Beliefs and teachings of Islam

Question 1

The six articles of faith are called Iman and were revealed by allah and are recorded in the Quran.

Name the 6 And what they mean

Answer 1

Tawhid-oneness of allah 
angels of Allah
books of Allah 
Messengers of Allah 
Akhirah-life after death 
Al-qadr-predestination

Question 2

Usul ad-din (principles of faith) for the Shia tradition

There are 5 articles of faith name them and what they are about

Answer 2

Al-tawhid - oneness of Allah 
Al-adl - belief in divine justice 
Al-nubuwwah - belief in prophethood 
Al-imamah - belief in imams 
Al-ma’ad - belief in the day of resurrection

Question 3

Both Shia and Sunni agree on what…?

Answer 3

Oneness of Allah
Prophethood
Day of judgement

Question 4

Sunni and Shia disagree on what…?

Answer 4

Leadership of faith (al-imamah)
Divine justice (al-adl)

Question 5

Tawhid is the most important belief and is shared between both Shia and Sunni Muslims.
What is the belief of tawhid?

Answer 5

The belief that Allah is the one god and he alone created and sustains the earth

Question 6

Key Muslim believes about Allah

List them:

Answer 6

He is infinite- no beginning or end and cannot be destroyed
Omnipotent
Omniscient
Merciful- as he sent prophets to help people live a life following his will
Fair and just- life is a test for what happens to them after death

Question 7

Belief in the successor of Muhammad

Sunni and Shia Muslims are split based on the disagreement of who should have been Muhammad’s rightful successor

What do Sunni and Shia Muslims believe?

Answer 7

Sunni- Abu bakr was the caliph (successor to Muhammad) as they were from the same tribe, and Ali was the fourth caliph.

Shia- Ali should’ve been the first caliph as he was part of Muhammad’s family, therefore the three before Ali aren’t acknowledged.

Question 8

Shia - al imamah

What is it and the belief about the twelfth imam and what imams are for

Answer 8

It is the belief in the 12 imams chosen by Allah who were direct descendants of Allah beginning with allah.

The twelfth imam is in occultation, living but hidden waiting to appear at Allahs will. He will bring peace and co-existence at the end of the world.

Imams are for Interpreting the Shari’ah (Muslim) law that was told to Muhammad by allah. Imams are infallible (without error).

Question 9

Shia Muslim believe in divine justice. Explain what is meant by this.

Answer 9

Allah sends the righteous to heaven and the wicked to hell
No such thing as predestination, humans have free will
Humans use free will to determine what is right and wrong
Humans should use free will to act in the right way

Question 10

Sunni Muslims don’t believe in divine justice

Why?

Answer 10

They believe there is no right or wrong, as Allah does everything right. They believe in predestination

Question 11

Prophethood - Risalah

What are prophets and why are they important

Answer 11

A prophet is a messenger chosen by allah
The prophet is human but should not be worshipped
They give guidance on how to follow allahs will and live in ways that please him

Question 12

Who was the first and last prophet in Sunni beliefs

Answer 12

The first prophet was Adam and the last Muhammad. Muhammad is referred to in the qur’an as the ‘seal of prophets’ and through Muhammad the qur’an was revealed

Question 13

Prophets importance and roles of them

Adam- story and importance

Answer 13

Adam- adam was allahs Khalifa, someone how acts for allah on earth, but he was disobedient and kicked out of al-Jannah (heaven), but allah gave him his guidance. All humans are descendants from Adam and his wife hawwa (eve)

Question 14

Ibrahim - story and importance

Answer 14

Father of the Arab people and prophets. He was a hanif, someone who believes in one god.
Allah tested him by telling him to sacrifice his son isma’il. Iblis (Satan) tempted him 3 times not to. But Ibrahim was loyal to allah. As a reward allah gave Ibrahim a ram instead.
Muslims honour Ibrahims life to commitment to the faith. In hajj he is commemorated.

Question 15

Isma’il - story and importance

Answer 15

Son of Ibrahim, he was left in a deserted place (Makkah), at allahs request. All their food and water ran out, hajar Ibrahims wife ran between two hills 7 times in search of water. Isma’il then kicked the ground and water came out. Hajar died and isma’il and Ibrahim built the Kaaba there at the centre of the grand mosque. Muslims pray facing towards it 5 times a day.

Question 16

Musa - story and importance (Moses)

Answer 16

He was adopted by the pharaohs wife of Egypt, as it protected him from the pharaoh himself who was killing all the Israelites. The nanny who raised Musa was his mother, but one day Musa killed and Egyptian and he was banished. But on allahs command he returned to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites. 10 plagues occurred and allah separated the Red Sea and drowned the Egyptian soldiers. Allah reveals the tawrat to Musa and gave him the 10 commandments.

Question 17

Dawud(David)- Story and importance

Answer 17

Prophet and eventually king of Israelites. Dawud killed Goliath and became king after the king at the time was killed by his enemies. Under dawuds rule, everyone worshipped Allah as the one true god.

The Zabur (book of psalms) were revealed to him and it contains lessons of guidance for the Israelites.

Question 18

Isa - story and importance

Answer 18

Isa performed many miracles in his life, and that Muslims believe he will return on the day of resurrection and he will make war with all religions until only Islam exists.

Question 19

Muhammad and his importance to Muslims

Answer 19

Known as the seal of prophets as he provided the final revelation to allahs people, the qur’an and the qur’an is the one true word of Allah and it is what all Muslims follow.

Question 20

The night of power

Explain what it is and what happens

Answer 20

Angel jibra’il came to Muhammad and asked him to read, and Muhammad said he is not a reader, the angel squeezed him, this happened three times and on the third Muhammad recited the first verses to the qur’an and he was declared the messenger of Allah. The night of power is said to be during the last of the ten nights of Ramadan.

