Islam OCR GCSE

Five Pillars of Sunni Islam

Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj

Shadahah

Declaration of faith ('There is no god but God, Muhammad is His Messenger')

Salah

Obligatory prayer

Sawm

Fasting during Ramadan

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

shirk

placing anything above Allah

six articles of faith in Sunni Islam

Tawhid, angels, holy books, prophets, afterlife, predestination

Tawhid

The oneness of Allah

what Tawhid means for Muslims

Muslims will dedicate their whole life to serving under the will of Allah and believe they are completely dependent on Allah and everything that they have is because of the will of Allah, Muslims cannot have any idols

Qur'an quotes about Tawhid

'He is Allah, the One and Only;' (Surah 112), 'He is God, there is no god but He,' (59:22-23)

Angels (Malaikah)

pure being, heavenly, free from sin - exist to carry out the will of Allah

Qur'an quotes about angels

'And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels.' (74:31), 'All of them have believed in Allah and His angel,' (2:285), '...who made the angels messengers having wings,' (35:1)

Holy Books (Kutub)

Suhuf Ibrahim (scrolls of Abraham), Tawrat (Torah - Musa), Zabur (Psalms - Dawud), Injil (Gospels - Isa), Qur'an (most important book as it is the true Word of God)

Qur'an quotes about holy books

'Recite in the name of your Lord who created' (Surah 96), 'Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah.' (Surah 5:46), 'as we revealed to Noah and the prophets before him.' (Surah 4:163)

Prophets (Risalah)

(eg: Adam, Ibrahim, Ismail, Musa, Muhammed) human messengers from God to give guidance on how to follow Allah

Qur'an quotes about prophets

'a man of truth' (19:19) - Ibrahim, 'Seal of the Prophets' (33:41) - Muhammad, 'The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord,' (2:285)

status of different prophets

equal status, Qur'an teaches all prophets and their messages should be respected equally and understood ('we make no difference between them' - Hadith)

adam

first prophet and first man to be created by Allah - lived with Hawwah in paradise until they ate forbidden fruit after being tempted by Iblis

Ibrahim

a Hanif (true believer), tested by Allah told Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Isma'il, Iblis told Ibrahim not to do it but Ibrahim resisted and Allah provided a ram as an alternate sacrifice as a reward

Isma'il

Ibrahim's son - Ibrahim left his son and his wife Hajur (where the Kaaba stands now) in a deserted place - they were left with a flask of water, as the flask ran out, Hajur tried to find more water, on the eighth time Ismail kicked the ground and water sprang up - Ibrahim later revisited Ismail and they rebuilt the Kaaba together

Musa

On Allah's advice, Musa's mother put him in a basket in the Nile, so that he would stay safe from the Pharaoh - Pharaoh's wife took Musa in and hired a nanny for him, who was Moses' mother - Muslims believe this demonstrates Allah's care for Musa - as well as this, after escaping Egypt, Allah told Musa that in order to be His messenger, he must return to release the Israelite people

Dawud

holy book Zabur revealed to him, killed the giant Goliath who was part of the Philistine army (who the Israelites were at war with)

Isa

(known as Jesus in Christianity) received one of Allah's most important revelations (the Injil) and performed miracles - Muslims believe that Isa will return before the Day of Judgement

Afterlife (Akhirah)

belief in life after death and the Day of Judgement - humans will be judged on how well they follow the guidance of the Qur'an and example of the Prophet Muhammad

Qur'an quotes about afterlife

'On the Day of Judgement We shall bring forth a book,' (17:13), 'those who believed and carried out good deeds they will be delighted in paradise...those who disbelieved...will be brought forth in the punishment.' (30:14-16)

predestination (Al-Qad'r)

universe follows a pattern decided by Allah

Qur'an quotes about predestination

'Allah effaces whatever He wills and retains whatever He wills.' (13:39)

The five roots of 'Usul ad-Din in Shi'a Islam

Al-Maad, Tawhid, Al-Adl, Imamate (Al-Imamah), Al-Nubuwwah

Al-Maad

Day of Resurrection

Al-Adl

divine justice

Imamate (Al-Imamah)

The divine appointment of the 12 Imams

Al-Nubuwwah

Prophethood

roots of Usul ad-Din shared with Sunni Islam

Tawhid, prophethood, day of resurrection

roots of Usul ad-Din uniquely Shi'a

divine justice, Imamate

how Tawhid is expressed in everyday life

prayer to Allah, celebrating festivals, doing good, living life conscious of Allah

why Tawhid is important

informs every aspect of life

how Al-Adl is expressed in everyday life

acting in a way God would say was just, submitting to will of Allah

why Al-Adl is important

creates a moral framework for living life and to be a good person

how Al-Nubuwwah is expressed in everyday life

reading Qur'an, being conscious of sayings and actions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunnah)

why Al-Nubuwwah is important

shows central importance of prophets in particular Muhammad

how Al-Imamah is expressed in everyday life

belief in importance of Imams and the 12th Imam

why Al-Imamah is important

distinction from Sunni Islam

how Al-Ma'ad is expressed in everyday life

try to always do good, to be just and a good Muslim

why Al-Ma'ad is important

informs every aspect of life

Abu Bakr

first caliph after death of Muhammad

Ali

the fourth caliph after Abu Bakr's death - Shi'a Muslims believe Ali is Muhammed's true successor

