The Shahadah (the declaration of faith) and Salah (prayer five times a day), how Salah is performed (wudu and rak'ah), and prayer in the mosque, including Jummah.

What this dot point is asking

Eduqas wants you to explain the Shahadah (the first pillar, the declaration of faith) and Salah (the second pillar, prayer five times a day): what they are, how Salah is performed (including wudu and the rak'ah), and prayer in the mosque, including Jummah (Friday prayer). These are the two pillars Muslims practise most often. The topic feeds the 15-mark evaluation question on whether mosque prayer is better than home prayer, so you need the content, the range of views, and the sources of wisdom and authority Eduqas rewards.

The Shahadah

Saying the Shahadah sincerely, with belief, is what makes a person a Muslim, and it is the only pillar performed many times a day (it is part of the call to prayer and the prayers themselves). It is whispered into a newborn's ear, so it is the first thing a Muslim hears, and Muslims hope it will be among the last words they say before death. (Shia Muslims often add a phrase about Ali as a friend of Allah.) The Shahadah underlies the other four pillars, which all express the faith it declares.

Salah: prayer

Before praying, a Muslim performs wudu, a ritual washing of the hands, mouth, face, arms, head and feet, to be clean and focused before Allah. The prayer itself is made of rak'ahs: set units that include standing and reciting from the Qur'an (beginning with Surah al-Fatihah), bowing (ruku), prostration (sujud, forehead to the ground in submission) and sitting. Salah matters because it is a direct link with Allah five times every day, expressing submission, keeping the believer mindful of God, and disciplining daily life around worship.

Prayer in the mosque and Jummah

Muslims may perform Salah anywhere clean, but praying in congregation at the mosque is encouraged and rewarded. The most important communal prayer is Jummah, the Friday midday prayer, when Muslims gather to pray together behind an imam and hear a sermon (khutbah). In the mosque, worshippers stand in rows, shoulder to shoulder, showing the equality and unity of the ummah. For men, attending Jummah is a strong obligation; women may attend but can also pray at home. This communal dimension is exactly what the evaluation question, "mosque or home?", weighs against the fact that prayer is valid anywhere.

Common and divergent views

The common view is that the Shahadah makes a person a Muslim and that Salah five times a day is obligatory. The main divergences are small: Shia Muslims add a phrase about Ali to the Shahadah and may combine the five prayers into three time-slots, and traditions differ on where prayer is best made (the value of the mosque versus the validity of home prayer, especially for women). For the exam, present the Shahadah and Salah as agreed and use the mosque-versus-home question for evaluation.

Try this

Q1. What is wudu? [a-style recall]

• Cue. The ritual washing a Muslim performs before Salah (of the hands, mouth, face, arms, head and feet), to be clean and focused before Allah.

Q2. Explain why Jummah prayer is important to Muslims. [b-style short explanation]

• Cue. Jummah is the Friday midday congregational prayer, when Muslims gather behind an imam and hear a sermon; standing in rows shoulder to shoulder shows the equality and unity of the ummah, and for men it is a strong obligation.