Islam - Beliefs and Teachings

Question 1

What is the Sunna and Hadith?

Answer 1

The Sunna is the record of the actions of the prophet Muhammad.
The Hadith is the recording of the prophet Muhammad’s sayings.

Question 2

What is Sharia law?

Answer 2

Shari’a law is a set laws based of the Sunna and the Hadith put together by Muslim lawyers.

Question 3

What are the main differences in Sunni and Shi’a Islam?

Answer 3

• Sunni Muslims believed prophet Muhammad’s successor should be Abu-Bakr (the 1st Caliph),
• Shi’a Muslims believed it should have been Ali (4th Caliph), so they disregard the Caliphs before him.
• Shi’as believe Allah chose 12 Imams, who are direct descendants of Muhammad, and Allah will send the 12th Imam to Earth as a Messiah to bring peace (instead of prophet Isa).
• Sunni Muslims believe the belief in Imams is close to Shirk, as the Imams are believed to have semi divine qualities, challenging Tawhid.
• Sunni Muslims believe in predestination, Shi’a Muslims do not.
• Shi’a Muslims believe there is an objective right and wrong that Allah follows, Sunnis believe everything Allah does is right simply because he does it.

Question 4

What are the Six Articles of Faith (Sunni Islam).

Answer 4

1 - Tawhid (oneness of Allah)
2 - Belief in the angels of Allah
3 - Belief in the books of Allah
4 - Belief in the messengers of Allah (the prophets)
5 - Akhirah (afterlife)
6 - Al Qad’r (predestination)

Question 5

What are the 5 Roots of Usul ad-Din (Shi’a Islam).

Answer 5

1 - Belief in Oneness of God (Tawhid)
2 - Belief in Divine Justice (Al-Adl)
3 - Belief in Prophethood (Al-Nubuwwah)
4 - Belief in Imams (Al-Imamah)
5 - Belief in the Day of Resurrection (Al-Ma’ad)

Question 6

Quote on the 6 articles of faith / 5 Usul ad-Din.

Answer 6

“Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Scriptures and the Prophets…”

Question 7

What are Allah’s believed traits? (+ quotes)

Answer 7

• infinite (no beginning or end)
  “the eternal, absolute”
• omnipotent (all powerful)
• omniscient (all knowing)
  “knower of the seen and the unseen”
• merciful and benevolent
  “the all merciful, all compassionate”
• transcendent (above human understanding)
  “there is none like him”
• immanent (close, involved in our lives)
  “we are closer to him than his jugular vein”
• fair and just

Question 8

What does the belief in Tawhid mean for Muslims?

Answer 8

• There is no being like Allah, and he is eternal and all powerful.
• Humans depend on him.
• Muslims want to please Allah, leading their lives in obedience
• Muslims give their whole lives to devote to the will of Allah
• They seek to become his servant.

Question 9

What is Al-Imamah (explain Shi’a belief about Imams)?

Answer 9

• Successors and direct descendants of Muhammad
• 12 Imams chosen by Allah
• infallible, inspired by Allah
• appointed to preserve the religion after Muhammad’s death
• protected from commiting sin, keeping the religion pure and true
• First 11 were matryed, the 12th is in occulation waiting to reappear
• Allah will send 12th Imam as a messiah at the end of the world.

Question 10

Explain Shi’a belief in Divine Justice.

Answer 10

• There is an objective framework of right and wrong.
• Allah is perfect and always acts in a way that is morally right.
• Humans are able to use their reason to work out what is morally right and through free will we should act in the correct way.
• At the Day of Judgement Allah judges people according to the moral framework and send people to heaven and hell
• Therefore there is no predestination.

Question 11

Explain Sunni belief in Divine Justice.

Answer 11

• There is no objective right and wrong
• Everything Allah does is right simply because he does it.
• Predestination (Allah determines all human action)

Question 12

What is Prophethood?

Answer 12

• Prophethood is the means of communication between Allah and humans.
• A prophet is a messenger, chosen by Allah to teach, guide and train people to follow him.
• They give guidance on how to follow Allah and live their lives in a way that pleases Allah.

Question 13

Explain who Adam was and his life.

Answer 13

• The first prophet of Islam, created in Allah’s image
• Adam and Hawwa ate from the forbidden tree and Allah sent them out of Jannah to live on Earth
• All humans descend from Adam

Question 14

Explain who Ibrahim was and his life.

Answer 14

• Ibrahim is described as ‘a man of truth’
• born into a polytheistic family
• told the people of Babylon that they were wrong to worship idols
• Ibrahim was ready to sacrifice his son Isma’il, but Allah provided a ram.

