EDUQAS Islamic Beliefs

Tawhid

'Oneness' in reference to God and is the basic Muslim belief in the oneness of Allah.

Prophethood/Risalah

The term used to describe the messengers of Allah, beginning with Adam/Adem and ending with the Prophet Muhammed.

Halal (Permitted)

Actions or things which are permitted within Islam, such as eating permitted foods.

Haram (Forbidden)

Any actions or things which are forbidden within Islam, such as eating forbidden foods.

Greater Jihad

The word jihad means 'to strive'. There are two forms of jihad - greater jihad is the daily, inner spiritual struggle to live as a Muslim.

Lesser Jihad

The word jihad means 'to strive'. There are two forms of jihad - lesser jihad is the physical struggle, or 'holy way' in defence of Islam.

Mosque

A 'place of prostration' for Muslims; it is a communal place of worship for a Muslim community.

Sharia (straight path)

A way of life; Muslims believe Allah has set out a clear path for how Muslims should live. Shariah Law is the set of moral and religious rules that put the principles set out by the Qur'an and the Hadith into practice.

Qur'an

The Qur'an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad as a 'living sound' and it must be spoken to reveal its beauty and truth, only seen as the word of allah if it's in arabic anything else is seen as an interpretation

Sunnah

The record of all that Muhammed said and did. This helps guide Muslims to live a life that is pleasing to Allah.

Hadith

An account describing the words and actions of the prophet Muhammed.

Sunni

-largest branch of islam (90%)
- follow Abu bakr muhammad's oldest friend
- they believe the leader should be elected
- belief in the four rightly guided caliphs
- six articles of faith

Shi'a

- smaller branch of islam (10%)
- follow Ali who was muhammd's cousin and was married to muhammad's daughter
- they believe the leader should be a descendent of muhammad
- belief in the imamate, 12 successors the last one will come out on the end of the world to bring justice
- five roots of religion

Allah

The Arabic word meaning God. Muslims believe that they worship the same God that spoke through Musa and Isa.

Surah

A chapter from the Qur'an.

Shirk

Associating other beings or things with God, major sin

Revelation

A message sent by God and revealed to the human mind.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods.

Barzakh

A place of waiting, after death until the Day of Judgment.

Niyyah

The honest intention to worship God.

Al-Qadr

Predestination, the idea that Allah has already decided what will happen in your life and afterlife.

what are the six roots of faith

- allah and tawhid - belief in the oneness of allah, allah has no children and is the creator of the universe
- malaikah ( angels) - follow allah's bidding, they record everything a person does and says on earth, they are allah's messengers
- holy books (kutub) - direct word of allah eg. torah
- risalah(prophethood) - accepts that muhammad was the last prophet
- ahkirah (afterlife) - allah will judge humanity based on how you lived your life you will either go to jannah(heaven) or jahhanam(hell), muslims see life on earth as a test which prepares them for judgement
- al qadr(predestination) - allah knows everything that will happen, nothing happens by chance everything that happens is because of him

what are the five roots of religion

- allah and tawhid - belief in the oneness of allah, allah has no children and is the creator of the universe
- imamate ( leadership) - belief in the leadership of imams, seen as infallible( ( can do no wrong)
- justice of allah - he is infallible, allah is wise + just, allah acts for reasons beyond human understanding, so it may be hard to see justice
- nubuwwah ( prophethood) - they accept that allah used human messengers to express his will on earth, they lead muslims on the right path
- ressurrection - every human will return to their physical bodies and be judged accordingly to the deeds they committed on earth

what are some beliefs about allah

- there are 99 names for him
- cannot be depicted in paintings etc or compared to anyhting else as that is major shirk
- beyond human understanding
- creator
- omniscient, transcendent

What does Tawhid mean for Muslims?

- muslims seek to serve allah, meaning a life dedicated to him in obedience etc.
- contentment- allah is the ultimate provider so don't fear
- humility - nothing they can do without the will and kindness of allah
- no shirk

what are some beliefs of angels in islam?

- angels are heavenly and immortal and are made from light, angels are invisible but exist everywhere and are always in contact with humans
- angels receive God's will and pass it on to prophets, they have no free will so they're pure and sinless, so they can't do anything to displease God
- some angels record people's actions in the book of deeds for judgement day
- they're involved in human's lives from the moment they're born to death some are also guardian angels

diversity of view for angels

- shias believe that angels have limited free will although it will never lead them to sin against God HOWEVER sunnis believe that angels have no free will
- they believe that it was an angel that God made it clear to muhammad that Ali would be the next leader

Beliefs on free will for muslims

Muslims believe we all have free will and will be held accountable for our actions and choices, Allah wants us to follow Shariah but it’s up to us