ISLAM PAPER

Question 1

What are the 2 major denominations in Islam?

Answer 1

Sunni

Shi’a

Question 2

What is the difference in the number of sunni muslims to shia muslims?

Answer 2

Sunni- form around 85% of Muslims worldwide

Shi’a- form around 15% of muslims worldwide

Question 3

What are the 6 articles of faith in Sunni tradition of Islam?

Answer 3

1. Tawhid- oneness in Allah
2. Belief in the angels of Allah
3. Belief about the books of Allah
4. Belief about the messengers of Allah- the prophets
5. Akhirah afterlife- the belief that life is only a test for what happens after death
6. Al-Qadr- predestination that everything in life follows a masterplan set by Allah

Question 4

What are the 5 roots of Usul ad-din in Shia tradition of Islam?

Answer 4

1. Belief in the oneness and unity of Allah- Al-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 5

How did the belief in Imams cause the divide between sunni and shia muslims?

Answer 5

Sunni muslims:
Declared Abu Bakr as the successor of Prophet Muhammads death
After Abu Bakr died, other leaders (caliphs) were appointed and the 4th leader to be elected was Ali

Shia Muslims:
Regard Ali as Muhammads true successor
Refuse to acknowledge the 3 caliphs before Ali as they believe that Muhammad identified Ali as the rightful leader

Question 6

What are the imams role in sunni and shia islam?

Answer 6

Sunni Muslims- they lead prayers in the mosque

Shia Muslims- to interpret the Muslim shariah law that was told to Muhammad by Allah

Question 7

What are shia muslims beliefs on divine justice Al-Adl.

Answer 7

Divine justice is one of the 5 roots of Usul Ad din in Shia Islam and so is essential.
They believe that:
- there is an objective framework between 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 will act in the correct way using their free will
- There is no such thing as predestination as humans have free will which is why Allah can only judge them on Judgement day
At the day of Judgement, Allah will judge people according to the way they chose to live. The righteous to heaven and the wicked to hell

Question 8

What are sunni muslims belief on Divine Justice?

Answer 8

-Everything Allah does is right simply because he does it
- Do believe in predestination as Allah determines all human action
This belief is shared by sunni and shia islams and by denying this, u are committing a sin

Question 9

What is Tawhid?

Answer 9

The belief that Allah is the one God

The belief that he alone created the Earth and sustains it

Question 10

What are the key Muslim beliefs about the nature of Allah?

Answer 10

Allah has 99 names for his qualities
Allah is infinite- the one god without beginning or end and he was not created nor destroyed
Allah is omnipotent- Allah created the whole universe and controls everything in it and will one day, bring the world to an end
Allah is merciful and forgiving- he helps muslims by sending messages in the form of the prophets to help people understand how he wants them to live
Allah is transcendent but also immanent- he is beyond human comprehension but is involved in all our lives
Allah is fair and Just- on the day of Judgement, he will judge us on the actions in our life

Question 11

What is the meaning and importance of Tawhid for Muslims?

Answer 11

A muslim will live in complete obedience to Allah as everything a person has is by the will of Allah and so everyone is always dependent on him and so muslims should always stay humble

Placing anything above Allah is called Shirk and shirk is the worst of all sins in Islam

A muslim will believe that they cannot do anything in life without Allahs kindness

Muslims will demonstrate a humble character as there is no reason to be boastful; that would be a sin

He will decide whether muslims go to heaven or hell as he is the only one; the judge and so Muslims will live their life in order to please Allah

Question 12

What are muslim beliefs on the Christian idea of the holy trinity?

Answer 12

Their belief in Tawhid means that they disagree with the trinity concept as it sees god as 3 people rather than 1

Polytheistic religions (even though christianity is monotheistic) are condemned by the quran

Muslims consider followers of polytheistic religions to be committing shirk by placing other things equal with God

Question 13

What is prophethood (Risalah) and what is a prophet?

Answer 13

Prophethood is the means of communication and humans

A prophet (rasul) is a messenger (human being) chosen by Allah to teach, guide and train people to follow him

Question 14

What are key facts that distinguishes prophets?

Answer 14

They are not to be worshipped, only Allah is to be worshipped
Each prophet is of equal significance and status as they are all chosen by Allah
They guide people on the way that Allah wants them to live
Very important to the religion of Islam as a whole

Question 15

What is the Quran?

Answer 15

The last and most important book of Allahs guidance which was revealed through Prophet Muhammad

Question 16

What important Islam books were revealed through the prophets?

Answer 16

The Tawrat- revealed to Moses
The zabur- revealed to David
The Injil- revealed to Jesus

Question 17

How is the Quran different to the other Islamic books?

Answer 17

The Quran is the only book that exists in its original form, written in Arabic and is entirely unchanged. The word of Allah

The other books written down after the death of the prophets and so the contents are slightly distorted, and so they are not the literal words of Allah

Question 18

What are the names of the prophets of Islam?

Answer 18

Adam
Ibrahim (Abraham)
Isma’il
Musa (moses)
Dawud (David) 
Isa (Jesus)
Muhammad

Question 19

Who was Adam and what was his significance?

Answer 19

First man created by Allah
First prophet of Islam
Created in Allahs own image 
For Adam, Allah made Hawwa (eve) to live with him in paradise 
Created from clay 

He and Hawwa were tempted into eating from the forbidden tree and couldnt hide it from Allah and so told him what they had done and how Ibis- Satan tempted them

Allah was merciful and promised to give them guidance so that they could be obedient with him

Question 20

Who was Ibrahim and what was his significance?

Answer 20

A prophet described as a “man of truth”
A man who once believed in one God and an example to follow
The father of monotheism

Had a son called Ismail and through Ibrahim descendents, he became known as the father of the Arabic people

Ibrahim showed his faith towards Allah by Allah telling him to sacrifice his own son and Ibrahim was prepared to do it. Allah sacrificed an animal instead but it demonstrated Ibrahims faith towards Allah

Question 21

Who was ismail and what was his importance?

Answer 21

First son of Ibrahim (prophet) as a blessing from Allah
His father left him with his mother, Hajar as Allah told him to do so

Ismail was left with his mother and they were running out of water and so Ismail miraculously kicked the ground and water spurt out from the ground

After Hajar died, Ibrahim visited his son and they rebuilt the Kaaba in Makkah which is now today, the centre of Islam and Muslims visit the site on pilgrimage