islam beliefs

key beliefs of Sunni Islam

• when Muhammad died, Sunni Muslims believe that the Qur’an and the Sunnah had the authority to guide Muslims

• they elected Abu Bakr to be Caliph to ensure Muslims follow God’s laws

• believe that Caliph’s don’t make laws, they enforce them

key beliefs of Shi’a Islam

• Shi’a Muslims believe that Muhammad named his cousin: Ali, as his successor

• Ali and his supporters thought that the Imams had to be descendants of Muhammad and chosen by God

• Shi’a Muslims only accept the sayings of Muhammad that have been passed to Ali or his followers

Six Articles of Faith in Sunni Islam

• tawhid - belief in one God

• holy books - belief Qur’an is the highest authority

• malaikah - belief angels are the communication from God to humans

• risalah - Muhammad is the most important prophet to God

• akirhah - when God will judge all of humanity

• al-qadr - belief God knows all and allows all to happen

Five Root of Shi’a Islam

• tawhid - belief in one God

• adalah - belief God is just and wise and holds humans accountable for their actions

• nubuwwah - Muhammad is the most important prophet to God

• imamat - belief that the 12 Imams are leaders of Islam

• qayamat - after death, humans will be resurrected and judged by God

Islam belief about God

• Sunni and Shi’a Muslims believe that there is only one God (tawhid)

• the Shahadah shows the belief in one God

• God is an undivided entity

• no one else and no other object has God’s attributes or qualities

• the only sin God will not forgive is the sin of shirk

shirk definition

• attributing God-like qualities

• to any other being or thing

influence of Islam beliefs on Muslims

• Muslims will show their belief in God in their daily lives (e.g. through salaam)

• Muslims will make God their number 1 priority

• Muslims will live in accordance to God’s will (al-qadr)

• Muslims will worship God

• Muslims will respect the prophets, but not worship them

• Muslims will accept that bad things happen and that they are ‘meant to be’

• Muslims will believe ‘misfortunes can only happen with God’s permission’

Islam beliefs about the supremacy of God’s will

• God is the creator, thus nothing happens unless God allows it, whether good or bad

• everything happens under God’s will

• the supremacy of God’s will is an article of faith

• God’s will is supreme and above all other things

• Muslims often add the words ‘God willing’ (inshallah) after they promise to do something

• influenced by the belief that God controls everything and humans do not have Free Will

ways Muslims show their faith to Allah

• Muslims hear and say the words ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is the greatest) everyday

• Muslims perform salaam five times a day

Islam beliefs about the names of God

• God has revealed Himself to the people through Muhammad and the Holy Books

• there are 99 names for God in the Qur’an

• these names help Muslims to understand God’s nature

• many Muslims memorise the names of God and recite them when praying

• this helps Muslims to feel God’s presence

Islam beliefs about the qualities of God

• immanent

• just (adalat)

• beneficent

• transcendent

• omnipotent

• merciful

Islam beliefs about angels

• malaikah is one of the Six Articles of Faith in Sunni Islam

• angels are part of the unseen world

• angels are created from light

• angels receive God’s word and pass them to the prophets

• angels are pure and sinless

• angels DO NOT have free will

• angels live to please and worship God

• angels have the power to take human form

Islam beliefs about Jibril

• he is an archangel and is a trusted messenger of God

• Jibril relayed the Qur’an to Muhammad

• Jibril appeared to Muhammad when he as a child and purified his heart

• when Muhammad was 40, Jibril appeared to him and told him what God wanted him to do

• Jibril guided Muhammad throughout his entire life

Islam beliefs about Mika’il

• Mika’il is a high ranking archangel

• Mika’il is the angel of mercy

• God assigned Mika’il to reward the righteous for their good acts during their lives

• Mika’il sends the rain, thunder and lightning to earth

• Mika’il warns that anyone who an enemy of God’s angels is also an enemy of God

Islam beliefs about Israfil

Israfil will blow a trumpet to announce the day of judgement

Islam beliefs about recording angels (Raqib and Atid)

• they record the actions of humans in the book of deeds

• the book of deeds is used on judgement day to determine whether a person goes to Jannah or Jahannam

Islam beliefs about guardian angels (Mu’aqqibat)

