During this lesson we will find out about…  Which symbols are important in Islam?  What do they symbolise? (‘Symbolise’ means ‘stand for’ or ‘represent’)  Why are they important for Muslims?

1)What are these symbols? 2)What do they symbolise? (Remember that symbolise means: ‘stand for’ or ‘represent’) 3)Why are they important to Christians?  Some Christians wear ‘WWJD’ bracelets as a symbol that they are Christians & to remind them of Jesus.  Do you think it’s a good idea to wear symbols everyday that remind you of your faith or should religious symbols just be kept for special religious occasions?

Symbols in Islam  The symbol that people most often connect with Islam is the symbol of a star & crescent moon.  It is often seen on mosques (the Muslim place of worship) & is also on the flags of some Muslim countries…  The star & crescent moon is an important symbol for Muslims, because it reminds them that Islam guides & lights their way through life, just as the moon & stars guide people at night.  When the symbol is used on mosques the crescent always points in the direction of Makkah (Islam’s holy city, where the prophet Muhammad was born). Copy the explanation and star & crescent moon picture into your books.

Islam says that every Muslim has 5 duties that they must carry out – these are symbolised by 5 pillars called, ‘The five pillars of Islam’.  Look at the ‘Discovering Religions: Islam’ text book, pages  Complete these activities using pages to help you… 1.Why are the 5 duties that a Muslim must carry out described as pillars? 2.Copy this picture of the 5 pillars of Islam into your books. For each pillar write 1 sentence describing what it is & 1 sentence giving an interesting fact about it. (Also spelt ‘Salat’)

Each of these pictures represents one of the symbols of Islam. As a class, can we… a.Work out which symbol each picture represents. b.Describe that symbol.

Recently in Britain, the clothing that some Muslim women wear has become a symbol representing Islam. Your homework is to answer these questions: 1. What is a burqa? 2. Why do some Muslim women wear a burqa? You can use the internet to help you find out the answers.