What are the Foundations of Islam? (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam

What are the six articles of faith in Sunni Islam?

• There are six articles of faith

  • Tawhid

  • Malaikah

  • Kutub

  • Nubuwwah

  • Akhirah

  • Al-Qadr

Tawhid (There is one God)

• This means that Allah is the creator and sustainer of life

• He is beyond any human limitations, such as age and death, because he was not born and cannot die

Malaikah (Angels) 

• Angels deliver revelations via the prophets so that Muslims know what Allah wants them to do

• They record the words and actions of each individual person so that they have a book to account for their lives

• They receive souls at death

• Angels do not have free will like humans, so they obey Allah’s commands

Kutub (The five sources of authority)

• These are the holy books 

  • Torah of Moses

  • Psalms of David

  • Gospels

  • Scrolls of Abraham

  • Qur’an

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• According to Muslims, the first four books have been lost in their original form, so they may not represent the actual word of God, as they have been altered over time

• The Qur’an is the only revealed scripture still in its original form. It is the word of Allah as given through the angel Jibril

• Nubuwwah (prophets), of which Muhammad (pbuh) is the most important

  • Prophets and messengers are chosen by Allah to deliver his message to humankind

  • Muslims believe that Allah has revealed messages throughout time to guide humanity and that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last (Seal) of the prophets

  • He was given the ultimate guidance in the Qur’an

    • As a result of this, there is no need for any more prophets

Akhirah (Afterlife) 

• The Day of Judgement is when all humanity will be judged by God and sent to paradise or hell

• When all Muslims and others stand alone in front of Allah, he decides whether they go to heaven or hell based on their deeds

  • Everyone must answer for themselves and must accept the consequences of their thoughts and actions on earth

  • Human life acts as a test for the eternal life to come

Al-Qadr (Predestination)

• Allah already knows what will happen, but also makes everything happen in the world and human life

• Sunni Muslims believe that Allah knows everything

• Qadr means that everything is ordered by Allah; nothing is random or by chance

• Humans do have free will; however, since Allah knows the past, present and future, their choices are already known to him, though not to them

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How do the six articles of faith influence the life of a Sunni Muslim?

• Sunni Muslims will devote their life to Allah and follow his rules

• They will follow the rules of the Qur’an and the example of Muhammad (pbuh)

• The angels are writing up all thoughts and actions, and people will have to justify them

• Sunni Muslims will think about how they approach life and the people around them

• They will live their lives expecting to be questioned on Judgement Day and then sent to paradise or hell

The five roots in Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam

What are the five roots in Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam?

• There are five roots or articles of faith in Shi’a Islam

  • Tawhid

  • Adalat

  • Nubuwwah

  • Imamah

  • Ma’ad

• Usul ad-Din means “foundations of the faith”, and these influence everything a Shi’a Muslim says and does

• They also support the Ten Obligatory Acts

Tawhid (There is one God)

• This means that Allah is the creator and sustainer of life 

• He is beyond any human limitations, such as age and death, because he was not born and cannot die

Adalat (The justice of Allah)

• The belief in the divine justice of Allah (Adalat)

• Allah is just and wise, cannot do wrong and holds humans accountable for their actions

• The Shi’a believe they need to be aware that there is good and evil in everything but that Allah commands them to do good

• Surah 16:19 says, “Indeed Allah commands them to do justice”. Humans will be held responsible for their actions, good and bad

• Allah acts with a purpose that humans cannot understand. Sometimes justice can be hard to see, but the Shi’a should try to understand as much as they can

Nubuwwah (Muhammad (pbuh) is the most important prophet of God)

• Prophets and messengers are chosen by Allah to deliver his message to humankind

• Shi’as believe that Allah sent messengers to guide people to the right path, and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last of them

• The “right path” means a peaceful way of life, lived in total submission to Allah

• Prophets deliver the messages to spread the religion

• The imam protects the messages so that people do not forget and leave the faith in the absence of prophets

Imamate (Al-Imamah, or the belief in the authority of the imams)

