Islam

• The two branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia
• Sunnis make up about 85-90% of the Muslim population worldwide, while Shias make up around 10-15%.
• The holy book of Islam is the Qur'an
• Islam has five pillars which include Shahada (declaration of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (charity), Sawm (fasting) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
• There are two branches of Islam because of the debate over who Prophet Muhammad's successor should be
• Shia Muslims believe Muhammad chose Ali as his successor
• Sunni Muslims believe that Abu Bakr was chosen by God to lead the community
• Sunni Muslims believe in the six articles of faith:

  • Tawhid (belief in the oneness of God)
  • Malaikah (belief in angels)
  • Kutub (belief in holy books)
  • Nubuwwah (belief in prophets)
  • Akhirah (belief in the Day of Judgement and the afterlife)
  • Al Qadr (belief in predestination)
• Shia Muslims believe in the five roots of Usul ad-Din

  • Tawhid (belief in oneness of God)
  • Adalat (belief in divine justice)
  • Nubuwwah (belief in prophets)
  • Imamate (belief in the authority of imams)
  • Al-Ma'ad (belief in the Day of Ressurection)
• Muslims believe Allah is:

  • Transcendent (above an beyond anything that exists in the world)
  • Fair and Just (judges everyone equally)
  • Immanent (close to every human and within everything on Earth)
  • Omnipotent (all-powerful)
  • Beneficient (all-loving)
  • Merciful (shows compassion and mercy, forgiving)
• Qur'an teaches Allah has 99 names, each relating to a particular attribute eg. Al-Hakim (The Wise), Al-Hakam (The Judge) and Al-Rahim (The most merciful)
• Quote from the Qur'an:

  "And your Allah is One Allah. There is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful."
• Angels/Malaika are pure, immortal beings made of light who cannot sin. They follow the orders of Allah and communicate with humans.
• Israfil: The angel responsible for blowing the trumpet at the end of time signalling the resurrection of all people.
• Jibril: The angel responsible for delivering messages from Allah to Prophet Muhammad.
• Angel Jibril always brings good news and is known as the Angel of Revelation.
• Angel Jibril revealed Allah's words (the Qur'an) to Muhammad on the Night of Power and also appeared to Maryam (Mary) to reveal she was pregnant with Isa (Jesus).
• Allah has given every human being an angel that records their actions throughout life.
• The angels have different roles such as recording our deeds, protecting us, guiding us, and punishing those who disobey Allah.
• Angel Mika'il is know as the giver of rain and food.
• Angel Mika'il asks Allah to forgive people's sins as he is the Angel of Mercy.
• Angel Mika'il will be present with Angel Jibril on the Day of Judgement.
• Izrail is another angel who is the Angel of Death who takes souls from bodies when they die to take them to the afterlife