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🖥️ Unit Presentation
GRADE 4 — UNIT 2
My Faith and the Qur'an
Religious Culture and Ethics
Ayşe Yazıcı
🎯 What Will We Learn in This Unit?
- The Articles of Faith in Islam (Pillars of Faith)
- The Pillars of Islam
- The Qur'an
- Getting to Know a Prayer: The Amentu Prayer and Its Meaning
📌 The Articles of Faith in Islam (Pillars of Faith) (1/3)
- The articles of faith are very important in Islam.
- The principles a person must believe in to be considered a Muslim are called the pillars of faith, and there are six of them.
- Every Muslim believes wholeheartedly and without doubt in all of them; believing in one and not another is not possible — the articles of faith form a whole.
- 🕋 Belief in Allah Our first duty as Muslims is to believe in Allah: to believe in His existence and oneness, and to accept that there is no being worthy of worship besides Him. "Say you believe in Allah, then remain steadfast…
📌 The Articles of Faith in Islam (Pillars of Faith) (2/3)
- 👼 Belief in Angels Angels are beings Allah created from light, invisible to the eye; they worship Him and never disobey His commands.
- The four great angels we know of: Gabriel (Jibril) (brings revelation), Michael (Mikail) (in charge of natural phenomena), Israfil (the angel who will blow the trumpet), Azrael (the angel who takes souls).
- 📖 Belief in the Holy Books Allah sent divine books containing His commands and prohibitions to certain prophets.
- 🕌 Belief in the Prophets Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last of the prophets sent by Allah.
🤔 DID YOU KNOW?
The first command of the Qur'an was "Read!" (Iqra) — the first revelation came to our Prophet, who could not read or write, showing just how important knowledge is in Islam.
📌 The Articles of Faith in Islam (Pillars of Faith) (3/3)
- We also believe in all the prophets who came before him; we make no distinction between them.
- 🌅 Belief in the Afterlife Believing that after worldly life ends, all people will be resurrected and called to account.
- 🌠 Belief in Fate and Divine Decree Fate (kader) is Allah's foreknowledge and predetermination of everything that has happened and will happen in the universe.
- Divine decree (kaza) is the coming to pass of what has been predetermined, when its time arrives.
❌ COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
❌ Some people think the Qur'an has changed over time, or that different copies of it differ greatly from one another.
✅ The Qur'an has reached us today without a single letter changed since the Mushaf was reproduced in the time of Uthman (ra), further confirmed by millions of hafiz (those who have memorized it).
📌 The Pillars of Islam (1/3)
- The five basic duties every Muslim must fulfill are called the pillars of Islam.
- 🗣️ The Kalimah of Testimony (Shahada): "Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh" — I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad.
- is His servant and messenger.
🌍 A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE
A hafiz friend being able to recite the entire Qur'an from memory, start to finish, is a concrete example of how the Qur'an has been preserved from generation to generation.
📌 The Pillars of Islam (2/3)
- 🕌 Prayer (Salah): "Prayer is the pillar of religion." (Tirmidhi, Iman, 8)
- 🌙 Fasting (Sawm): Abstaining from food and drink for the sake of Allah from dawn until sunset. Those who cannot fast make it up later or pay fidyah (compensation).
- 💰 Almsgiving (Zakat): Wealthy Muslims giving a specific portion of their wealth to those in need, once a year.
💭 THINK AND ANSWER
Is it enough to simply memorize the Qur'an, or is it also necessary to learn its meaning? Why?
📌 The Pillars of Islam (3/3)
- 🕋 Pilgrimage (Hajj): Muslims who are able, wearing ihram, visiting the Kaaba in Mecca once in their lifetime.
👨👩👧 DOING THIS WITH MY FAMILY
Read the Amentu Prayer together with your family along with its English meaning, and briefly discuss each article of faith to reinforce it.
📌 The Holy Qur'an
- The Holy Qur'an was revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel (Jibril).
- The first revelation came in the year 610, on the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr); it continued for 23 years and was completed in 632.
✅ EVALUATING MYSELF
- ☐ I can list the basic characteristics of the Holy Qur'an.
- ☐ I can state the 6 articles of faith in the Amentu Prayer.
- ☐ I know how to begin reading the Qur'an.
- ☐ I can explain with examples how the Qur'an has been preserved.
📌 Getting to Know a Prayer: The Amentu Prayer and Its Meaning
- The Amentu Prayer is a prayer that contains the six articles of faith.
🔑 Key Concepts (1/2)
🔑 Key Concepts (2/2)
📖 REFLECTING ON THE VERSES
"Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most suitable."
— Surah Al-Isra, verse 9
📖 REFLECTING ON THE VERSES
"Alif, Lam, Meem. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah."
— Surah Al-Baqarah, verses 1-2
🎬 RELATED VIDEO
Getting to Know the Holy Qur'an
🔍 LET'S THINK DEEPLY
- How does this knowledge affect my life?
- Why is this concept important?
- What is its equivalent in daily life?
📝 Unit Summary
- What does faith (Iman) mean? We have all heard the saying "May Allah never part us from faith."
- In its dictionary sense, faith (Iman) means to affirm what someone has said, to accept what they have stated, and to embrace it wholeheartedly, without a shadow of doubt.
- As a religious term, faith is:
- accepting without hesitation the rulings and principles brought and declared by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Allah (Glorified and Exalted), and believing that they are right and true.
Thank You for Listening
I wish you every success.
Ayşe Yazıcı — Religious Culture and Ethics Teacher
📝 Written Exams
📗 Unit 2 Topic Summary: My Faith and the Qur'an
🎯 MEB Learning Outcomes
Source: 2018 Religious Culture and Ethics Curriculum (MEB Board of Education) — 4.2. Getting to Know Islam
- 4.2.1 — Lists the articles of faith of Islam.
