Islamic Beliefs Flashcards
What are the two main types of Muslim?
Sunni and Shi’a
After Mohammed died, what did Sunni Muslims think should happen?
They thought that they should follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah. They elected Abu Bakr to be their Caliph.
What is the Sunnah?
It is Muhammad’s teachings and actions.
What is a Caliph?
The Muslim leader
What did the Shi’a muslims believe should happen after Mohammed died?
They said that when Mohammed died, he had named his cousin Ali a successor.
They said that the true Imam had to be a descendant or a relative of Muhammad and must be chosen by Allah.
Each new Imam would choose the next one just before he died.
Name the Sunni six Articles of Faith.
1) Tawhid -The oneness of Allah.
2) Angels- Communicate Allah’s message to humans
3) Holy books, especially the Qur’an.
4) The prophets of Allah, Especially Mohammed
5) The day of judgement, When every single human will be resurrected judged by Allah and sent to paradise or hell
6) The supremacy of Allah’s will.
Name the Shi’as 5 roots of Asul ad-Din
1) Tawhid
2) prophets.
3) Allah Is just and wise
4) the Imamate - accepting that the 12 Imams Are the leaders of Islam and Guard the truth of the religion
5) Resurrection - after death everyone will be resurrected and judged by Allah.
Give three similarities in the beliefs of the Sunni and Shi’a Muslims
1) they both believe that Allah is the only God
2) They both believe the prophets are important
3) They both believe that they will be resurrected and then sent either to Paradise or Hell
Name three differences between Sunni and Shia beliefs.
1) Both groups of Muslims believe that everyone will be resurrected and sent to Heaven or Hell. However Sunni call it the day of judgement and Shi’a call it Resurrection.
2) Sunni Believe that angels are important to spread the message of Allah.
3) Shi’a Believe that the 12 Imams are the leaders of Islam
Why do Shi’a muslims call their main beliefs ‘roots’. What is significant about that image?
Roots are the foundations from which the plant begins to grow.
To grow as a Muslim they have to follow these five beliefs.
Name 2 beliefs in the Sunni articles of faith that are not in the Shi’a 5 roots of Usul ad-Din.
1) Angels
2) Holy books
What does a prophet do?
They proclaim the message of Allah.
Vocab
The importance of prophets to communicate between Allah and the people
Risalah
Why are prophets necessary?
Allah is so great and unknowable that they take special prophets To hear, understand and pass on his messages
Around how many prophets are named in the Qur’an?
25
Name five of the most important prophets in Islam.
Muhammad Adam Ibrahim Musa (Moses) Isa (Jesus)
Who was Adam?
Muslims believe that Adam was the first man on Earth, Created directly by Allah.
Describe Adam and his life.
Allah told Adam all about the natural world. He knew all the names of the plants and animals, He was taught how to plant crops harvest them and cook.
However, an angel called Iblis refused to bow down to Adam. Allah threw Iblis out of heaven and Iblis (Satan) promised to tempt people to sin.
So Allah went on to create Eve and placed them both in the garden of Bliss. They then went on to eat from the tree that they shouldn’t have
Who is Ibrahim?
Ibrahim is a prophet who is presented as a role model because of his obedience to Allah as well as his kindness and compassion and his refusal to worship statues.
What happened with Ibrahim and the idols?
Ibrahim destroyed the idols that the people were worshipping. The people were angry and Ibrahim in chains. Then they threw them into a fire to burn him to death as a punishment.
However the fire just burnt the chains and Ibrahim walked away unhurt.
The people were amazed and began to worship Allah instead of the idols.
Who is Muhammad?
Mohammed is the most important prophet in Islam and is believed to be the last prophet of the religion.
What is the Hadith?
The Hadith contains Muhammad’s sayings.
What is the Sunnah?
The teachings and practices of Muhammad
Describe Muhammed’s early life.
Mohammed was born in Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. He was orphaned when he was very young and raised as a merchant by his uncle.
Jibril and Mikail visited him when he was a child and purified his heart so that he could receive Allah’s revelation later.
The angel Jibril gave him many messages which Mohammed recited word for word. These messages became the Qur’an.
Vocab
Something that is perfect or unquestionable
Infallible
What does the name Qur’an mean?
The recital
Mohammed recited each revelation by heart and scribes wrote them down.
What do most chapters of the Qu’ran begin with?