• The imamate entails accepting that the Twelve Imams are the leaders of Islam and guard the truth of the religion

• All imams are seen as infallible and must be obeyed

• They are protectors of the faith, ensuring that the teachings do not become corrupted or spoiled

Al-Ma’ad (The Shi’a believe that there will be a Day of Judgement)

• Every Muslim and non-Muslim will be judged by Allah

• Humans will be physically resurrected to stand to be judged, and they will be asked to account for the words and actions of their lives on Earth

• The events of this day are described in both the Qur’an and Hadith

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How do the five roots of Usul ad-Din influence the life of a Shi’a Muslim?

• Belief in Allah as One influences a Muslim’s life

  • They will follow Allah’s path, which means doing the right thing

• Prophethood means that a Muslim is not alone in life

  • Guidance is there throughout history and in the present in the Qur’an

• The imamate is important to Muslims, as believers need leaders to keep them on track while living in the modern world

• They know that the Day of Judgement will happen; they cannot hide from Allah and must do the best they can in terms of intentions

• Belief in justice means that Muslims have faith that Allah always has a purpose, and his actions are based on wisdom

Holy books and Islam

The revelation of the Qur’an

• Muhammad (pbuh) spent a lot of his time in prayer and meditation

  • On one of these occasions, he received the first revelation of the Qur’an from Allah

  • Muslims know this as the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)

• Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the word of God, which was revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) via the angel Jibril

  • The angel commanded Muhammad (pbuh) to recite the words before him

  • Muhammad (pbuh) had never been taught to read or write, but he was able to recite the words

  • In this way, Allah’s message continued to be revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) over the next 23 years

  • The name Qur’an means “the recital”, as Muhammad (pbuh) recited by heart each revelation he received and passed it on to his followers

• Muhammad (pbuh) then recited the messages to his people

  • His followers memorised them, and scribes wrote them down

  • Apart from the ninth surah, each chapter begins with the words “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful”

  • Abu Bakar, the successor to Muhammad (pbuh), was commissioned to make an official copy

• The Qur’an is a mixture of historical accounts and how to follow Allah

  • There are 114 surahs (chapters)

  • Each is made up of ayahs (verses)

  • The surahs are in order of length, with the longest first and shortest last

• Muslim children are encouraged to learn Arabic so they can read the Qur’an in its original language

• Qur’anic recitation is highly valued, as Muslims believe that it brings blessings

  • Those who are able to recite the whole Qur’an from memory are given the title “hafiz”

• The Qur’an is read during public and private prayers

The authority of the Qur’an

• Similar to the Christian Bible, the Qur’an contains a mixture of historical accounts and advice on how to follow God

• It is believed to be an infallible source of authority for all matters of doctrine, practice and law

• The first four books were given to the Jews and the Christians, which is why the followers of these faiths are also known as “people of the book” (Ahl al-Kitab)

• The Torah, Psalms and Gospels are also holy books, which are mentioned in the Qur’an, but they are believed to contain some errors

• The Qur’an, on the other hand, is considered to be an exact record of Allah’s word, which is intended for all people, not just one group, as stated in the other holy books

• The Qur’an allows Muslims to know Allah

• Muslims need holy books to guide them through their lives

  • These books help explain the power and beneficence of God

  • The Qur’an is seen as proof of Muhammad’s (pbuh) prophethood

  • The books help Muslims understand the history of God’s followers

• Sunni Muslims believe that the word of God (which is written in the holy books) is eternal (has always existed), whereas Shi’a Muslims believe that it came into existence when God created the world

• The Qur’an contains the foundation of every believer’s faith and is the most sacred text of Islam, so it is treated with the utmost respect

  • The Qur’an is often decorated ornately inside and out

  • It is often wrapped up to keep it clean

  • It is usually placed on a higher shelf than other books

  • Muslims will wash their hands before handling it

  • It is placed on a special stand before being read

The authority of other holy books

• Islam was not viewed as a new religion in Arabia or around the world but rather the perfection of previous revelations sent by Allah

