2. Qur’an The Holy book of Muslims
Kitab al-iman The Islamic name of The Book of Faith
Usul ad-Din The five basic beliefs in Shi’a Islam
Shi’as Muslims who believe that Prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor
Allah The Arabic word for God
Tawhid The Islamic name for the oneness of God
Omnipotence The belief that God is all powerful
Benificence The belief that God is all loving, good and kind
Adalat The concept of Divine justice, that Allah is fair and just
Risalah The communication channel between Allah and humanity
Prophet Messengers from Allah; there are 25 prophets mentioned in the Qur’an
Tawrah The Jewish Holy Book
Zabur The scripture revealed to King David
Sahifah (of Ibrahim) An early scripture revealed to Ibrahim
Malaikah The belief in angels
Al-Qadr The Islamic idea of predestination
Akhirah The Muslim belief in life after death
3. The Six Beliefs of Islam are the basic beliefs
that Sunni Muslims accept.
The purpose of the six beliefs are:
•Unite Sunni Muslims and help them feel part
of the Ummah-the Muslim Community
•Help Sunni Muslims to understand their
religion better
•Support Sunni Muslims in directing how they
should behave and live
They are important to Sunni Muslims because:
•They are the basic beliefs that all Sunni
Muslims must accept in order to be considered
a Muslim
•The most important belief, Tawhid (Oneness
of Allah) is the centre of the Muslim Faith
The six beliefs are expressed in Sunni Muslim communities today when Muslims:
•think about the Oneness of God (Tawhid) everyday e.g. in the Shahadah, the declaration of
faith
•turn to their holy book, the Qur’an
•follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad and refer to the Hadith
•believe in life after death and that Allah will judge them
4. Tawhid (the oneness of Allah) • A central belief in Islam as Islam is monotheistic (belief in one God, Allah)
• The Qur’an is clear on Tawhid
• Allah is believed to be eternal, the first and the last
Adl-justice and fairness • Good and bad in everything
• Allah commands to do good and avoid bad
• Allah acts in a fair and just way to ensure equality
Nubuwwah (prophethood) • Allah has appointed messengers (prophets) to teach his message
• This message instructs on how to live a life of submission to Allah
• Muhammad was the final messenger and brought the complete message
• Allah communicates to prophets through Malaikah (angels). This is called
Risalah
Imamah-successors to
Muhammad
• In Sunni Islam, an Imam is a religious leader, but most Shi’a Muslims
believe in 12 imams, specially appointed, throughout history, by Allah
• These Imams (only ever one at a time) are there to ensure that Allah’s
message is being taught correctly
• Muhammad is the final (twelfth) prophet and is still alive, but hidden by
Allah
• Muhammad will return one day to end tyranny and oppression
Mi’ad-the Day of Judgement
and Resurrection
• Every human being who is/has lived will be resurrected and judged by Allah
• This is made clear in the Qur’an when it states that there will be a
resurrection of soul and body
• How Muslims live their life will determine their afterlife
The Five Roots of ‘Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam are important to Shi’a communities today because they:
•Unite Shi’a Muslims as an ummah (Muslim Community) and help share their common belief
•Provide a foundation of the religion, Islam and support the faith
•Help Shi’a Muslims to better understand their religion and how they should behave
•Allow Shi’a Muslims to live their lives as Allah intended
•Within Shi’a Islam there are also different groups, such as the Seveners (believe that there are only 7
imams) and the Twelvers (12 Imams after the death of Muhammad). The Five Roots unites these people
5. Key ideas:
1. Muslims believe in one God, Allah. This belief is
called Tawhid.
2. Allah is seen as a supreme being, with supernatural
power and so must be shown the utmost respect.
3. He is believed to be the sole creator of the world and
everything within it.
4. As the sustainer of the world, he, therefore,
continues to rule and control.
Characteristic of
Allah
Definition
Transcendent Allah is above and beyond anything that exists, making him difficult to fully
understand.
Immanent Allah is close to every human being and everything in the universe is connected
with him.
Omnipotent Allah is all-powerful and there is nothing more powerful.
Beneficent Allah is all-loving and care for all his creations.
Merciful Allah is compassionate and forgives peoples’ wrongdoings if they are sorry for
what they have done.