- 4.2.2 — States the pillars of Islam.
- 4.2.3 — Defines concepts related to the inner structure of the Holy Qur'an.
- 4.2.4 — Reads the Amentu Prayer and states its meaning.
🗺️ Concept Map
The key concepts of this unit, as set out in the MEB curriculum, are shown below in connection with the unit's theme.
1️⃣ The Articles of Faith in Islam (Pillars of Faith)
The articles of faith are very important in Islam. The principles a person must believe in to be considered a Muslim are called the pillars of faith, and there are six of them. Every Muslim believes wholeheartedly and without doubt in all of them; believing in one and not another is not possible — the articles of faith form a whole.
- Belief in Allah
- Belief in Angels
- Belief in the Books
- Belief in the Prophets
- Belief in the Afterlife
- Belief in Fate and Divine Decree
🕋 Belief in Allah
Our first duty as Muslims is to believe in Allah: to believe in His existence and oneness, and to accept that there is no being worthy of worship besides Him. "Say you believe in Allah, then remain steadfast." (Muslim, Iman, 62.)
👼 Belief in Angels
Angels are beings Allah created from light, invisible to the eye; they worship Him and never disobey His commands. The four great angels we know of: Gabriel (Jibril) (brings revelation), Michael (Mikail) (in charge of natural phenomena), Israfil (the angel who will blow the trumpet), Azrael (the angel who takes souls).
📖 Belief in the Books
Allah sent divine books containing His commands and prohibitions to certain prophets.
- Torah — Revealed to Moses.
- Psalms — Revealed to David.
- Gospel — Revealed to Jesus.
- The Holy Qur'an — Revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); the last of the divine books.
🕌 Belief in the Prophets
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last of the prophets sent by Allah. We also believe in all the prophets who came before him; we make no distinction between them.
🌅 Belief in the Afterlife
Believing that after worldly life ends, all people will be resurrected and called to account.
🌠 Belief in Fate and Divine Decree
Fate (Kader) is Allah's foreknowledge and predetermination of everything that has happened and will happen in the universe. Divine decree (Kaza) is the coming to pass of what has been predetermined, when its time arrives.
🤔 Did You Know?
The first command of the Qur'an was "Read!" (Iqra) — the first revelation came to our Prophet, who could not read or write, showing just how important knowledge is in Islam.
2️⃣ The Pillars of Islam
The five basic duties every Muslim must fulfill are called the pillars of Islam.
- Declaring the Kalimah of Testimony (Shahada)
- Prayer (Salah)
- Fasting (Sawm)
- Almsgiving (Zakat)
- Pilgrimage (Hajj)
🗣️ The Kalimah of Testimony (Shahada): "Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh" — I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
🕌 Prayer (Salah): "Prayer is the pillar of religion." (Tirmidhi, Iman, 8)
🌙 Fasting (Sawm): Abstaining from food and drink for the sake of Allah from dawn until sunset. Those who cannot fast make it up later (kaza) or pay fidyah (compensation).
💰 Almsgiving (Zakat): Wealthy Muslims giving a specific portion of their wealth to those in need, once a year.
🕋 Pilgrimage (Hajj): Muslims who are able, wearing ihram, visiting the Kaaba in Mecca once in their lifetime.
❌ Common Misconceptions
❌ Some people think the Qur'an has changed over time, or that different copies of it differ greatly from one another.
✅ The Qur'an has reached us today without a single letter changed since the Mushaf was reproduced in the time of Uthman (ra), further confirmed by millions of hafiz (those who have memorized it).
🌍 A Real-Life Example
A hafiz friend being able to recite the entire Qur'an from memory, start to finish, is a concrete example of how the Qur'an has been preserved from generation to generation.
3️⃣ The Holy Qur'an
The Holy Qur'an was revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel (Jibril). The first revelation came in the year 610, on the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr); it continued for 23 years and was completed in 632.
- Verse (ayah) — There are 6,236 verses in total.
- Surah — There are 114 surahs in total; it begins with Al-Fatiha and ends with An-Nas. The longest is Al-Baqarah (286 verses), the shortest is Al-Kawthar (3 verses).
- Juz — One of the Qur'an's 30 sections of 20 pages each.
- Hafiz — A person who has memorized the Qur'an.
- Khatm — Reading the Qur'an from start to finish.
- Meal (translation) — A translation of the Qur'an's meaning into another language.
- Mukabala — Following along with the text while someone else recites the Qur'an.
💭 Think and Answer
Is it enough to simply memorize the Qur'an, or is it also necessary to learn its meaning? Why?
👨👩👧 Doing This With My Family
Read the Amentu Prayer together with your family along with its English meaning, and briefly discuss each article of faith to reinforce it.
4️⃣ Getting to Know a Prayer: The Amentu Prayer and Its Meaning
The Amentu Prayer is a prayer that contains the six articles of faith.
| Recitation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Amantu | I believe |
| billahi | in Allah, |
| wa mala'ikatihi | and His angels, |
| wa kutubihi | and His books, |
| wa rusulihi | and His messengers, |
| wal-yawmil akhiri | and the Last Day, |
| Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh | I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. |
🔍 Let's Think Deeply
To reflect deeply on what you've learned in this unit, ask yourself these questions:
- How does this knowledge affect my life?
- Why is this concept important?
- What is its equivalent in daily life?
⚖️ Moral Dilemma — What Would You Do?
A friend forgot one of the articles of faith, got the question wrong on a test, and felt very upset about it. Would it be better to tell them "What matters isn't memorizing it, but truly believing it," or "You really need to know these correctly"?
✅ Evaluating Myself