  • Islam was deemed perfect because the holy book, the Qur’an, is considered to be the unaltered word of Allah

• The Qur’an has complete authority and is seen as the perfect word of God as revealed to Muhammad (pbuh)

• The Torah, Psalms and Gospels are also holy books, which are mentioned in the Qur’an, but they are believed to contain some errors and do not have the same authority

• Some scholars believe these earlier books to be “lost” and no longer existing in any form

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The Torah

• The Tawrat is the Arabic word for the Torah, which comprises the revelations given to Musa (Moses) by Allah on Mount Sinai

• It is mentioned 18 times in the Qur’an

  • Muslims believe that the revelation was given directly to Musa, rather than through the angel Jibril

  • The book was written in Hebrew

• Some Muslims believe that the Tawrat does not exist in its original language or its original text

  • It was put together by Moses’s followers many years after his death

  • The compilers changed the text, so some is the Word of God and some is human addition

• Despite concerns over changes to the text, the Qur’an refers to the Tawrat as “guidance and light”, revealed by Allah, so it is clearly very important

• The Qur’an says that it contains the “judgment of Allah” (Quran 5:43)

• The Tawrat also contains the Ten Commandments, which are the basic rules for religious life

• Muhammad’s (pbuh) nightly prayers reinforce the importance of the early scripture

  • In the prayer, he put his life in Allah’s hands (the creator and lord of everything, the source of the Tawrat, the Gospels and the Qur’an) and asked for protection from Shaytan

• The Qur’an also seems to suggest that the Torah was not only taught by Musa but by all prophets and priests

The scrolls of Ibrahim

• Very little is actually known about the scrolls of Ibrahim (often called Suhuf)

• This account is said to have been written in Hebrew and referred to in the Qur’an, but it is now lost

• These are thought to be the oldest scriptures within Islam, which were revealed to Ibrahim

• Ibrahim is termed “the upright one”, always faithful to Allah

• The revelations were said to have been received by Ibrahim on the first day of Ramadan and contained parable-like stories about worship and reflections as well as building a livelihood

• The scrolls were written on parchment but were lost and destroyed over time

  • It is generally agreed that they were not “a book” but rather individual revelations

The Psalms

• The Zabur (Psalms) of Dawud (David) is a collection of prayers to Allah (some refer to them as poems)

• Dawud was a great king, whose people were God-fearing and righteous

• The Psalms contain lessons of guidance for the people, which Dawud recited in song form

  • A fragment of an Arabic translation of Psalm 78 from the second century CE was found in Damascus, Syria

• One important message in the Zabur is the idea of the Masih (Messiah)

• The Masih was to be a symbol of hope for the future in a world where many had failed to obey Allah’s commands

• Isa also referred to what had been said about the Masih in the Gospel of Luke

The Gospels

• Allah revealed the message of the Injil (Gospels) to Isa (Jesus), but it has been distorted and lost 

• Muslims highly respect Isa because there are revelations in the Qur’an about him

• There are some things about Isa (Jesus) that Christians and Muslims agree on, but there are some distinct differences

  • Muslims believe that Isa was born of a virgin mother

  • They believe that he was the Masih (Messiah)

  • Like Christians, Muslims believe that the Gospels relate to “good news” about Isa (Jesus), written by his disciples

  • However, Muslims do not believe that he was the son of Allah (as Allah cannot have partners) but rather a follower of Allah

  • They believe that Isa was not crucified. In fact, he did not die; rather, he ascended to heaven

  • Muslims believe that he did not die to save humans from their sins (Allah is all compassionate, so he will forgive sins; thus, this sacrifice would have been unnecessary)

  • Muslims believe that the Gospels in their current form contain mistakes because they were written by disciples many years after the death of Isa

• Muslims believe that the Injil prophesies the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• Although the Psalms and Gospels are important holy books in Islam, they are not the direct word of Allah, contain errors and are corrupted