Today’s Lesson:

• Explain the six articles of faith in Sunni Islam

• Explain their importance for Muslims today

• Consider similarities and differences between Sunni’s and Shia’s

KEYWORDSSheet attached

Prior Learning: Thinking Ahead:

The Six articles of faith in Sunni Islam

As we know already . . .www.truetube.co.uk/film/how-islam-began-

ten-minutes

1. Muhammad was the ‘founder’ of Islam, but Muslims believe that Islam started with Adam and Eve.

2. Allah’s revelation to Muhammad was final. Muhammad was the ‘Seal of the Prophets’, and the last in a long line of prophets.

3. His death caused the early Muslims to ‘split’ between the Sunni and the Shi’a groups – the main question was “Who should lead the Muslim community?”

4. Both groups have similar but nuanced (different) core beliefs.

http://www.truetube.co.uk/film/how-islam-began-ten-minutes

Core Islamic beliefs – need to know for the GCSE.

The five roots of ‘Usul- ad-Din’ (foundations of the faith) in Shi’a

Islam.

The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam.

1. Tawhid2.Angels3.Holy Books4. Prophets5.Akirah6.Al Qad’r

1. Al-Tawhid2. Al-Adl3. Al - Nabuwah4. Al – Imamah5. Al – Ma’ad

Today we will give a basic outline of these core beliefs. Over the next few lessons we will explore them in greater detail.

Complete the work sheet for Sunni core beliefs.

You may only record 3 bullet points in each box!

The information is on the A3 papers on your table

Your group will work on TWO specific beliefs. You will designate a speaker who will stand up and feedback to us so that everyone else can

complete the other empty boxes. Be very precise about your info and make sure that

you listen to each other! You have 6 minutes Remember to be neat, concise and accurate.

2. Angels

5. Akirah

1. Tawhid

4. Prophets 6. Al Qad’r

3. Holy Books

Sunni Islam – 6 articles of faith.

To finish . . .How are these beliefs expressed in the Muslim community today?

Pick 3 beliefs and explain how they are expressed by Muslims today.Example: Belief in Allah: encourages Muslims to be grateful to Allah. They express this gratitude through prayer and worship

Challenge:‘Belief in the day of Judgement is the most important belief in Islam’.

Do you agree with this statement? Explain your views.

1. Tawhid -Sunni

Muslims believe that there is one God,

Allah, and that this oneness is central to their spirituality and

beliefs.

OnenessThe most important belief about Allah (God) in Islam is the concept of Tawhid, which means ‘oneness’or ‘unity’.

Tawhid begins with the idea that there

is one God (monotheism), and

teaches that oneness is central to the nature of

Allah.

This means Allah:• has no partners• is omniscient

(knows all things)• is omnipotent (can

do anything, is all-powerful)

• is the one God of all time

• and all humankind

The most famous ayah (part of a Surah, like a verse) of the Qur’an to

express the idea of Tawhid is in Surah 112:

“He is Allah, the One,Allah is Eternal and

Absolute.None is born of Him,

He is unborn.There is none like unto

Him.’.“ The belief in Tawhid forms the central part the

Shahadah; the declaration of faith which is the first of the

five pillars of Islam (the duties that all Muslims have to perform as their religious

practice):

“I bear witness that there is no god but God and that

Muhammad is the Messenger of God.“

2. Al-Adl

5. Al – Ma’ad

1. Al- Tawhid

4. Al- Imamah

3. Al-Nubuwah

Shi’a Islam – 5 roots of ‘Usul –ad-Din’.

2. Angels (Malaikah) -

Sunni

Archangels include:• Jibril – (Gabriel) who

gave Allah’s messages to the prophets.

• Mika’il – (Michael) who assisted the Prophet in the night journey.

• Izra’il – (Azreal) angel of death

• Israfil – (Uriel) the archangel who will sound the trumpet twice when the Day of Judgement comes (Last Day).

• Recording angels – who record mankind's every deed, good or bad for the Last Day

• Guardian angels – who protect faithful Muslims against the Devil.

According to the Qur’an, angels were Allah’s first

creation. They are immortal (live forever) and do nothing

against Allah’s will. The Qur’an implies they are

male and have wings, but Muslim tradition teaches that

they are without sex and made from light.

“And (remember) when We said to the angels; "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis (Satan). He was

one of the jinns; he disobeyed the Command of

his Lord.” - Surah 18:50

Belief in Angels forms part of beliefs connected with

‘Risalah’ – this literally means ‘message’, but links angels, prophets and Holy Books.

Risalah is often translated as ‘prophethood’.

Allah revealed his will via angels to some prophets.

For Muslims Allah’s unity and greatness (Tawhid) means that he can not communicate directly

with humans. Because of his mercy and compassion

Allah cannot abandon humanity. Therefore Allah found a way to

communicate with people – via angels.

Angels praise Allah in heaven, are the guardians

of hell and many have specific jobs.

3. Holy Books (Kutub) -

Sunni

Muslims believe that Allah saw how distorted these revealed books had become and decided to send

his word in such a way that it could not be distorted. This was the

Qur’an. This is why Muslims believe that the Qur’an is Allah’s words, direct from Alllah to Jibril to

Muhammad.

In the Qur’an it says “Proclaim (or read) in the name of thy Lord

and Cherisher who created man out of a

clot of congealed blood.”

To proclaim or recite means to repeat another's words.

Muhammad was told by Allah via Jibril to

repeat his words.