In the name of Allah, The compassionate and merciful.
Do Muslims think it is better to read the Koran in English or Arabic?
Arabic
What is the name of the Jewish holy book?
The Torah
Describe the Torah.
The Jewish Torah was given to Moses.
The Torah is mentioned 18 times in the Qur’an.
It contains many of the books that are in the old Testament of the Bible
Vocab
The Psalms
Zabur
What are angels?
They are spiritual supernatural beings who act as a messenger of Allah.
Who do the angels share Allah’s messages with?
Prophets.
What do angels look like?
Usually you can’t see them but they can take on the form of a human when they are delivering messages.
What does the Qur’an say about how Allah made the angels?
Allah Made the angels from light.
Do angels have free will?
No they can’t make their own decisions so they spend their time carrying out the will of Allah and worshipping him
What do the angels on your shoulders do?
1) an angel sits on either Shoulder of each person. The right angel records everything good or right that you do.
2) The left angel writes down the bad things
On the day of judgement the angels have the books are Allah so they could be weighed
Why do Muslims look at both their shoulders when they are praying?
To remind them of the good and bad angels who sit there.
Name four jobs that angels have except for being a messenger?
1) They sit on your shoulders
2) and Angel will blow the trumpet to announce the day of judgement beginning
3) some are guardian angels
4) another angel will take peoples souls to Allah be judged on the day of judgement. Other angels will be needed to escort people to paradise and to guard the gates of hell.
Who is the angel Jibril?
In Christianity he is known as the angel Gabriel.
He is an archangel, more important than the other angels
Jibril and Mika’il Visited Mohammed when he was a child. They purified his heart so he would be ready to receive a big revelation from Allah when he grew up.
Who is Mika’il?
Mika’il is an archangel who is in charge of the rain, thunder and lightning.
This allows him to nourish people with food and drink.
He is only able to control the rain because Allah allows it.
What is predestination?
Predestination is the idea that Allah knows or chooses everything that will happen in the universe
If predestination exists, what problems could this cause?
1) if Allah determines every action, are humans really in control of their lives?
2) How would this affect the day of judgement - if we are not free to make good or bad choices, how can we be judged?
What do Sunni Muslims believe about predestination?
One of the six articles of faith is the supremacy of Allah’s will.
This means that anything which happens is only possible because Allah allows and chooses it.
Allah knows what choices you are making future and these are any possible because he wills them to happen.
Sunnis still believe that we have free will to make our own choices about how we behave. They emphasise Allah’s knowledge but without taking away freedom.
What do Shi’a Muslims believe about predestination?
Shi’a muslims believe that Allah knows everything that is going to happen. However he does not determine your choices,he simply knows what you will choose.
What is the Day of Judgement?
It is the day when all Muslims are judged according to what they have done in their life.
How would a Muslim know that the Day of Judgment had begun?
An angel called Israfil will blow a trumpet.
What will happen after the trumpet is blown to indicate the start of the Day of Judgement.
The world will be destroyed and totally transformed into a new world.
Everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected
At the day of judgement, I will Allah be able to judge people?
The angels on both of our shareholders will have recorded the good and bad deeds that we did throughout our lives.
Everything is taken into account for example whether you had good or bad intentions,whether you were sorry or not, whether you are being heard and acted in self defence.
What do Muslims believe about being tested by Allah?
They believe that they are always being tested, to see if they make the correct choices.
Even if life is unfair, they must always try to do the right thing.
The more good things they do,the more good deeds are written down ready for the dayof judgement.
Vocab
Life after death
Akhirah
What do Muslims believe about Life after Death.
Once a person has died, they remain where was they are in the grave.
They are in a state of waiting ready for the day of judgement.
Vocab
A state of waiting ready,for the day of judgement.
Taken literally, this word means ‘barrier’
Barzakh
What happens during Barzakh?
Allah sends 2 angels to question them about their faith.
If they answer correctly they will see the rewards that they will get after judgement day.
If they answer incorrectly they will see the punishments that they are going to have to endure.
How do Muslims describe Paradise?
It is described as being like an amazing garden for people who have been faithfuI to Islam and have performed good deeds in their life.
What do Muslims believe about Hell?
Some believe that the Qur’an is the direct word of Allah, so the descriptions of hell and heaven must be 100% accurate.
