Islam beliefs

Question 1

The belief in the oneness of God

Answer 1

Tawhid-the belief that there is only once God (monotheistic religion)
“He is God the One, God the eternal, No one is comparable to him” A Muslim’s most important duty is to declare faith in the one God as Muslims believe that God is an undivided entity.

Question 2

The supremacy of God’s will

Answer 2

God is the one and only creator and controller of everything and so nothing takes place unless God allows it to happen. For Sunni Muslims, the supremacy of God’s will is an important article of faith. Muslims believe they should accept whatever happens as the will of God, trusting in God’s good intentions for people. Muslims add the words “inshallah” after a promise to do something, showing the belief that they are not in control of what happens: only God is in control. This idea leads to some Muslims to believe that God controls everything human beings do and that humans do not have free will but others think God does not force people to act in certain ways but God has allowed people freedom to choose how to behave.

Question 3

The impact on the supremacy of God’s will

Answer 3

Muslims try to accept that even the bad things that happen in life are meant to be. God’s plans are mysterious and cannot be fully known by humans. Muslims try to accept God’s will and live according to it in everyday life as, “Misfortunes can only happen with God’s permission”.

Question 4

Key Beliefs of Sunni Islam

Answer 4

When Muhammad died, the majority of Muslims thought that only the Qur’an and the Sunnah had the authority to guide their beliefs and so they elected Abu Bakr to be their leader (caliph) to act on behalf of God and Muhammad to make sure people followed God’s laws.

Question 5

Key Belief in Shi’a Islam

Answer 5

Some Muslims believed that Muhammad had named Ali his cousin as his successor.

Question 6

Six articles of faith in Sunni Islam

Answer 6

Angels
Authority of the Holy Books
The supremacy of God’s will
Day of Judgment
The prophets of God
Tawhid (oneness of God)

Question 7

Five roots of Shi’a Islam

Answer 7

prophethood
justice of God
resurrection
imamate
tawhid

Question 8

The nature of God in Islam

Answer 8

God is the greatest- “Allahu Akbar” Muslims believe God is so great he is beyond human understanding and greater than anything humans can imagine.
The names of God- 99 names of God in the Qur’an which can help Muslims to understand something of God’s nature as each name describes a quality that God has revealed about himself. “The most excellent names belong to God, use them to call on him”.

Question 9

Qualities of God

Answer 9

Muslims believe that God is immanent (within all things and close to his people) but also transcendent (beyond all things) and God can be both because God is the creator of the universe therefore outside and not limited by the physical world yet he is within all things.
omnipotent, beneficent, merciful (Bismillah), acts with fairness and justice five roots of Shi’a Islam is justice of God so since God is perfect, he is just and therefore never acts unjustly to his creations.

Question 10

Belief in Angels

Answer 10

Muslims believe that angles bring the word of God to the prophets or messengers of God. For Sunni Muslims, the belief in angels is one of the six articles of faith. Angels are able to receive God’s words directly from him and pass them on to the prophets of God as they are pure and sinless. Angels have no free will so they cannot do anything to displease God. Angel Israfil will blow a trumpet to announce the Day of Judgement. Muslims believe angels have given the angels power to take on human form when appearing to people to whom he wishes to give a message.

Question 11

Angel Jibril

Answer 11

trusted messenger of God who relayed the Qur’an to Muhammad from God. God continued to guide Muhammad throughout his entire life often communicating through Jibril.

Question 12

Mika’il

Answer 12

angel of mercy as God has assigned Mika’il to reward righteous people for the good they do during their lives on Earth. God has also given Mika’il responsibility for sending rain, thunder and lightning to earth. Muslims believe that Jibril and Mika’il have brought nourishment to human beings as Jibril brought the spiritual nourishment of God’s words in the Qur’an and Mika’il brings nourishment for the earth and human life throughout the rain.

Question 13

Predestination

Answer 13

Sunni Muslims believe God has already determined everything that will happen in the universe and has written it down in a “book of decrees”. God creates all things, including the actions of his creatures so they must act according to his will. “Only what God has decreed will happen to us”. linked to supremacy of God’s will as they believe God’s will is so powerful, he can determine everything that is going to happen, placing greater emphasis on God’s omniscience and less emphasis on human freedom.
Shi’a Muslims believe that God knows everything that is going to happen but this does not mean he decides what is going to happen as people still have free will to make their own choices.

