Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies Study of Islam Practices: a complete C120 overview
A complete overview of Eduqas (WJEC) GCSE Religious Studies (C120) Component 3 Islam Practices: the Five Pillars and Ten Obligatory Acts, Shahadah and Salah, Sawm, Zakah and charity, Hajj, and jihad and the festivals, plus the a, b, c, d question ladder and the sources of wisdom and authority Eduqas rewards.
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What this module demands
The Study of Islam, Practices is the second half of Eduqas Component 3. It asks you to explain how Muslims live out their faith in the Five Pillars, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, jihad and the festivals, and to evaluate these practices, always supported by sources of wisdom and authority (the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the Hadith). Where the beliefs module is about what Muslims believe, this module is about what they do to express their submission to Allah. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.
The Five Pillars and Ten Obligatory Acts
The Five Pillars are the core duties of Sunni Islam: Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakah (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting) and Hajj (pilgrimage). They are the foundations of Muslim life, named in the Hadith of Jibril, and build the worldwide ummah. Shia Muslims keep the same core acts within the Ten Obligatory Acts (Furu ad-Din), adding khums, jihad, commanding good and forbidding evil, and the duties towards the Prophet's family (Tawalla and Tabarra).
Shahadah and Salah
The Shahadah is the declaration of faith ("There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"), containing Tawhid and Risalah; saying it sincerely makes a person a Muslim. Salah is prayer five times a day, facing the Qiblah (Makkah), preceded by wudu (ritual washing) and made of rak'ahs (standing, bowing, prostration, sitting). Prayer can be made anywhere clean, but congregational mosque prayer, especially Jummah (Friday), builds the ummah.
Sawm, Zakah and charity
Sawm is fasting from dawn to sunset in Ramadan, the month the Qur'an was first revealed; it builds self-discipline, taqwa and empathy with the poor. Zakah is giving 2.5% of surplus wealth to the poor, which purifies wealth and the heart; it is obligatory, unlike voluntary Sadaqah, and Shia Muslims also pay khums (one-fifth of certain income).
Hajj
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah, made once in a lifetime if able, re-living the faith of Ibrahim. Pilgrims enter ihram (men in two white sheets, showing equality), perform tawaf (circling the Kaaba), walk between Safa and Marwah, stand at Arafat (the central rite, seeking forgiveness), stone the pillars (rejecting evil) and celebrate Id-ul-Adha. Hajj brings unity, equality and forgiveness.
Jihad and the festivals
Jihad means to strive in the way of Allah; the greater jihad is the inner, lifelong struggle, and the lesser jihad the outward, strictly limited defence of Islam. Jihad is not terrorism, which Islam condemns (Surah 2:190). Muslims celebrate Id-ul-Fitr (the end of Ramadan), Id-ul-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice, during Hajj) and Ashura (especially important to Shia Muslims, mourning Husayn).
Check your knowledge
A mix of recall questions covering the whole module. Attempt them, then check the solutions.
- Name the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam. (2 marks)
- What is the Shahadah? (2 marks)
- What is wudu? (2 marks)
- In which month do Muslims fast for Sawm? (2 marks)
- How much is Zakah, traditionally? (2 marks)
- What is the central rite of Hajj? (2 marks)
- What is the difference between the greater and lesser jihad? (2 marks)
- Which festival falls at the end of Ramadan? (2 marks)
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies specification (C120, from 2016) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)