Question 15

Explain who Isma’il was and his life.

Answer 15

• Isma’ils father (ibrahim) left him and his mother in the desert.
• Hajar ran 7 times between 2 hills (Safa and Marwa) in search of water
• 8th time before, he kicked the ground, and water sprung.
• him and his father rebuilt the Kaaba

Question 16

Explain who Musa was and his life.

Answer 16

• Musa was an Israelite kid, his mum left him in the Nile River
• adopted by the pharaoh’s wife, his mother was his nanny
• accidentally killed Egyptian trying to help an Israelite slave
• Musa led the Israelites, river Nile split, Tawrat

Question 17

Explain who Dawud was and his life.

Answer 17

• King of Israelites, prophet
• heroic things, such as killing giant Goliath
• Nation of Israel prospered under his rule

Question 18

Explain who Isa was and his life.

Answer 18

• Isa is believed to be the messiah (Sunni) that will return on the D of R to bring Muslims together
• Isa was born to the virgin Maryam, and performed many miracles
• Isa didn’t die, Allah took him into his presence.
• Injil.

Question 19

Quote about God as the guardian and keys.

Answer 19

“God is the creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything. To him belong the keys of heavens and the earth.”

Question 20

Describe beliefs about angels in Islam.

Answer 20

• Created from Nur (divine light)
• They exist to carry out the will of Allah and do not have free will
• They are obedient, free of sin, and are immortal
• Angels help humans and through them Allah communicates with his messengers on Earth

Question 21

Describe the role of Jibril.

Answer 21

Jibril is an angel who brought Allah’s message to Muhammad and all the other prophets.

Question 22

Describe the role of Izra’il.

Answer 22

Izra’il is the angel of death and is responsible for the ending of each person’s life.

Question 23

Describe the role of Mika’il.

Answer 23

The angel Mika’il is the guardian of heaven who also send rain, thunder and lightning to Earth by the command of God.

Question 24

Describe the role of Israfil.

Answer 24

The angel Israfil is the angel of the Last Judgement and will blow the trumpet on the day of resurrection.

Question 25

What do Muslims believe about the Qur’an?

Answer 25

• The unaltered, true word of God
• it contains guidance on what Muslim’s should believe and how they should live their life in accordance with Allah
• (Sunni), the Qur’an is eternal
• (Shia), the Qur’an is the essence of God, and Imams can add to it.

Question 26

Quote about angels and their qualities.

Answer 26

“They do not disobey Allah’s commands that they receive: they do precisely what they are commanded.”

Question 27

Explain different Sunni schools of thought on predestination.

Answer 27

Jabarriyah:
- All human actions are determined by Allah (he is omnipotent and omniscient)
- Humans have no free will
- But then how is god merciful and benevolent, and how are we judged?

Ashari:
- God created everything including human actions
- Humans can acquire the act and make a choice
- Therefore predestination and free will both exist
“on the day of judgement, we shall bring forth a book which they will find wide open”.

Question 28

Explain different Shia schools of thought on predestination.

Answer 28

Mu’tazilah:
- Human free will existing means there is no predestination
- Free will determines what happens, not Allah
- on the day of judgement, fate is determined by divine Justice
- there is no mercy for those in hell

Shi’a:
- Partial free will, Allah knows it all
- Allah can choose to change anything any time
“indeed Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”

Question 29

Explain Muslim beliefs about Akirah.

Answer 29

• This life is a test, in preparation for the next eternal life
• We are representatives of Allah, expected to act as stewards of his creation
• How well we follow Allah’s commands will be judged
• Day of Judgement, each person is judged by Allah
  You either go to hell or hell (Jannah or Jahannam).

Question 30

What is Barzakh?

Answer 30

The period of waiting between death and the day of judgement.

Question 31

What happens in Sunni and Shi’a Islam before and on the day of judgment?

Answer 31

Sunni - Isa is sent back to Earth as the messiah, and he will bring true Muslims together
Shi’a - the 12th Imam will return and bring true Muslims together
Everyone has to walk across a bridge to heaven, and those weighed down by the weight of their sins will fall to hell.

Question 32

Explain beliefs about Heaven.

Answer 32

Jannah:
- beautiful garden, full of happiness, everyone is young, it is eternal
- there are 8 gates, based on the levels of what good deeds you did
- it is in a constant state of peace

Question 33

Explain beliefs about Hell.

Answer 33

Jahannam:
- Place of punishment and eternal suffering
- Fiery pit “bursting with fury”
- The non-believers stay there forever, the bad believers can eventually get into heaven (divine intercession).