Question 21

The night journey - explain what happend

Answer 21

An angel woke Muhammad and he flew on a winged horse to Jerusalem. His heart was taken and purified, and he saw both paradise and hell. He spoke to past prophets and he and Musa agreed that Muslims must pray 5 times a day. Then he entered the presence of Allah and then he was returned back to Makkah but no time passed.

Some believe that it wasn’t a journey physically but a spiritual one. SUFI Muslims say they can experience it themselves if they are close to Allah.

Question 22

The hijrah (emigration) 
Explain what happens

Answer 22

As Muhammad preached the words of Allah his followers grew in numbers and so did his enemies.
After an assassination attempt he left Mecca and travelled to a city. The moving of him and many Muslims began the Muslim calendar. Islam thereafter became more organised with charity fasting and pilgrimage.
After there were battles between medinah and Mecca but eventually medinah won and Mecca was reclaimed as the holy city.
After a while Muhammad spoke at the mount of mercy and spoke to 140,000 Muslims and said his farewell speech. He asked if he had fulfilled his mission and the crowd replied, In simple terms, yes. Muhammad died at the age of 63 after becoming ill.

Question 23

Books - Kutub 
Tawrat - revealed to Musa (torah) 
Zabur - revealed to dawud (psalms) 
Injil - revealed to isa (gospel) 
suhuf-I-Ibrahim - revealed to Abraham (Scrolls of Abraham)
Qur’an - muhammad

Answer 23

Muslims believe that the final revelation the qur’an is allahs words. All the other books have been distorted and are no longer true of Allah.

Sunni Muslims believe the qur’an is eternal like Allah and has always existed.

Shia Muslims believe that it was created by Allah and IMAMs can add to it and interpret its message.

Question 24

Other sources of authority other than kutub

They are used to tell how Muslims should behave to problems in the modern world.

List and explain what they are…

Answer 24

Sunna of the Prophet - Records what Muhammad did
Hadith of the prophet - records what Muhammad said

Some Muslims think that they aren’t the words of god and so should not be used

Question 25

Angels - malaikah

Allah created all angels from divine light called NUR. they do not have free will and are free from sin, they help Allah communicate with his human messengers (prophets) on earth.

Name the angels and what they do …

Answer 25

Jibra’il- brought allahs message to Muhammad and all other prophets

Izra’il- angel of death and takes someone’s final breath

Israfil- angel that will blow the trumpet to announce the day of resurrection.

Mika’il- Guardian of heaven

Also angels responsible for recording humans deeds, good and bad. They are known as HONORABLE SCRIBES. used for the am of judgement.

Question 26

Predestination and free will Sunni and Shia views on this and other views.
Everything that happens is planned by allah this is called AL-QADR
Some questions can be raised, if it is predetermined how does the day of judgement work?
Can you name some?

Answer 26

Sunni: they believe that everything is planned by allah.

Shia: believe they have partial free will but allah has knowledge of all

The ash’ari school teach that humans can choose whether to follow allahs predestined path or not.

Question 27

Disagreements within Islam over free will and predestination.
Name some arguments

Answer 27

The JABRITES ( a school of thought) believe there is no free will and all actions are predetermined.
BUT
if all actions are predetermined how is there suffering and evil as if allah is omnibenevolent why would he allow that.

On the day of resurrection at the end of the world, allah will judge everyone’s actions. But how can this happen if he already knew what was going to happen as he has responsibility for everyone then.

Question 28

The mutazilites

Explain what the believed in and which Muslims accept this

Answer 28

They believed that on the day of judgement all of the actions taken due to free will would be judged. Each persons fate is determined by allahs divine justice.

Shia Muslims accept these teachings

Question 29

Asharism

Explain what it is and who believes in it

Answer 29

It basically means that allah gives people free will, and Allah allows them to do whatever they want even evil, but allah already knows what they will do and know whether they go to heaven or hell.

Sunni Muslims believe that 120 days after conception a baby is already being recorded by angels, their sex and destiny as such are already recorded. Destiny being heaven or hell. But their choices in their life time will affect the rewards or punishment received in the after life.

Question 30

Life after death - akhirah

Answer 30

Muslims believe life is preparation for the next. The guidance for life is written in the qur’an. How well Muslims follow this determines their after life. The day of judgement is a time when all the dead come back to life and resurrect, starting with Muhammad being judged first.

Question 31

Day of judgement

Answer 31

Sunni believe that isa as the messiah will appear.

Some believe he will bring together true Muslims
Others believe he will lead a war to destroy everything until Islam is left.

Those who die a good Muslim will go to paradise and those who die a bad Muslim will go to hell.

The resurrection that takes place on the LAST DAY is a physical one and allah will recreate you.

Enemies of Islam are sent straight to hell
Warriors who die fighting for Islam in the name of god are sent immediately to allahs presence.

Question 32

Heaven - al-Jannah, it has 8 doors which you must name some

Hell - jahannan describe it and for who it is for

Answer 32

Al-Jannah
Baab as-sadaqah- an entry for those who often give to Charity
Baab al-hajj- for those who completed hajj
Baab al Iman - for those who constantly work hard to obey allah

Jahannan
Place of punishment and enteral suffering.
For sinful BELIEVERS it is a place for purification, and allah will eventually allow them to heaven

For unbelievers it is an eternal place of suffering

The belief that there is eternal suffering because of unbelieving, many Muslims to seek to share their faith, they do this so that others can eventually go to heaven

Question 33

Explain what martyrdom is in Islam

Answer 33

It is being killed in the defence of or struggle for your faith.
A death in this way for Muslims will cause the person to enter allahs presence immediately. This opposes the teaching in the qur’an that says ‘there should be no compulsion in the religion’