Mu’aqqibat will look after humans from conception until our deaths

Islam beliefs about the angel of death (Azra’il)

Azra’il and his helpers will take people’s souls to God

Islam beliefs about Maalik

Maalik and other angels will escort people to Jannah or Jahannam

predestination definition

idea that God knows everything and determines everything that will happen in the universe

Islam beliefs about predestination

• God has everything written down that determines everything that is going to happen in the universe in the book of decrees

• predestination links to the supremacy of God’s will

Islam beliefs about how predestination links to human freedom

• Shi’a Muslims believe that God knows all but does not decide all - meaning humans have free will

• Muslims believe that God is the creator of time and therefore is not bound by it

• Muslims thus believe God is outside of time, meaning he knows what has happened, is happening and what will happen

• Muslims believe humans act freely and God just knows what they will do

Islam beliefs about the day of judgement

• God will judge humans for their actions on Earth

• influences Muslims to believe that humans have free will, so God will be able to make judgement fair

• God will punish those for their bad choices and reward those for the good

• God puts the responsibility of their actions on people even though he knows what they are going to do

akhirah definition

the belief in the everlasting life after death

Islam beliefs about life after death

• Muslims believe that when they die a person still has a conscious existence in the grave

• Muslims believe they enter a state of waiting (barzakh)

  Barzakh is where humans will wait for the day of judgement

• while lying in their graves, God will send two angels to question humans about their faith, resulting in their rewards and punishments

• others believe that they will stay in their graves until the end of the world when the day of judgement will come

influences of Islam beliefs about life after death

• Muslims will accept suffering and know that God will provide justice

• encourages Muslims to take responsibility for their actions

• Muslims will avoid sin and do the right thing

• Muslims are aware they are accountable for their actions

Islam beliefs about the day of judgement

• Muslims believe it will come when God’s purpose for the universe has been fulfilled

• Israfil will blow the trumpet and announce that the world will be destroyed

• God will forgive those who are truly sorry for that they have done

• Good separates the souls by making them cross a bridge that is over the fires of Jahannam

Islam beliefs about resurrection

• when Israfil blows the horn again, everyone who has ever lived will be raised from the dead and judged by God

• book of deeds will be handed to humans and read out

Islam beliefs about heaven

• if the book of deeds is given to humans in their right hand, they will go to Jannah

• Jannah is described as the gardens of happiness

• Jannah is a reward for those of faith and good deeds

Islam beliefs about hell

• if humans are given the book of deeds in their left hand, they will go to Jahannam

• Jahannam is described as a place of fire and torment

• Jahannam is a punishment for those who reject God and do evil

• Jahannam is absent from God

Islam beliefs about prophets

• prophets are God’s chosen people to bring the message of Islam to people

• belief in prophets is known as risalah (Sunni) or nubuwwah (Shi’a)

• prophets are a method of communication between God and humans

• God gives instructions to prophets to teach people about how he wants them to live

• prophets are considered role models to Islamic believers

• prophets are good people who live according to God’s will

Islam beliefs about prophet Adam

• first man on earth and first prophet of Islam

• created by God from the dust of the ground

• father of the human race

• God taught Adam the names of all things

• God then asked Adam to teach the angels

• the angels then bowed to Adam

• Iblis refused to bow to Adam and was thus thrown out of Jannah, where he vowed to tempt humans into sin

• God created Eve for Adam and they lived in the Garden of Eden

• Iblis deceived Adam and Eve into disobeying God and eating from the tree

• Adam and Eve were thrown from Jannah and brought sin into the world

Islam beliefs about the importance of Adam

• first to learn to plant seeds

• first to cook food

• learnt to bury the dead correctly

• had many children to increase the human race

• God told Adam what food to eat

• first to harvest crops

• first to repent for wrongdoings

Islam beliefs about the importance of Ibrahim

• passed all of God’s tests

• Muhammad was one of Ibrahim’s descendants

• father of all nations

• refused to worship idols of polytheistic religions

• role model of obedience, kindness and compassion

Islam beliefs about the Story of Ibrahim

• Ibrahim always wondered who created the universe

• he declared his belief in tawhid

• Ibrahim determined to stop idolatry

• one day, when everyone left town, Ibrahim took an axe and destroyed all the idols in the temple

