Religious studies exam revision

• Angels


  Beings created by Allah from light
• Angels


  • Serve Allah
  • Deliver His messages
  • Record deeds
  • Protect humans
• Jibril (Gabriel)


  Delivers revelations to prophets
• Mika'il (Michael)


  Provides nourishment and controls weather
• Israfil


  Will blow the trumpet on Judgment Day
• Azrael


  Angel of death who takes souls
• Core Beliefs


  • Tawhid (Belief in the oneness of Allah)
  • Prophethood (Allah's guidance is given through prophets, with Muhammad being the last)
  • Holy Books (Belief in divine scriptures, with the Qur'an being the final)
  • Angels (Belief in angels as Allah's messengers)
  • Day of Judgment (Belief in the final assessment of deeds)
  • Predestination (Belief in Allah's preordained plan for everything)
  • Afterlife (Belief in life after death, heaven and hell)
• The Five Pillars


  • Shahada (Faith: Declaration of faith, stating "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger")
  • Salah (Prayer: Performing five daily prayers)
  • Zakat (Charity: Giving a fixed portion of income to the needy)
  • Sawm (Fasting: Fasting during the month of Ramadan)
  • Hajj (Pilgrimage: Making a pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once if physically and financially able)
• The Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Shia Islam)

  • Tawhid (Oneness of Allah)
  • Adalat (Divine justice)
  • Nubuwwah (Prophethood)
  • Imamate (Leadership of the Imams)
  • Ma'ad (Resurrection and the Day of Judgment)
• Eid al-Fitr


  Celebrated at the end of Ramadan, marking the end of fasting
• Eid al-Adha


  Celebrated during Hajj, commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah
• Hajj


  Pilgrimage to Mecca, mandatory for Muslims once in a lifetime if they are able
• Hajj Rituals


  1. Ihram (Entering a state of spiritual purity)

  2. Tawaf (Circling the Kaaba seven times)

  3. Sa'i (Walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah)

  4. Standing at Arafat (Seeking forgiveness and making prayers)

  5. Mina and Muzdalifah (Symbolic stoning of the devil)
• The Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)


  Believed to be the night when the Qur'an was first revealed to Muhammad
• The Night of Power is commonly observed on the 27th night of the last ten days of Ramadan</b>
• Practices on the Night of Power


  1. Intensive prayer

  2. Reading the Qur'an

  3. Seeking forgiveness
• Enjoining good and forbidding evil (Al-Amr bil Maruf wa Nahi Anil Munkar)


  Concept of removing evil
• Methods of removing evil


  1. Personal conduct (Adhering to Islamic principles)

  2. Community engagement (Promoting good behavior and discouraging wrong actions)
• The Qur'an


  The holy book of Islam, considered the literal word of Allah
• The Qur'an is composed of 114 chapters (Surahs)
• The Qur'an


  • Guide for all aspects of life, providing spiritual, ethical, and legal guidance
  • Revealed to Prophet Muhammad over 23 years by the angel Jibril
• Angels


  Messengers of God, created from light, do not have free will and obey God's commands
• Jibril (Gabriel)


  • Delivered the Qur'an to Muhammad
• Israfil


  • Will blow the trumpet on Judgment Day
• Six Articles of Faith in Islam

  • Belief in Allah
  • Belief in angels
  • Belief in holy books
  • Belief in prophets
  • Belief in Day of Judgment
  • Belief in predestination
• Five Pillars of Islam

  • Shahada (faith)
  • Salah (prayer)
  • Zakat (charity)
  • Sawm (fasting)
  • Hajj (pilgrimage)
• Shahada


  The declaration of faith: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His prophet."
• Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Shi'a Islam)

  • Tawhid (Oneness of God)
  • Adalat (Justice of God)
  • Nubuwwah (Prophethood)
  • Imamate (Leadership)
  • Ma'ad (Day of Resurrection)
• Two main Islamic festivals

  • Eid al-Fitr - marks the end of Ramadan
  • Eid al-Adha - commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to God
• Hajj


  The pilgrimage to Mecca, performed during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, one of the Five Pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once in a lifetime by those who are able
• Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)

  Commemorates the night when the Qur'an was first revealed to Muhammad, falls within the last ten days of Ramadan and is considered the holiest night in Islam
• Removing evil


  1. Following the Qur'an and Sunnah

  2. Performing good deeds

  3. Seeking forgiveness

  4. Avoiding sinful behavior
• Jihad


  Means "struggle" or "striving" in the way of Allah, includes the personal struggle against sin (greater jihad) and defending Islam (lesser jihad)
• Qur'an


  The holy book of Islam, believed to be the word of God as revealed to Muhammad by the angel Jibril, written in Arabic and consists of 114 chapters (Surahs)
• Importance of the Qur'an

  Serves as a guide for all aspects of life, providing instructions on morality, law, and personal conduct
• Who did Allah create before humans?

  Angels