers.

Helps to keep Allah on your mind as well, doesn't it? And the more frequently a Muslim prays, the more frequently their minds going to turn towards Allah, His will, His rules, and the more likely it is therefore, they're going to be living their life in a way that pleases Allah.

Fifth, additional praise.

Muslims need to praise Allah.

It says that in the Qur'an, doesn't it? All praise belongs to Allah.

And that's fine, you can do that with your Salah prayers.

They're really good for praising Allah.

But what's wrong with giving more praise? The Du'a prayers allow Muslims to give Allah even more praise.

So, what I would like you to do now is pause the video in a moment and add to your table.

The start of our table had really good explanations of what Jummah and Du'a prayers are.

The next thing we can add to our table now is reasons why the Jummah prayer and the Du'a prayers are really important.

So beneath what you've already written, you can then use this table, identify whether each box is saying something about Du'a or Jummah and then add that to your table.

So pause the video now, and resume the video once you're done.

So, hopefully you've managed to add something like this to your table.

So the Jummah prayers are important because they're part of Salah.

Friday is a really important day.

It's seen as the day man was created and the day judgement will happen.

The Friday prayers are mentioned in the Qur'an.

Mohammed advised that you should all do your obligatory prayers.

And according to the Qur'an, angels will record who attends the mosque in order to fulfil their Jummah prayers.

And praying at a fixed time shows that you're willing to put Allah first.

For Du'a prayers, hopefully you've noted down, that's a way of offering additional praise to Allah.

It's an opportunity to share personal worries or ask for help and advice.

It's helpful for judgement because they can be used to make up for missed obligatory prayers.

It helps to develop a personal relationship with Allah, and can be helpful to ensure your mind is always on Allah.

So, the next thing we need to do is have a really close look at what Scripture says about these different types of prayer so that we're able to offer really full and developed explanation of why both Jummah and Du'a prayers are considered to be really important.

So, let's have a look.

It says in the Qur'an that the best day on which the sun has risen is Friday.

On it, Adam was created.

The last hour will take place on no other day than Friday.

And that's telling us two really important things why Jummah prayers are important.

We know it's Jummah prayers, 'cause it's talking about Friday.

And the Jummah prayers are the prayers that happen on a Friday.

And then it's telling us two reasons why Friday's really important.

The first, is it's a day that man was created.

And the second, is it's a day, the Day of Judgement will take place.

So it's seen as a really significant, really important day within Islam.

So it's extra appropriate to make additional praise to Allah on those days.

The next, the first of man's deeds for which he will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will be Salah.

Obligatory Salah may be made up by it, voluntary Salah.

Now when you look at that closely, you'll see it's talking about both types of prayer.

We're going to be held to account for both the obligatory, the Jummah and the voluntary, the Du'a.

So it's really important that Muslims make their Jummah prayers because they'll have to account for that.

But, if they miss some of the obligatory prayers, it's possible to make up for that with Du'a prayer.

So Du'a prayers are also important.

And the third one, praise belongs to God, Master of the Day of Judgement.

This too makes it clear that both types of prayer are really significant and really important.

It's praise that belongs to Allah, both Jummah and Du'a prayers are opportunities to give praise to Allah.

So both are really important.

So, let's do some quick questions then.

Which type of prayer is this text referring to? The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday.

On it Adam was created.

The last hour will take place on no other day than Friday.

Jummah, Du'a or both? Point to your screens for me now please.

Well done.

I know that you are pointing at Jummah prayers 'cause it's talking about Friday, isn't it? Next one, the first of man's deeds for which will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will be Salah.

Obligatory Salah maybe made up for it by voluntary Salah.

Point to your screens now.

Well done.

Both types of prayer are important for judgement.

And now praise belongs to God, Master the Day of Judgement.

Jummah, Du'a or both? Well done, it is both.

So, can you now please add the three quotations to your table? If the quotation can be used for both then please just simply write it across both columns.

And then explain how the quotation links to that specific type of prayer.

So pause the video now, complete the work, and then unpause it and we can do some feedback together.

So, hopefully, your work looks like this.

In Jummah prayer, you've written that quotation there.

The best day on which the sun has risen is a Friday.

On it Adam was created, and the last hour will take place on no other day than Friday.

And note it down that shows that Friday is a really significant day within Islam.

Hopefully, you put the other two across both columns 'cause they're talking about both types of prayer.

The first of man's deed for which will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will be Salah.

Obligatory Salah can be made up by it, voluntary Salah.

So, we can say that both are important as both are referred to on the Day of Judgement , the obligatory prayers and the voluntary prayers.

The obligatory prayers, the Jummah prayer, and all the other Salah prayers, and the voluntary prayers are the Du'a prayers.

And finally, hopefully you've put praise belongs to God, Master of the Day of Judgement , across both columns, and then noted down that both are important as both give praise to Allah.

So if you need to, please pause the video here just to check your work, add to it if you need to, then unpause it.

So, well done for completing all of today's work.

You've done a terrific job and no doubt now become a fine theologian.

Just to check how much of a fine theologian you are, it'd be really wise now to go and take the quiz to check what you have learnt.

Also, if you wish to share your work with Oak National Academy, please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, using the tags or hashtags you can see on your screen there.

Thank you very much for joining me.

I'd very much hope to see you again soon.