Shi'a Imams

successors of Muhammed, appointed to preserve religion after Muhammed's death, role of Imams is to interpret Muslim law that was told to Muhammed by Allah, belief in 12 Imams

Sunni Imams

Lead prayers in the mosque, not divine

Shi'a belief in divine justice

one of the five roots of Usul ad-Din, objective framework of right and wrong, Allah is just and morally right, no predestination so Allah's judgement is just (Allah cannot send people to hell if he has predestined immoral actions)

Sunni belief in divine justice

not one of the Six Articles (not regarded as as important than in Shi'a Islam), Allah is just and morally right, stronger sense of predestination, no objective right and wrong (Allah's actions are right because he does them)

caliphs before Ali and after Abu Bakr

Umar, Uthman

Imams being infallible

they are without sin and can do no wrong, so they can interpret the teachings of the Qur'an without mistakes

12th Imam

Mahdi - still alive but in occultation, human being who can choose to meet certain people but no one can meet him, will be sent back at the end of the world to bring justice and peace

occultation

existing somewhere but hidden from view

Twelvers

belief that there are 12 Imams, and that the final one will come back

Isma'ili Shia Muslims/Seveners

believe the Seventh Imam was Isma'il - believe Imams can choose their successors and the last hereditary imam was Isma'il

Allah being merciful

sends prophets to help humans live a life following Allah's will

99 Beautiful Names of Allah

The titles used by Muslims to proclaim the qualities of Allah

quote about Muhammad's example

'an excellent example' (33:21)

Muhammad's birth

570 CE

Muhammad's early life

father died before he was born, mother died when he was 6, goes to live with grandfather who died when he was 8, so lived with uncle

what Muhammad was nicknamed

Al-Amin ('The Trustworthy'), Al-Sadiq ('The Truthful')

Muhammad's marriage

25 year old Muhammad employed by 40 year old Khadijah, impressed by his character so proposes to him

Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power)

the night when Muhammad began receiving the Quran from the Angel Gabriel (celebrated during Ramadan)

why leaders of Mecca did not like Muhammad's teachings

Mecca made money from people coming to worship different idols

The Night Journey

the journey in which Muhammad went from Mecca to Jerusalem and ascended into heaven

Hijrah (622 CE)

flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution

dates of battles between people of Medinah and Makkah

624-30 CE

death of Muhammad

632 CE

where Muhammad is in the prophets

'Seal of the Prophets'

Qur'an

consolidates books that came before it, final revelation of Allah, should be kept in its original form to avoid mistranslation

Sunni belief about the Qur'an

Qur'an has always existed in Allah's mind but was not physically written until Muhammad

Shia belief about the Qur'an

Imams can interpret the Qur'an and do not believe it is eternal but the essence of God

Sunnah

Actions of Muhammad

Hadith

Sayings of Muhammad

Hadith of Ali

additional source Shia Muslims might consult

Predestination

God has already planned out a person's life.

Islamic problem with predestination

omniscience, judgment, free will seemingly incompatible

Mu'tazilah beliefs on predestination

They believe there is no predestination, only free will- so on the Day of Judgment, Allah will judge them based on their own actions

divine intercession

Allah could take mercy on sinners and free them from hell.

Ash'ari beliefs on predestination

it argues that God created human actions, but humans can choose
between a right and wrong option

Sunni predestination

God knows what you will do, but you are still responsible

Shi'a predestination

Allah knows all, but can choose to change anything he wants - human actions can also cause change

Qur'an quotes about predestination

'We have tied their fate to their neck.' (17:13), 'We will bring forth a book which they will find wide open,' (17:13), 'God's command must be fulfilled,' (33:38)

role of angels

completely obedient to Allah so have no free will, prophets communicate with Allah through angels, record everything a person does for Day of Judgement

Nur

divine light - what angels are made from

Jinn

made from fire, have free will while angels do not

Quote about angels

'one sitting on the right and one on the left. Not a word does he utter but there is a watcher by him ready.' (50:17-18)

Jibril

The most important of the angels and spoke with many of the prophets of Allah. Jibril dictated the Qur'an to Muhammad

Izra'il

angel of death, responsible for ending of each person's life, separate human soul from bodies

Mika'il

guardian of heaven, control rain, thunder and lightning

Israfil

The angel who begins the Last Day by blowing his trumpet at Allah's command

Barzakh

a place of waiting, after death until the Day of Judgement

Sunni beliefs on the Day of Judgement

Isa will appear as the Messiah, some believe he will bring together all Muslims, others believe he will lead a battle in which Islam will triumph

Shia beliefs on the Day of Judgement

the 12th Imam will appear as the Messiah

Paradise (Al-Jannah)

peaceful, people are young/happy

quote about paradise

'Beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss,' (9.72)

8 gates in Paradise

named by Muhammad, enter in different ones based on what you have done in your life - eg: Baab al-Hajj (for those who completed the Hajj pilgrimage) - few people can enter through all 8 gates

Hell (Al-Jahannam)

punishment, eternal suffering, pain - not permanent, Allah can choose to move people to paradise

quote about hell

a fire 'bursting with fury' (67.7)