Just Allah is fair in the way that he judges people.
The characteristics of Allah are important because:
❖ They enable Muslims to understand Allah more and show
him respect
❖ Muslims can develop a closer relationship with their God
❖ All Muslims worldwide (the ummah) can accept them and
share their beliefs in a meaningful way
❖ They are contained in the Qur’an so Allah must want
6. What is Risalah?
•Risalah is Arabic for ‘message’ and is the channel of communication between
Allah and humans.
•When Allah gave his messages to the prophets this was known as revelation.
•The messages sent are recorded in the Qur’an (Muslim holy book)
•Prophets should be shown respect as they were chosen by Allah, but they are not
worshipped, as only Allah is worthy of worship.
•Allah sent messages to the prophets through angels (Malaikah).
•Prophethood is closely linked to the Six Beliefs of Islam.
Examples of Prophets (Qur’anic
name/Biblical name)
✓ Adam/Adam
✓ Nuh/Noah
✓ Ibrahim/Abraham – important in
Judaism
✓ Musa/Moses
✓ Isa/Jesus - important in Christianity
Muslims believe that the prophets
teach them that:
•Allah loves them and humanity is
important
•Allah wants to communicate with
people, especially about how they
should live
•Allah is omnipresent and is watching
over people
7. Kutub= revealed books (revealed to humanity from Allah)
The Qur’an- Key Info…
1) The main holy book for Muslims
2) Revealed to Prophet Muhammad by Angel Jibril over 23 years
3) The words came directly from Allah
4) Muhammad recited the words to his followers and these were either written
down on writing material or remembered
5) The words were collected into a book after Muhammad’s death-directed by Abu
Bakr, Muhammad’s successor
6) Uthman, the 3rd successor of Muhammad standardised all copies-today they
are all identical
7) Written in Arabic-Muslims believe it is important to learn in its original language
so that it is not changed in translation
8) Divided into Surahs (chapters) and ayats (verses)
9) Often learned by heart (Great respect given to those who do this and they are
given the name hafiz=male, hafizah=female)
8. Other Holy Books-
The Tawrat (The Torah)
Surah 5:43-48, according to the Qur’an,the Jewish holy book was revealed to Moses.
Zabur (Psalms of Dawud)
Surah 4:163-171, the Qur’an mentions that Zabur was revealed to King David
Injil (The Gospel of Isa)
Surah 53:36, the Qur’an recognises that Injil was revealed to Isa and it teaches
Muslims about the revelations by Allah to Isa.
Sahifah of Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham)
Surah 6: 74-83, many Muslims see these as an early scripture revealed to Ibrahim
and teach what was revealed by Allah to the Prophet Ibrahim.
Why are holy books important in Islam today?
▪ Allah is behind the messages they contain-a form of revelation
▪ They contain truths from Allah to whom they should submit
▪ The Qur’an, Allah’s final revelation guides Muslims on how Allah wants them to live
▪ They show Allah wants to interact with humans; his creation
▪ Muslims can become closer to Allah through reading his words
▪ They are an important source of wisdom and authority
▪ Some Muslims prefer to recognise the Qur’an as the final, complete and unaltered
message from Allah, whilst other Muslims also read other holy books to gain greater
9. Angels are believed in strongly in Islam and are one of the Six beliefs for Sunni Muslims.
Although Allah is the only spiritual being that can be worshipped, angels are the servants of
Allah as they are supernatural beings beyond the physical world.
Key ideas:
➢ Created from light and with no physical body
➢ They can appear in human form
➢ Have no free will and can only do what Allah orders them to do
➢ Have a guardianship role within Islam
➢ Accompanied Muhammad up to Al-Jannah
➢ They are angels who give life to unborn children in the womb
➢ For the Day of Judgement, and throughout life, one angel writes down good deeds and
one writes down bad deeds
➢ Muhammad told followers that angels are present at all times and present to Allah a full
report after death
➢ They are mentioned in the Qur’an and given recognition today
The significance of Angels for Muslims today are:
• As the angels are Allah’s creations, they help Muslims to understand Allah better
• Muslims feel a sense of awe towards angels, as they have been a way of Allah to
communicate with humans
• Jibril revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad so is seen as particularly important
• Both Izra’il and Mika’il are associated with what happens after death and so affects how a
Muslim lives their life
10. Al-Qadr is the Islamic idea that comes
from the Qur’an (Surah 11:110) that Allah
has control over everything and knows
everything that will happen and is a belief
that is not accepted by Shi’a Muslims. It is
one of the Six Beliefs.