Other Muslims believe that they are more symbolic or metaphorical.
What are the 6 main qualities of Allah?
1) Transcendent
2) Immanent
3) Omnipotent
4) Merciful
5) Fair and just
6) Beneficient
What does transcendent mean?
God created the universe, so he is beyond and outside it.
he is not limited ny the physical world.
What does omnipotent mean?
God is all-powerful
He is aware of everything including people’s thoughts.
He has the power to create everything in the universe
What does immanent mean?
God is within all things, and is involved with life on earth.
God is present everywhere in the world and in the universe.
What does merciful mean?
God shows compassion and mercy.
God cares for people and understands their suffering.
God forgives people who are truly sorry.
What does beneficent mean?
God is kind, all-loving and all-good.
god is generous and this is seen in his gift to humanity ie the earth and everything that they need to surviv.
What does ‘God is fair and just’ mean?
It means that God treats everyone fairly
God will judge everyone equally on the Day of Judgement
Shi’a Muslims especially believe that people have full responsibility for their actions, and God will punish or reward people depending on the choices they have made.
State a quote that relates to Tawhid
1) He is God the One
2) God the eternal
What is the supremacy of God’s will?
3 points.
1) God’s will is most powerful, so God can make anything happen if he chooses.
2) Nothing will happen unless God chooses it to
3) Muslims try to live life according to God’s will, accepting that he knows best.
Give 3 reasons that akhirah is important to Muslims
1) It encourages Muslims to take responsibilty for their actions, because they know that God will punish or reward them.
2) It gives hope to Muslims who suffer, as they know that there is something better to look forward to. It also helps Muslims to accept unjust situations, as they know that God will deliver justice in the afterlife.
3) It motivates muslims to follow the Qur’an and dedicate their lives to God.
Give 5 reasons that Ibrahim is an important prophet.
1) Muhammed was his descendent ( through Ishmael, Ibrahim’s son)
2) He fulfilled all the tests given to him by God
3) He showed great faith in God
4) He proclaimed belief in one God only, at a time when many were worshipping idols and lots of other gods.
5) He is a good role model for Muslims
who were the Psalms revealed to?
David
Name 4 Holy books that are mentioned in the Qur’an
1) The Torah
2) The Psalms
3) the Gospel
4) The scrolls of Abraham
Who was the Torah revealed to?
Moses (Musa)
Who were the Psalms revealed to?
David
Who was the Gospel revealed to?
Jesus (Isa)
who were the scrolls of Abraham revealed to?
Ibrahim
Give 2 beliefs about God found in Surah 112 and explain what each teaches Muslims about God.
‘He is God the One’- Allah is one there is no one greater or equal to Him. This supports the belief of tawhid.
‘No one is comparable to him’-God is unique, nothing has Allah’s qualities or attributes. No one can accurately picture Allah, so Muslims don’t.
Explain 2 contrasting Muslim beliefs about God’s nature.
Allah is both transcendent and immanent; He is present everywhere but isn’t limited by the physical world. Allah created the universe but He is also within all things and able to act within it.
Explain how God can be both Transcendent and immanent.
Allah is outside of the universe because He created it. However, He is also within all things (omnipresent) and able to act within it.
Give 2 roles that angels have in Islam
Angels take a human form to give Allah’s messages to people.
Angels record everything a person does in their own ‘book of deeds’. This book is presented to Allah on the Day of Judgement.
Explain why Muslims believe that it is important to take responsibility for their actions
God will judge everyone and decide whether to send them to Heaven or Hell. Therefore, God will know what you have done throughout your life. He will acknowledge that you take responsibility and will know that you are truly repentant.
Which one of the following is the name given to the state of waiting that a Muslim enters after they die?
Akhirah/Purgatory/Paradis/Barzakh
Barzakh
Give 2 reasons why prophets are important in Islam
Prophets are used by Allah to call people back to the right path.
Muhammad was the most important he received the Qur’an from angel Jibril. This allowed Allah’s true words to be given to humanity.
What is the Ka’aba and why is it important to Muslims?
The Ka’aba is a small, cube-shaped building in the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
It is considered to be the house of God and the holiest place in Islam.
Give 2 reasons why the Imamate is important to Shi’a Muslims?
They have been appointed by God.
They are able to interpret and maintain Islamic teachings without God.
What is the name of the Holy book that was revealed to David?
The Psalms