Question 14

Day of Judgment

Answer 14

Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgment, God will judge humans according to everything that they have done throughout their lives and as God has given humans free will, they themselves are responsible for whether God rewards or punishes them so even though God knows everything, people are still responsible for their actions.

Question 15

Life after death

Answer 15

For Muslims, death is not the end but the beginning of a new stage of life called Akhirah. They will enter a state of waiting (barzakh). God sends two angels to question them about their faith. Angel Israfil blows a trumpet to announce that the world will be destroyed. If people are given the book of deeds in their right hand, they will go to heaven, if they receive it in their left hand they will go to hell.

Question 16

Heaven and Hell

Answer 16

Heaven is described as a garden of happiness “a reward for what they used to do”. Hell is described as a place of fire and great torment “They will dwell amid scorching wind and scalding water”. This belief encourages human responsibility as they will be held accountable for their actions by God. It urges people to avoid sin and do the right thing as it satisfies a deep human need for justice

Question 17

Prophethood

Answer 17

Prophets bring the message of Islam to people (Risalah). They provided a method of communication between God and human beings so Muslims know how to live in the way God desires. They are important role models to follow as they were good people who lived according to God’s will. Adam- first man on Earth first prophet of Islam who was created by dust of the ground he is regarded as the father of the human race and so is treated with reverence and respect. God gave Adam understanding and the names of all things “He taught Adam all the names of things”. God told the angels to bow down to Adam. Adam is important because God gave him understanding and Adam in turn passed on his knowledge to the rest of the human race through his descendants. God revealed to him the foods Muslims are allowed to eat, how to repent for wrongdoing and how to bury the dead.

Question 18

Prophet Ibrahim

Answer 18

Muslims believe that Ibrahim is important because he fulfilled all the tests and commands given to him by God and so was promised to be the father of all nations. They believe that the prophet Muhammad was descended from Ibrahim through his first son. The Qur’an presents Ibrahim as a role model because of his obedience to God, kindness and compassion and his refusal to worship idols. Muslims believe that Ibrahim had a dream in which God asked him to sacrifice his son. God did not take the boy but Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice him. During Id-ul-Adha, Muslims slaughter an animal to remember Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son. remembered when Muslims go on Hajj. At Mina, Muslims throw stones at the pillars in the saw way Ibrahim threw stones at the devil who tempted him to disobey God. pilgrims run between the two hills to remember story of Ibrahim’s wife, Hagar. gave the message that there was only one God, rebuilt the Ka’ba and denounced the worship of idols.

Question 19

Muhammad

Answer 19

Muhammad receives the final revelation of Islam and is known as the last and greatest of the prophets “he is God’s messenger and the seal of the prophets”. Muhammad preached the words he had received and proclaimed God is one and that the complete surrender of God is the only acceptable way to live. challenged the people of Makkah to give up cheating, drinking alcohol, gambling and idol worship.

Question 20

The Imamate

Answer 20

When Muslims died it wasn’t clear who should succeed him. Sunnis elected Abu Bakr as their first Caliph but Shi’as believed that Muhammad named his cousin and son-in-law Ali as his successor. They wanted Ali as they believed the prophet had appointed him by divine instruction and that leadership should follow the family line. When Ali died, his son became the Imam. 12 imams in total and the Twelvers believe that they not only rule justly but are able to maintain and interpret the Qur’an and Shariah Law without fault. The Imamate is important because people need divine guidance to know how to live correctly. The Twelvers believe in each generation there has always been an Imam who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law.

Question 21

The importance of the Qur’an

Answer 21

word of God and foundation of every believer’s faith. infallible source of authority “This is the scripture in which there is no doubt”
Muslims believe there are other holy books that have been revealed by God. some think these books have been lost while others believe they can be found in the Christian Bible but the original text has been corrupted or distorted so does not have the same authority as the Qur’an. Torah-18 times in Qur’an Psalms- 3 occasions in Quran Gospel-This Gospel has been lost but some of its message is still found in the Bible. “We gave him the Gospel” Scrolls of Abraham