• Ibrahim left an axe around the neck of the biggest idol and asked people why they worship an idol that cannot speak, hear or defend themselves

• Ibrahim was burned alive for iconoclasm

• a miracle occurred and burned the chains and Ibrahim walked out completely unscathed

• many people began to follow God after witnessing the miracle

Islam beliefs about Ibrahim’s link to the Ka’aba

• Ka’aba is a small building in the middle of the mosque in Mecca

• Ka’aba is the house of God and the holiest place in Islam

• the original Ka’aba was built by Adam but was destroyed by the flood at the time of Noah

• Ibrahim and Ishmael rebuilt the Ka’aba on the same site after its destruction

Islam beliefs about Ibrahim’s links to Ishmael

• Ibrahim had a dream to sacrifice his son to God

• Ibrahim’s willingness to be obedient saved Ishmael’s life and God swapped Ishmael with a lamb

• Ishmael was a man of faith

• during the festival of Id-ul-Adha, Muslim’s slaughter an animal to remember Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son

Islam beliefs about Ibrahim’s links to Hajj

• pilgrimage returns Muslims to Ibrahim’s perfect faith

• at Mina, Muslims throw stones at the pillars in the same way Ibrahim threw stones at the devil that tried to tempt him

• when pilgrims run between the two hills, they drink the water from Zamzam

• this ritual remembers the story of Ibrahim’s wife, Hagar, who searched for water for he and Ishmael and God rewarded her with the well

• Mecca is sometimes known as the city of Ibrahim

Islam beliefs about Muhammad’s life

• Muhammad is known as the last and greatest prophet

• Muhammad was born in Mecca and he was an orphan

• later in life, he married a wealthy widow, Khadija at the age of 25

• Jibril appeared to Muhammad with a message from God

• for more than 20 years, Muhammad received further revelations from God making the Qur’an

Islam beliefs about Muhammad’s preaching

• after his revelation, Muhammad proclaimed that God is one

• Muhammad challenged the people of Mecca to give up cheating, gambling, drinking and idolatry

• Muhammad fled persecution with his followers to Madinah in 622 CE

• Muhammad’s flee of persecution was the start of the Hajj and Ummah

• after the night journey, Muhammad gathered a tribe of 10,000 Muslims converts and conquered the city in the name of Allah

Islam beliefs about the Night Journey

• Muhammad recorded the Night Journey in the Qur’an

• Jibril took Muhammad to Jerusalem on a horse-like creature with wings

• Muhammad then ascended to Jannah and spoke to God and the past prophets

• Isa (Jesus) told Muhammad that people should pray 5 times a day

Islam beliefs about Imamate

• when Muhammad died, Muslim’s split into two groups: Sunni and Shi’a

• Shi’a believe that Muhammad named Ali his successor - Ali became the first Imam

• Shi’a believe that Ali appointed him by divine instruction and therefore leadership should follow in the family line

• the Twelver branch of Shi’a Islam believes that there have been 12 Imams in total

• Muhammad al-Mahdi was the last Imam and kept alive and hidden somewhere on earth and will return with Isa to bring justice and equality

• the Imams rule justly and are also the only people who can interpret the Qur’an without fault

Islam beliefs about the contents of the Qur’an

• mixture of historical accounts and advice on how to follow God

• it begins with a short prayer to God and is used in the daily prayers

• arranged in the length of chapters

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

Islam beliefs about the importance of the Qur’an

• word of God

• foundation of every believer’s faith

• most sacred text of Islam

• infallible source of authority

• written in perfect Arabic

• original Qur’an is in Jannah, so when Muslims read it, they believe God is directly speaking to them

Islam beliefs about the Tawrat

• revealed to Musa (Moses)

• Tawrat is mentioned 18 times in the Qur’an

Islam beliefs about Zabur

• revealed to David

• Zabur is mentioned 3 times in the Qur’an

• Zabur is similar to Psalms in the Bible

Islam beliefs about Injil

• revealed to Isa

• Injil is believed to have been lost, but some messages can be found in the Bible

• Injil is mentioned 12 times in the Qur’an

Islam beliefs about the Scrolls of Ibrahim

• referred to in the Qur’an, but have been lost and no longer exist

• revealed to Ibrahim