Salah and Sawm

Prayer and fasting 🕌

Two of the Five Pillars of Islam shape a Muslim's day and year: **Salah**, the daily prayer, and **Sawm**, the fast of Ramadan. This module looks at how Salah is prepared for and performed, and how Sawm is kept, and then compares Muslim prayer with **Christian worship**.

The language of practice 🔑

Four ideas run through this module:

Preparing to pray: wudu 🚿

An interactive activity.

Which way to pray? 🧭

When Muslims perform Salah, in which direction do they face?

• Toward Makkah
• Toward Jerusalem
• Toward the rising sun
• Toward the nearest river

Salah and Christian worship ⚖️

Salah is compared with worship in Christianity. Both set aside regular time to worship God, yet they differ in rhythm and form.

Two true of Salah ✅

Select the TWO statements that are true about Salah.

• Muslims perform wudu, a ritual washing, before praying
• Salah is performed at five set times through the day
• Salah is only ever performed once a week
• During Salah, Muslims face away from Makkah

Sawm: the fast of Ramadan 🌙

During the month of **Ramadan**, Muslims keep **Sawm**: they fast from dawn until sunset, taking no food or drink. The Qur'an prescribes fasting in Surah 2, verses 183 to 185. Sawm builds self-discipline and empathy with people who are poor and hungry. The seriously ill, the very young, the elderly, travellers and pregnant women are among those excused, and may fast later instead.

Match each prayer term 🔗

Practice in words 🧩

Before Salah, a Muslim performs _____, a ritual washing. During prayer they face _____, in the direction called the qibla. Salah is performed _____ times a day. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims keep _____, fasting from dawn to sunset. The night in Ramadan when revelation began is called Laylat al-_____.

Who is excused? 🙅

Which person would normally be EXCUSED from fasting during Ramadan?

• A person who is seriously ill
• A healthy young adult
• A person who simply forgot to eat breakfast
• A person who dislikes fasting

Spot the true statements 🖍️

An interactive activity.

Match each fasting term 🍽️

Name the practice 🎯

An interactive activity.

Salah and Christian worship ✍️

An interactive activity.