Islam: beliefs and teachings

• Tawhid

  • The oneness of God
  • 'He is God the one.'
  • 'God the eternal.'
• 'There is no god but Allah.' (Shahada)
• Belief in Tawhid means that Muslims should:

  • Worship only one God.
  • Never make anything in their lives more important than God.
  • Not use images or pictures of God, as it is impossible to portray God accurately.
• The supremacy of God's will

  • Muslims believe God's will is supreme. This means God can make anything happen that he wants to happen.
  • It also means that nothing happens unless God allows it to happen.
  • This helps to give Muslims confidence when something goes wrong, because they know it is part of God's plan for them.
  • Muslims try to live accordingly to God's will in their everyday lives, accepting that God knows best.
• Sunni Islam

  • The Sunni leader should be elected.
  • Only the Qur'an and the Sunnah have the authority to provide religious guidance.
  • Abu Bakr, Muhammad's advisor, was the rightful leader after Muhammad died.
  • The six articles of faith give the main beliefs for Sunni Muslims.
• Shi'a Islam

  • The Shi'a leader should be a descendant of Muhammad and chosen by God.
  • The Qur'an, Sunnah and the Shi'a leader have the authority to provide religious guidance.
  • Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, was the rightful leader after Muhammad died.
  • The five roots of Usul ad-Din give the main beliefs for Shi'a Muslims.
• Sunni and Shi'a shared beliefs

  • Believe in the same God.
  • Follow the teachings in the Qur'an.
  • Follow the teachings in the Sunnah.
  • Acknowledge the importance of the prophets.
• The Six Articles of Faith

  • Tawhid - belief there is only one God.
  • Angels - belief in angels, who passed on God's message to Prophets.
  • The Holy Books - respect for the Holy Books.
  • The Prophets - respect for the prophets and particularly Muhammad, who received the final revelation of Islam from God.
  • The day of Judgement - Belief that at the end of the world everyone is judged by God.
  • The supremacy of God's will - belief that nothing happens unless God wants it to.
• The Five Roots of Usul ad-Din

  • Tawhid - belief that there is only one God.
  • Prophethood - respect for the prophets.
  • The justice of God - belief that God will judge everyone on the Day of Judgement in a fair and just way.
  • The Imamate - respect for the twelve Imams, who were chosen by God to lead Islam after Muhammad died.
  • Resurrection - belief that after death, Muslims will be resurrected and judges by God.
• The qualities of God

  • Immanent
  • Beneficent
  • Fair and Just
  • Merciful
  • Omnipotent
  • Transcendent
• Immanent

  • God is present everywhere in the world and the universe.
  • God is within all things and is involved with life on earth.
• Beneficent

  • God is benevolent: all-loving and all-good.
  • God's generosity is seen in his gift to humans of everything they need to live on earth.
• Fair and Just

  • God treats everyone fairly and justly.
  • God will judge all people equally on the Day of Judgement.
  • Shi'a Muslims in particular believe that people have full responsibility for their actions, and God will reward or punish people depending on the choices the make.
• Merciful

  • God shows compassion.
  • God cares for people and understands their suffering.
  • God forgives people who are truly sorry for the things they have done wrong.
• Omnipotent

  • God is all-powerful.
  • God has the power to create and sustain everything in the universe.
  • God is aware of everything, including human actions and thoughts.
• Angels

  • Are pure and sinless.
  • Are spiritual beings, created by God from light.
  • Constantly serve and praise God.
  • Are able to take on a human form to give messages to people.
  • Have no free will, so can only do what God wants them to do.
• Angels roles

  • Some act as messengers of God.
  • Some take care of people throughout their lives.
  • Some record everything a person does in their 'book of deeds.'
  • Some take people's souls to God after they die.
• Jibril

  • The angel of revelation.
  • Purified Muhammad's heart when he was a child, so he would later be able to receive God's revelation.
  • Delivered God's messages to Muhammad.
  • Therefore, he played an important role in communicating the final version of Islam to humanity.
• Mika 'il