Predestination is based on four
things:
1. Allah’s knowledge of everything
past and future
2. Allah has record all of the things
3. Allah has willed for these things to
happen
4. Allah is the creator of everything
Al-Qadr and human
freedom
▪ Muslims accept the
teaching of Al-Qadr but
some can find it difficult
to accept why Allah, who
controls all, does not
prevent bad things.
▪ As humans have been
given free will, they are
responsible for their own
sins.
▪ They also accept that
humans can accept the
divine purpose given to
them by Allah or can
Differences between Sunni and Shi’a beliefs about
predestination
Some Shi’a Muslims e.g. the Twelvers reject
predestination. They accept that Allah is in control but
may change what happens.
Sunni Muslims, on the other hand, emphasise the idea
of free will and the idea of Divine Sovereignty or ‘if
Allah wills.’
Belief in al-Qadr affects Muslims because they try to:
- live as Allah wants them to so that they are rewarded
after they die
- follow the duties Allah has given them
- help others as taught by the Qur’an and Muhammad
- live by Allah’s rules by being constantly aware of their
thoughts, actions and deeds
11. Key facts
• Islam and beliefs in life after death feature in both the Sunni Six Beliefs and the
Shi’a Five Roots of ‘Usul ad-Din.
• Life on Earth is only part of a human’s existence and is our chance to live good
lives.
• Muslims believe that after death they will be called to answer for how they have
lived their lives and whether they will be rewarded or punished in their afterlife.
• Akhirah is promised by Allah.
The Day of Judgement
• On the Day of Judgement, Muslims believe that their
body will completely resurrect and their deeds will be
judged by Allah.
• Before this day, the souls of the dead people will go
and wait in Barzakh (a barrier between the physical
and spiritual world)
- Reward on Day of Judgement=Paradise (al-Jannah)
12. What does the Qur’an say about Life
after Death?
There are many vivid references to life
after death in the Qur’an. Paradise and
Hell are described as physical places,
although many Muslims believe that this
is simply symbolic (eternal life is beyond
our understanding)
What is Al-Jannah like?
The Qur’an describes Al-Jannah as a
wonderful garden, where people
return back to their young states and
are able to fully enjoy what the garden
offers. It is a reward and a paradise.
There are references to flowers, birds
and fruit served by youths and
maidens, as well as couches or
thrones with soft cushions, goblets
and gold dishes.
What is Jahannam like?
Jahannam is a place of hell and
punishment, with fire, black smoke
and boiling water. It is for those who
deserve pain and torture and who
have chosen to turn away from
Allah.
Allah and judgement
Muslims do not see Allah as a cruel
tyrant but rather that those who
have mis-used their free will, and
turned away from Allah, have an
inevitable fate and must face the
consequences of this punishment.
This is referenced in Surah 17: 49-
How will beliefs about Akhirah affect the life
of a Muslim?
Muslims see life on Earth as a test and want
to be rewarded. They will therefore try to:
• Be aware of their lives (thoughts, actions
and deeds) as these are being recorded by
Allah and his angels
• Ask for forgiveness when they do something
wrong
• Recognise that every action performed is an
act of worship to Allah
• Perform sacred duties, such as reading the
13. Similarities and differences between Islam and
Christianity
Muslims and Christians are
similar in that
➢The Afterlife is important to
both Muslims and Christians.
➢They both see life as a test
which determines their
afterlife.
➢They also recognise the Day of
Judgement and have beliefs
regarding a place of reward
and a place of punishment.
➢Finally, they both share ideas
associated with resurrection.
However, they are different
because:
➢Christians see the sacrifice of
Jesus to atone for the sins of the
world. Whereas, Muslims see
that only the sinner can ask for
forgiveness.
➢Some Christians, such as
Catholics, recognise the idea of
purgatory in addition to heaven
and hell. This is not a belief held
by Muslims.
➢Muslims believe that angels
record their deeds, which is not
a belief held in Christianity.
