Islam Beliefs

• beliefs about god

  -sunni and shi'a muslims believe that there is only 1 god; tawhid

  -islam is a monotheistic religion

  -the arabic word for god is allah

  -the shahadah shows the belief in one god

  -god is an undivided entity

  -no one else and no other object has god's attributes or qualities

  -the only sin that god will not forgive is the sin of shirk, which is attributing god-like qualities to any other being or thing
• quote for beliefs about god

  "there is one god but allah and muhammad are his prophets"
• quote 1 for the oneness of god

  "he is god the one, god the eternal. he begot no one nor was he begotten. no one is comparable to him"
• quote 2 for the oneness of god

  "you will believe, obey god and the messenger"
• quote 3 for the oneness of god

  "misfortunes can only happen with god's permission"
• the impact of the beliefs about god on muslims

  -they show their belief in their daily lives

  -they make god their number 1 priority

  -live according to god's will

  -they worship god

  -they respect the prophets (not worship them)

  -muslims accept that bad things can happen and they are 'meant to be
• the supremacy of god's will

  -god is the creator therefore nothing happens unless god allows it, whether it is good or bad

  -everything happens under god's will

  -the supremacy of god's will is an article of faith

  -god's will is supreme and above all things

  -muslims often add the words 'god willing' (inshallah) after they promise to do something

  -this led to the belief that god controls everything and humans do not have free will
• sunni islam

  -when muhammad died, sunni muslims believed that the qur'an and the sunnah had the authority to guide muslims

  -they elected abu bakr to be their leader (caliph) to make sure people followed god's laws

  -the caliph doesn't make the laws, they enforce them

  -sunni meaning followers of the sunnah
• the 6 articles of faith in sunni islam

  -angels - the communication from god and humans

  -the prophets of god - muhammad is the most important prophet of god

  -the day of judgement - when humanity will be judged by god

  -the supremacy of god's will - god knows all and allows all to happen

  -holy books - the qur'an is the highest authority

  -tawhid - the belief in one god
• the five roots of shi'a islam

  -tawhid - the belief in one god

  -justice of god - god is just and wise and holds humans accountable for their actions

  -resurrection - after death they will be resurrected and judged by god

  -the prophets of god - muhammad is the most important prophet of god

  -imamate - accepting the 12 imams as the leaders of islam
• shi'a islam

  -shi'a muslims believe that muhammad had named his cousin ali as his successor

  -ali and his supporters thought that the true leaders (imams) had to be descendants of muhammad and chosen by god

  -shi'a muslims only accept the sayings of muhammad that have been passed to ali or his followers
• quote for the nature of god

  "god is the greatest" - every day muslims hear and say the word 'allah akbar' meaning god is the greatest
• the names of god

  -god revealed himself to the people through muhammad and the holy books

  -there are 99 names of god for the qu'ran

  -these names help muslims to understand god's nature

  -many muslims memorise the names of god and recite them when praying

  -they help muslims to feel god's presence
• quote for the names of god

  "the most excellent names belong to god: use them to call on him"
• qualities of god


  -just and fair: he treats people fairly and justly, and requires muslims to do the same. links to the day of judgement

  -beneficent: source of all goodness. life and the earth is a gift

  -transcendent: beyond all things

  -omnipotent: he is the creator, sustainer and owner of all things. he is all powerful

  -merciful: he understands suffering, cares for them and forgives if they are truly sorry

  -immanent: within all things and close to his people
• quote for immanent

  "he is with you wherever you are"
• angels

  -the belief in angels in islam is called malaikah
• beliefs about angels

  -one of the 6 articles for sunni islam

  -angels are part of the unseen world

  -created from light

  -receive god's word and pass them to the prophets

  -they are pure and sinless

  -they do not have free will

  -they live to please and worship god

  -have the power to take human form e.g. ibrahim's story and mary (appeared as men)
• jibril

  -also called gabriel

  -he is an archangel and is a trusted messenger of god

  -jibril relayed the qur'an to muhammad

  -he appeared to muhammad when he was a child and purified his heart

  -when muhammad was 40 he appeared to him and told him what god wanted him to do and guided him throughout his entire life
• mika'il

