Foundational Beliefs

• The term 'The Qur’an' in English means the recital.
• The term 'infallible' in Islam refers to something without error or imperfection.
• Surah 1, the first surah, summarises belief in one God - monotheism.
• A 'caliph' in Islam is the successor of the Prophet.
• Sunni Muslims believe in Abu Bakr as the successor after Muhammad.
• Shi’a Muslims believe in Ali as the successor after Muhammad.
• The majority of Muslims are Sunni, a significant minority are Shi’a.
• The imams are without sin and therefore are exemplary Muslims.
• The imams teach and interpret the Qur’an without fault which preserves the Qur’an.
• The imams were just rulers, demonstrating Allah’s teachings on fairness and equality.
• The imams are a part of Muhammad's bloodline and continue his work and life.
• One reason why The Imamate is important to Shi’a Muslims is that the imams are exemplary Muslims who teach and interpret the Qur’an without fault, preserving the Qur’an.
• A second reason why The Imamate is important to Shi’a Muslims is that the imams were just rulers, demonstrating Allah’s teachings on fairness and equality.
• The roots of a tree keep it alive and firmly attached to the source of its life.
• For Shi’a Muslims, the five principles keep them firmly rooted in God, the source of life.
• Allah is The One and Unique, the almighty God that Muslims only worship.
• To shirk in Islam means to sin, and 'Shirk' can be translated to mean association.
• Angels record the words and actions of each individual person, so they have a book to account for their lives.
• Imams in the Shi’a belief are protectors of the faith, ensuring the teachings do not become corrupted.
• Sunni Muslims believe that Allah knows everything.
• Sunni Muslims believe in the supremacy of Allah’s will.
• The Five Roots of Usul ad-Din include the belief in the Imamate, which is the guardianship of the truth of Islam without error.
• Humans do have free will though, but as Allah knows the past, present and future, their choices are already known to Him, but not to them.
• The belief in predestination influences a Muslims life as they will understand that Allah has them on the right path – so everything must happen for a reason.
• Allah’s 99 names should be researched and 7 should be brought to the first lesson back.
• Sunni and Shi’a share the belief in the Imamate, which is the guardianship of the truth of Islam without error.
• The belief in the six articles of faith influence Sunni Muslims in their lives.
• Allah communicates with humankind through three ways according to Sunni Muslims: through the Holy Qur’an, through the Holy Prophet, and through the Holy Angels.
• The holy books of Islam should be respected, especially the Qur’an.
• This belief is known as al-Qadr = The Power of predestination.
• Angels communicate the message of God to humans and do the work of Allah.
• Tawhid is the most important Muslim belief.
• The belief in resurrection influences a Muslims life as they will live a life in submission to God, knowing they will be judged for their actions.
• Sunni Muslims focus more on ‘Akhirah’ = Afterlife, than just the resurrection.
• Allah sent messengers to guide people to the right path and Prophet Muhammad was the last of them.
• Prophets deliver the messages to spread the religion and ensure people submit to Allah.
• Prophethood in English can be translated to 'Nubuwwah' which means 'belief in the prophets'.
• Allah is 'The Just' and 'The Wise' which means He does no wrong.
• Allah acts with a purpose which humans cannot understand, even if sometimes justice can be hard to see.
• Justice of God in English can be translated to 'Adalat' which means 'belief in Allah's justice'.