muslim

• Islam is divided into different sects, the main ones being Sunnism and Shiism
• Similarities between Sunnism and Shiism

  • Their basic beliefs are the Articles of Faith and are mostly similar for both
  • They have the same core beliefs; there is one God, Muhammad is His messenger, the Qur'an is the holy book etc
• Differences between Sunnism and Shiism

  • The main differences lie in the opinions on successorship after the Prophet Muhammad died
  • Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr was the rightly appointed khalifa, whilst Shias believe that Ali, his cousin, should have been the khalifa
  • Sunnis follow the sunnah of the prophet, whilst Shias have their own interpretation and act according to what was passed down from Ali and not the prophet himself
  • Shias place great emphasis on Imams, who they believe are the divinely appointed successors of Muhammad
  • Sunnis have 6 articles of faith, whilst Shias only have 5
  • Sunnis follow the 5 pillars of Islam, whilst Shias follow the 10 obligatory acts
• Six articles of faith in Sunnism

  • Tawheed: Belief that there is one God
  • Malaikah: Belief in the Angels
  • Kutub: Belief in the Holy Books
  • Nubuwwat: Belief in the prophets
  • Akhirah: Belief in the afterlife
  • Qadr: Belief in predestination
• Tawheed


  Belief that there is one God
• Surah 112:1-4: 'He is Allah, the One, Allah is Eternal and Absolute. None is born of Him, He is unborn. There is none like unto Him'
• Malaikah


  Belief in the Angels
• Roles of Angels


  • They brought down the revelation of the Holy Books to the prophets
  • They do not have free will and obey Allah's command
  • They take your soul at death
  • They record every deed
• Kutub


  Belief in the Holy Books
• Holy Books


  • Tawrah was revealed to Musa
  • Injil was revealed to Isa
  • Zaboor was revealed to Dawood
  • Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad
  • Sahifah was revealed to Ibrahim
• Nubuwwat


  Belief in the prophets
• Prophets are men chosen by Allah to deliver his message to mankind
• Muhammad is the final prophet (The seal of the prophets)
• Akhirah


  Belief in the afterlife
• All humans will be judged and sent to either Jannah or Jahannam
• The dunya is a test for the eternal afterlife
• Qadr


  Belief in predestination
• God knows everything that will happen and has written everyone's future
• Nothing is random or by chance
• Influences of the six articles of faith on Muslims

  • The belief that the angels are recording every deed for Allah to judge on the Day of Judgement would make Muslims self-conscious about the way they act
  • Belief in the prophets would provide guidance and Muslims would follow the sunnah of the prophet Muhammad
  • Belief in the holy books would provide further guidance as it is a direct revelation from God
  • Belief in the afterlife would make Muslims be more patient in times of hardship as they would know that this life is just a test for the next
  • Belief in predestination would make Muslims have trust in God's plan and to not be disheartened in certain situations
• 5 roots of Usul Ad-Din

  • Tawheed: Belief in one God
  • Adalat: Justice of Allah
  • Nubuwwah: Belief in the prophets
  • Imamate: Belief in the authority of the Imams
  • Al-Ma'ad: Belief in the Day of Judgement
• Adalat


  Justice of Allah - God cannot do any wrong and will hold humans accountable for their actions, there is good and evil but Allah commands people to do good, God is just and wise
• Nubuwwah


  Belief in the prophets - The imams protect and preserve the messages
• Imamate


  Belief in the authority of the 12 imams who are seen as infallible and must be obeyed
• Al-Ma'ad


  Belief in the Day of Judgement - Every person will be judged by Allah, every person will be physically resurrected in the state they died in and gather in the Plain of Arafat
• Influences of Usul ad-Deen on Shias


  • Belief in prophethood would remind them that they are not alone and their lives and actions provide guidance for struggling Muslims
  • Belief in imamate would ensure that Muslims remain on track and provides further guidance and reassurance
  • Belief in the Day of Judgement would make Muslims self-conscious about their actions knowing that they will have to face the consequences of their actions and will not be able to hide
  • Belief that God is just would make Muslims be patient because they know that Allah would not do things without a reason
• Differences between Sunnis and Shias

  • Sunnis believe that everything has been written down in the Book of Decree, Shias believe that God knows everything that will happen but humans have free will and can make their own choices
  • Imams are educated males who lead prayer for sunnis, Imams are esteemed successors of the prophet Muhammad who can do no wrong and come from the Ahl Al-Bayt
• Tawheed


  Allah is one God, indivisible and absolute, everything belongs to Allah and everything that occurs is according to His will
• The 99 names of Allah describe the characteristics of Allah, which proves that there is only one God
• Muslims have total faith in Allah and are not swayed by other faiths
• Shahadah


  The declaration of faith that states there is only one God and Muhammad is his messenger
• Islam is a monotheistic religion
• Any association with God is shirk and is the biggest sin in Islam
• Muslims reject the Christian belief of the trinity, because they believe that Jesus cannot be the Son of God. Jesus is still an important prophet.
• Omnipotent


  God is the creator, sustainer and owner of all things, He can compel anything and anyone to do as He wishes
• Transcendent


  Allah is beyond the world, which allows Him to control everything that happens in it without being affected by it, He is beyond time
• Immanent


  God is very close to His people and knows everything about them, He actively controls everything and is not passive
• Beneficent and merciful


  Allah is compassionate and merciful to all his creation, He is the source of all goodness
• Muslims say Bismillah when dedicating their daily actions to Allah
• Fair and just


  Allah is absolute and everything he does is justified, He treats his creation fairly and requires that his creation do the same