  -high ranking archangel

  -the angel of mercy

  -god assigned mika'il to reward the righteous for the good during their lives

  -he also sends the rain, thunder and lightning to earth

  -mika'il warns that anyone who is an enemy of god's angels is also an enemy of god
• israifil

  -will blow a trumpet to announce the day of judgement
• other angels excluding jibril, mika'il and israifil

  -record actions of humans in the book of deeds. used on the day of judgement

  -guardian angels look after us from conception until our death

  -the angel of death and his helpers take people's souls to god

  -angels escort people to heaven and hell
• predestination

  the idea that god knows everything and determines everything that will happen in the universe
• predestination's link to human freedom

  -shi'a muslims believe that god knows all but does not decide all - meaning we have free will/choice

  -god is the creator of time and therefore is bound by it. he is outside of time. this means he knows what has happened, is happening and what will happen

  -humans act freely and god just knows what they will do
• the day of judgement in predestination

  -god will judge humans for their actions on earth

  -this is why god has given humans free will, to make judgement fair

  -he will punish those for their bad choices and reward those for the good

  -god puts the responsibility back to people even though he knows what they are going to do
• quote 1 for predestination

  "only what god has decreed will happen to us. he is our master: let the believers put their trust in god"
• quote 2 for predestination

  "god does not change the condition of a person [for the worse] unless they change what is in themselves"
• what predestination is

  -god has everything written down that determines everything that is going to happen in the universe

  -it is written in the 'book of decrees'

  -links to the supremacy of god's will
• akhirah

  the belief in everlasting life after death
• beliefs about life after death

  -muslims believe that when they die a person still has a conscious existence in the grave

  -they enter a state of waiting called barzakh which means barrier

  -they are waiting for the day of judgement

  -while lying in the grave, god will send 2 angels to question them about their faith. this results in their rewards and punishments

  -others believe that they will stay in their graves until the end of the world when the day of judgement will come
• how beliefs about life after death influence muslims

  -accepts suffering and knows that god will provide justice

  -encourages responsibility for their actions

  -avoids sin and doing the right thing

  -aware they are accountable for their actions
• the day of judgement in life after death

  -will come when god's purpose for the universe has been fulfilled

  -angel israfil will blow the trumpet and announce that the world will be destroyed

  -god will forgive those who are truly sorry for what they have done

  -god souls the souls by making them cross a narrow bridge that is over the fires of hell
• resurrection

  -when angel israfil blows the horn again, everyone who had ever lived will be raised from the dead and judged by god

  -the book of their life will be handed to them and read out
• heaven

  -if they are given the book in their right hand they will go to heaven

  -described as the gardens of happiness

  -it is a reward for those of faith and good deeds
• hell

  -if they are given the book in their left hand they will go to hell

  -described as a place of fire and torment

  -it is a punishment for those who reject god and do evil

  -it is absence from god
• what a prophet is

  -prophets are god's chosen people to bring the message of islam to people

  -belief in prophets is known as risalah

  -method of communication between god and humans

  -god gives instructions to prophets to teach people about how he wants them to live

  -they are considered role models to believers

  -they are good people who live according to god's will
• prophet adam

  -first man on earth and the first prophet of islam

  -created by god from the dust of the ground

  -father of the human race

  -god taught adam the names of all things

  -god then asked adam to teach the angels. the angels then bowed to him

  -iblis (the devil) refused to bow and was thrown out of paradise and he vowed to tempt humans to sin

  -god trusted eve (hawwa) for adam and they lived in the garden of eden

  -iblis deceived them into disobeying god and eating from the tree

  -they were thrown from paradise and brought sin into the world
• importance of prophet adam

  -first to learn to plant seeds

  -first to cook food

  -bury the dead correctly

  -had many children

  -god told him what food to eat

  -first to harvest crops

  -first to repent for wrongdoings
• quote for prophet adam

  "he taught adam the names of all things"
• why prophet ibrahim is important

  -passed all of god's tests

  -muhammad was one of his descendants

  -role model - obedience, kindness and compassion

  -father of all nations

  -refused to worship idols