Social and Religious Studies

Key unit competence: The learners demonstrate kindness to others, 

be humble in society and to perform good actions always.

                                                                             Learning objectives

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

•  Identify the importance of telling the truth for self and for society. 
•  Recall the impacts of lying to society in general. 
•  List basic works of charity to the persons in need. 
•  Identify the rights of neighbours in Islam.

Skills

•  Compare effects of lying with effects of telling the truth to society.
•  Explain the characteristics of politeness and obedience between people.
•  Plan and perform works of charity. 
•  Describe the rights of neighbours.

Attitudes and values

•  Be truthful in the society.
•  Avoid any kind of lying. 
•  Engage for helping persons in needs.
•  Serve parents especially in their old age and the relatives.
•  Be kind to the neighbours and respect their rights.

Introductory activity

Look at the pictures below and answer the following questions:

1. Do these pupils look happy or sad?

2. If they are rude to their teacher, will he/she still want to teach them?

3. Why is it important that we respect our teachers?

4. How should we treat school property?

Being respectful of other people and their property is part of behaving in accordance with religious laws.

5.1 The importance of telling the truth

All religions tell us that it is important to be truthful. Islam teaches that being truthful is about more than what we say. 

In Islam, being truthful means that our actions must match our intentions and our words must match our beliefs.

It is important to be honest and tell the truth. We know that lying is dishonest because you are saying something 

that is not true. Being truthful means choosing not to lie, steal, cheat or deceive in any way.

Being honest also means not doing things that are morally wrong. 

If you do something that is breaking the law or you have to hide it because you will get into trouble,

 you are not being honest. Honesty means being truthful in everything you do.

Being truthful includes not breaking rules to gain an advantage (cheating), and not taking something 

that is not yours (stealing) and any other action that you would hide because it is against what you consider morally right. 

Corruption and bribery are also dishonest.

5.1.1 The importance of telling the truth for yourself

Being truthful also means respecting yourself and being honest with yourself. 

If you are not truthful you let both yourself and Allah down. If we are always truthful, 

we build strength of character that allows us to be of great service to Allah and to others. 

We have peace of mind and self-respect. When we are honest we can like ourselves.

                              Our story should always be the truth.

Here are some examples of truthfulness:

•   Not saying things about people that are not true. 
•  Owning up for your actions, even if you will get into trouble.
•  Explaining how a situation really happened. 

You are not being truthful if you say something happened one way when it really happened another way.

5.1.2 The importance of telling the truth for society

Ethics are very important in business. Lying lessens trust between human beings.

If nobody told the truth, life would become very difficult. Nobody could be trusted and

nothing anyone heard or read could be trusted. Society is hurt because:

•  the level of truthfulness falls, so other people may be encouraged to lie
•  lying may become a generally accepted practice
•  it becomes harder for people to trust each other
•  social unity is weakened
•  nobody can believe anyone else and society collapses.

Activity

1. Make a list of five ways in which you can be dishonest.

2. Discuss the impact of lying for the person telling the lies and for society.

3. Talk about how you feel when you know you have told a lie.

Exercise

1. Make a list of the ways in which lying can occur in society.

2. What is corruption and how does it affect society?

5.2 Politeness and obedience

Being polite and helpful to one’s parents is the duty of every Muslim. 

Parents work hard to look after their children when they are growing up. It is also the duty of children to

look after their parents when they become too old to look after themselves.

It is important to be polite and obedient to your parents

The Qur’an commands us to show kindness to parents in the following words:

Your Lord has decreed that you worship nothing but Him, and that you be kind to parents. 

Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word for contempt, 

nor repel them but address them in terms of honour. (Al-Isra’ 17:23-14)

Children should also be polite to show respect for their teachers and other adults. 

The characteristics of politeness and obedience between people are:

•  showing respect
•  listening to the views of others
•  not using bad language
•  not shouting
•  doing as requested
•  giving help when needed.

Activity 

Make up a conversation about borrowing a book. One of you should do the asking and the other should lend the book.

 Do this in a way that shows respect and politeness from both the borrower and the lender. Then swop roles.

5.3 Helping persons in need

It is important to help those in need. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that one 

must give a portion of one’s wealth to charity. 

This is what the Hadith narrated by Abu Huraira says:“Allah said, ‘O son of Adam! Spend, and I shall spend on you.” 

[Sahih Al-Bukhari] Volume 7, Book 64, Number 264.

In Rwanda there are charities that work to help orphans and others who are socially disadvantaged. 

The International Islamic Charity Organization is an example of an Islamic charity that works to help the needy in Rwanda.

Activity 

    1. Carry out a role-play of an act of charity helping people in need.

    2. Discuss these questions.

            a) What does the Qur’an say about charity?

            b) How should we treat our parents when they get old?

            c) If our parents ask us to do something, how should we respond?

Helping people access clean drinking water is important.

Homework

   1. Ask your parents and neighbours to help you make a list of all the charity

     organisations in your community.

   2. Write down one way in which you could help another person.

5.4 Respecting rights of relatives and neighbours

According to Islam you must treat your relatives and your neighbours properly.

This includes:

• protecting their interests when they are absent
•  showing them respect
•  helping them when they have a problem
•  not looking for faults
•  trying to persuade them to refrain from bad habits
•  helping them if they are in trouble
•  forgiving them if they have done any wrong
•  practising the highest Islamic ethical code.

Activity Discuss ways that you should treat your neighbour.

We must treat our relatives and neighbours properly.

End unit assessment

Make sure that you are able to do the following.

1.     List three forms of untruthfulness.

2.     Fill in the blanks in the following sentence: 

         During Ramadan Muslims help the _______, feed the ________, 

          visit the sick in _______ and build ________ for the homeless.

3.     List three duties towards your relatives and neighbours.

Revision exercises for Islamic Religious Studies

1. List three of Allah’s most beautiful names.

2. Name three angels that are common to both Islam and Christianity.

3. Complete the following sentence:

Believing in many gods and worshipping statues are both forms of ___________.

4. Chose the correct word from the brackets:

The fast of Ramadan begins at (sunrise/sunset) and ends at (sunrise/sunset).

5. Name three groups of people who are exempt from fasting during Ramadan.

6. Describe one harmful effect of lying to the society.

7. Angels are made of light (true or false)?

8. Name the second-most important literature in Islam after the Qur’an.

9. Who is Malak Al-Maut?

10. Join the word in the left-hand column of the table to the correct description in the right-hand column.

GLOSSARY