islam beliefs
six articles of faith → Sunni
tawhid - oneness of God
kutub - authority of holy books
malaikah - belief in angels
risalah - prophethood
al-qadr - belief in predestination
akhirah - day of judgement and life after death
importance
unite Muslims
help them to understand their religion
inspires them to follow God’s rules and teachings and be aware that they will be judged
five roots of usul ad-din → Shia
tawhid - oneness of God
adalat - justice
nubuwwah - prophethood
imamate
mi’ad - day of judgement and ressurection
similarities
Tawhid
prophethood
life after death
impact how the followers live their lives
differences
Shi’a believe in the imamate
Shi’a think Muhammed’s cousin Ali was the rightful successor
Sunni believe Abu Bakr was the rightful successor
Tawhid and nature of God
meaning
Tawhid refers to the oneness of God and is the fundamental teaching of Islam in both Sunni and Shi’a
omnibenevolent
omnipotent
omniscient
transcendent
immanent
just
quotes
“He is God the One” - Surah
“he is closer to you than your jugular vein”
“only what God has decreed will happen”
“all power belongs to God”
importance
it’s the centra belief
first of the five pillars
underpins all other beliefs
Muslims can understand God better
Muslims can follow Gods instructions better
angels
Jibril - delivers messages including delivering the Qur’an to Muhammed
Mika’il - rewards good deeds with eternal life, angel of mercy who rewards those who live good lives
angels also watch over you and record your deeds
quotes
“made angels with two, three, four wings” - Surah
“each person has angels before him, watching over him” - Surah
influences
avoid sin because you are being watched by the angels
since Mika’il is merciful, Muslims will be merciful to others
importance
Jibril taught the Qur’an and taught Muhammed how to pray
messengers between God and humanity
Mika’il is a friend to humanity who is merciful
he helped Muhammed at the Battle of Badr
akirah
meanings
day of judgement - your deeds will be weighed before you are sent to heaven or hell
heaven - a beautiful place with rewards
hell - garments of fire
influences
you are incentivised to do good
as well as to not do bad things or sin
follow God’s rules
justice will be done in the afterlife if not this life
quotes
“lead him to burn in the blazing fire”
“rivers of water forever pure”
“on that day you will be exposed”
“God will gather the disbelievers together into hell”
differences
some believe that heaven is not static but it’s actually a continuous journey along which you grow closer to God
some believe heaven and hell are physical places while some believe it’s a spiritual thing which is meant to highlight how unhappy you will be to spend eternity not with God
some believe hell does exist but ultimately God will forgive everyone
predestination
Muslims believe in predestination
every person is free to chose how they act but some things are predetermined
both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims consider divine control and human freedom to be reconcilable
quotes
“nobody may die except with God’s permission” - Surah
“only what God has decreed will happen to us”
influences
Muslims feel reassured that everything that happens is part of gods plan
they will try to live their lives as God wants
stay strong during hardships because it is part of the test
it could lead to people losing hope because everything has already been decided
risalah
prophets are messengers of God
importance
channel of communication for God and humanity
brought God’s messages and holy books
they show Muslims how to live their lives
they are a source of wisdom and inspiration
quotes
“there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger” - Shahadah
“an excellent model” - Surah
“every community is sent a messenger”
Muhammed
the final prophet
born in Mecca
he brought the Qur’an
founder of Islam
Adam
the first prophet and human
he built the Ka’aba
the was the exemplar of stewardship and being a khalifah
Adam disobeyed God but he was forgiven → first example of God being merciful
Ibrahim
he believed in one true god but he was shunned
God sent a miracle to save him when people tried to burn him
God tested him asking him to sacrifice his son and Ibrahim was willing → he is an exemplar of faith
holy books
Qur’an
it was revealed in Arabic as it was revealed so therefore Muslims believe it cannot be truly studied in other languages
the Qur’an is the only one which remains unchanged
importance
it contains the direct word of God without error
cannot be criticised
it is seen as a miracle because Muhammed was illiterate
guides someone through life
it is used for daily worship and life
quotes
“the Qur’an is nothing less than a revelation”
imamate
the imams are chosen by God
they are infallable and without sin
influence
you take the teachins seriously
follow the guidance on how to live correctly
twelvers
this branch of Shi’a believe that one day the 12th imam will reemerge to bring about justice