Different Islamic Views on the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

Different Islamic views on the importance of the five roots of Usul ad-Din

• The five roots of Usul al-Din are important to Shi’a Muslims because they represent the most important elements of their faith

• Although some of the five roots of Usul ad-Din are very similar to the six articles of faith, these are kept by Shi’a Muslims, while Sunni Muslims follow the six articles of faith 

Mi’ad

• Mi’ad, the belief in the Day of Judgement and resurrection, is shared by Sunni and Shi’a Muslims

• However, there are different interpretations about the nature of free will in human choices on moral behaviour

Mi’ad and Shi’a Islam

• Shi’a Muslims place more emphasis on free will

• They believe that Allah has ultimate authority and control and the power to act in the world if he wishes

  • However, people’s lives are determined by their own choices. This is the idea of Bada’, which states that Allah has not set a definite course for humans

• Shi’a Muslims believe that Allah already knows what will happen, as he is outside time. However, people choose for themselves what actions to take

Mi’ad and Sunni Islam

• Sunni Muslims think that Allah knows everything that’s going to happen, so he knows what choices humans will make about their behaviour before they make those choices 

  • Humans do choose their actions, but Allah makes sure it’s impossible to choose anything other than what He has already decided for them

  • This is Qadar, one of the six articles

  • Some Sunni Muslims think that once someone has made a choice to act, that act becomes “theirs”, so they can then be judged for it

• Many Muslims believe in a mixture of these two ideas

Imamah

• Belief in the Imamah is also different for Sunni and Shi’a Muslims

• For Sunni Muslims, the Imam is an educated male who leads Friday Jum’ah prayers

• For Shi’a Muslims, the Imam is a successor to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and is infallible, has divine wisdom and comes from the Ahl al-Bayt

  • There are also different views within Shi’a Islam about the Imamah

  • Some Shi’a Muslims, such as Twelvers and Seveners, follow different Imams, whom they believe to have authority from Allah

The five roots of Usul ad-Din and Muslim’s daily life

• Keeping these principles unites all Shi’a Muslims and helps them understand their religion better

• All Shi’a Muslims believe that keeping the five roots of Usul al-Din means they are obeying the will of Allah and the command of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• The five roots support Shi’a Muslims in how they should live their lives

The importance of belief in tawhid

• Although Muslims believe that it is impossible to fully comprehend Allah, understanding some of His characteristics can help them to understand him better

• Knowing that Allah is One God, the Supreme Being and the creator of the universe gives Muslims confidence that He exists and that He is the ultimate source of power and creation

• Muslims give thanks to Allah for creating the world and all life

  • This is shown through prayer, rituals and the way they behave

• Muslims can be secure in knowing that Allah knows what is happening in the world, so they try to live their lives in accordance with the Qur’an

• The idea that “He is able to do all things” ensures a Muslim’s submission to Allah. This is displayed in the devotion shown to Allah

• The fact that everything happens for a reason gives Muslims strength during difficult times

The importance of belief in ‘Adl

• Belief in ‘Adl means that Shi’a Muslims believe that Allah is always right and fair (Adalat)

• Even if sometimes life seems to be unfair, they can have faith that, ultimately, the world has been designed to be fair

• This means that they can feel confident that they will not be burdened with more hardship than they can stand

  • The Qur’an teaches that Allah will not burden anyone with more than they can bear because He is fair to everyone (Qur’an 23:62)

• Allah may act in ways that are beyond human understanding but will always ultimately judge people with justice and fairness (Surah 41:46)

• This will make them more willing to do good deeds and try to live according to Allah’s will, because ultimately, on the Day of Judgement, they will be judged and found to be righteous

The importance of belief in risalah

• Risalah is a key element of belief in Islam

• All prophets were given the same important message and had the same role, which was:

  • To act as intermediaries between Allah and humans by receiving and passing on Allah’s message to everyone in their community

  • To be a perfect example of how this message applies in practice by living their lives according to Allah’s will. Allah will rightly guide them in this role

  • To lead the community so that they, too, will live in accordance with this message

• For Muslims to know how to live in the way Allah desires, it was necessary for instructions to be conveyed to people through the prophets

• When humans forgot, misunderstood or changed Allah’s message, He sent prophets to call people back to the right path

The importance of belief in Imamah

• Shi’a Muslims believe that leaders such as Imams guard the truth of the religion and help to guide Muslims along the right path 

• They believe in the infallibility of the Imamah and, therefore, obey the teachings passed down through the Imamah

• They can have confidence that these teachings have not been corrupted or spoiled over the years; therefore, they know they are following Allah’s true will

  • Shi’a Muslims believe that the Qur’an is referring to imams when it says:

The importance of belief in Mi’ad

• Muslims believe that Mi’ad:

  • Shows that Allah is just (fair) and will make up for any hardships on earth with rewards in paradise

  • Shows that people who have done bad things will not get away with them

  • Gives hope for the future and makes it easier to deal with the difficult times in life

• It makes Muslims try hard to follow Allah’s rules, for example, by practising the five pillars and avoiding harming other people

• Life after death makes sense of our short existence on earth and helps us to understand why we are here