  • The angel of mercy.
  • Responsible for sending rain, thunder and lightning to earth.
  • Brings nourishment to earth, and helps provide food for humans, by sending rain to the ground.
  • Believed to reward people who do good deeds.
• Predestination

  • The ides that God knows or determines everything that will happen in the universe.
• Sunni ideas about predestination

  • God has already determined everything that will happen in the universe.
  • God has written everything that will happen in a 'book of decrees.'
  • Because God created people, they must act accordingly to his will.
  • Humans do not have the power to change their destiny, but they do have choice on how they behave.
  • 'Only what God has decreed will happen to us.'
• Shi'a ideas about predestination

  • God knows everything that's going to happen, but he does not decide what happens.
  • As God is the creator of time, he is not bound by it. This means he can see everything that happens past, present and future.
  • God knows what choices people will make, but they still have the free will to make these choices.
  • 'God does not change the condition of people unless the change what is in themselves.'
• The Day of Judgement

  • Muslims who believe they have free will to make their own choices also believe they will be judged by God for these choices.
  • They believe that on the Day of Judgement, God will judge them for everything they have done during their lives, and reward or punish them as a result.
  • Even though God knows everything that will happen, people are still responsible for their actions.
• The three stages of life after death:

  • Barzakh
  • The Day of Judgement
  • Heaven and Hell
• Barzakh

  • After death, the state of waiting until the Day of Judgement is called Barzakh, which means a 'barrier.' People are unable to come back across the barrier to right wrongs or to warn people.
  • While they are waiting, God sends two angels to question them about their faith.
  • Depending on how they answer, they will either see rewards that will come or the punishments they will have to endure after the Day of Judgement.
• The Day of Judgement

  • When God's purpose for the universe has been fulfilled, the world will be destroyed.
  • Everyone who has every lived will be raised from the dead.
  • Everyone will be given their own 'book of deeds,' which is a record of everything they did during their lives.
  • If they are given their book in their right hand, they will go to heaven; if they are given it in their left hand, they will go to hell.
• Heaven and Hell

  • People who have kept their faith in God and done good deeds will be rewarded with heaven.
  • Heaven is described as a beautiful garden - it is a state of eternal happiness in the presence of God.
  • Hell is described as a place of fire and torment, where people are separated from God.
• Akhirah

  • Everlasting life after death.
• The importance of Akhirah

  • Belief in Akhirah encourages Muslims to take responsibility for their actions, because they know God will hold them accountable.
  • The motivates Muslims to follow the teachings of the Qur'an and dedicate their lives to God.
  • Gives hope to Muslims that are struggling, as they know there's something better to look forward to.
• What is prophethood

  • Prophethood is a gift from God to help understand his message.
  • When people have forgotten, misunderstood or change God's message, God has sent prophet's to call people back to the right path.
  • Muhammad was the last and most important prophet.
• Adam

  • Adam is considered to be the father of the human race and the first prophet.
  • Adam is important to Muslims because God gave him knowledge and understanding.
  • God taught Adam how to liv e a good life in obedience to God, and Adam passed on this knowledge to the rest of the hman race through his descendants.
• Why is Ibrahim important

  • He fulfilled all the tests and commands given to him by God.
  • He showed great faith in God.
  • He is a good role model for Muslims.
  • Muhammad was one of his descendants through his son, Ishmael.
  • He proclaimed belief in only one God at a time when people worshipped many different Gods and Idols.
• How was Ibrahim a good role model

  • He refused to worship idols and instead preached that there is only one God.
  • He rebuilt the Ka'aba - the small cube shaped building in the centre of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
  • He was willing to sacrifice his son to God.
• Why is Muhammad important

  • Muhammad is the most important prophet in Islam becase he is 'Gods message.'
  • Revelation of the Qur'an
  • Conquering Makkah
  • The night journey
• The Qur'an

  • Includes a mixture of historical accounts and advice on how to follow God.
  • The foundation of every believer's faith.
  • Written in Arabic.
  • The most important Holy Book in Islam.
• Other Holy Books

  • The Torah
  • The Psalms
  • The Gospel
  • The Scrolls of Abraham