Muhammad was chosen because he was highly intelligent but illiterate. He could not read or write. As a result he could not have distorted the Qur’an. Muslim believe that

the Qur’an was given as a dictation and learned by heart.

According to Islam there have been several written

books of the word of Allah:• Musa (Moses) was given

the Tawrat (Torah)• Dawud (David) was given

the Zabur (Psalms)• Isa (Jesus) was given

the Injil (Gospels)• But all of these were

distorted by humans .

Allah created humans to be vice-regents (to look after the

earth) on earth.

Adam, the 1st man and 1stprophet needed instructions on how to do this, however these instructions were distorted

over time and so other messages were needed from

Allah.

4. Prophets (Risalah) –Sunni (same as Shi’a)

According to the Qur’an each prophet was given Allah’s word for their generation, but their

words were either ignored, forgotten or distorted.

Allah had to send a new prophet with the original message several

times.Prophet Muhammad was the

exception as his revelation – the Qur’an was the final revelation.

The Major prophets in the Qur’an are:

• Adam – The first man and the first

prophet.• Ibrahim - The prophet Abraham,

also connected to the Hajj

• Musa - The prophet Moses, who Allah

revealed the Tawrat(Torah) to.

• Isa - The prophet Jesus, who Allah revealed the Injil

(Gospels) to• Muhammad - The

final prophet of Islam and the ‘seal of the prophets’. Allah revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad as the complete message to

humanity

The main teaching from the Qur’an concerning the prophets is that they bring God’s message

so that people know how to behave. Surah 10:47:

“An apostle is sent to each community. When their apostle comes, justice is done among them; they are not wronged.”

Muslims believe that the prophets were sinless

once they were called by Allah, and therefore

should be blessed when their name is mentioned.

This is why Muslims authors put PBUH –peace be upon him

25 prophets are named in the Qur’an, but Muslim tradition says there have been

124,000.

They are human, but received their

messages from an angel.

Risalah – literally means ‘message’, often translated as ‘prophethood’. Risalah is the

beliefs to do with Allah’s prophets.

5. Akhirah(Afterlife)

Sunni

Surah 2 in the Qur’an says:

“Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in

goods or lives or the fruits of your toil, but

give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere’

The Last Day:• The world as we

know it will disappear.

• The Last Day will be announced by the sounding of a

trumpet. • Everything will

stop, heaven and earth will change

and the raised dead will join the

living. • No one knows

when the Last Day will happen except Allah.

• Isa or the Mahadi will

return before the end.

Islam teaches that this life is simply a

preparation or a test for the life to come. Belief in

the afterlife is therefore a fundamental belief in Islam. On the

Day of Judgment humans will go to:

Heaven or Paradise is called al’ Jahannah.

orHell is called Jahannan

Islam teaches the resurrection of the dead. This means that when a person dies, their soul

waits in the grave until the Last Day when soul and

body will be re-joined and the raised person will come out of the grave.

According to the teachings of Islam, humans are Allah’s

vice-regents on earth (to look after the earth). Allah has shown humans how to do this via the Qur’an and also the Sunna (example of way

of life of Muhammad). Humans are free to follow

this path (free will).

6. Al Qad’r(Predestination)

Sunni

Through the ages different Muslim

schools have debated if people have free will. Most Muslims believe that if Allah will judge humankind on the Last Day, we must have free

will.

Surah 33: 38 says“The Command of God is a decree determined.”

Surah 13:42 says “In all things the master-planning is

God’s.”

Predestination and human free will can be difficult to reconcile

together.

Some Muslims believe that Allah knows what people will do before

they decided to do it.

But because they have free will they can decide to do good or

bad.

Allah has the foreknowledge (sifat) – he knows what people will do, but they do it out of

their own free will.

Muslims believe that Allah has a plan for the

universe he created.

He has the power to make that plan happen –

he is omnipotent.

He knows what will happen (sifat) – he is

omniscient.

In the end it will all work out as Allah

wants.

If we can’t understand how this fits in with human free will it is because we are far

from being like Allah and can not know all the

mysteries of life.

Predestination means that everything in the universe

is following a divine masterplan – Allah’s plan.

It is linked with Tawhid, and is an obvious conclusion of it.

1. Al Tawhid –Shi’a (Very

similar to Sunni)

Shi’a also believe that Allah:• has no partners• is omniscient (knows

all things)• is omnipotent (can

do anything, is all-powerful)

• is the one God of all time

• and all humankind

The belief in Tawhid forms the central part

the Shahadah; the declaration of faith

which is the first of the five pillars of Islam(the duties that all

Muslims have to perform as their religious

practice):

“I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.“

Shi’a Islam also adds the following to the

Shahahda:“I bear witness that

there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and Ali was the (friend) representative of God.”

Shi’a Islam claims that Allah does not have any

physical attributes at all. They believe any Qur’anic verse that suggests this

must be interpreted allegorically.

Shi’a, just like Sunni Islam believe in the Oneness of Allah.

This is a fundamental belief of Islam and

underpins all Islamic teaching and beliefs.

Shi’a Islam share the belief in Tawhid with Sunni Islam. However according to Shi’a

Islam Tawhid covered angels and holy books – i.e. they

don’t need a separate category.

So ALL Muslims believe in Tawhid, angels and holy

books – just for Shi’a these are inseparable from

Tawhid. (Sunni give them their own category)

2. Al adl (Allah’s Justice) – Shi’a

Shi’a Islam teaches that Allah would have no need

to act unjustly as injustice is a trait which belongs only to fallible

beings.

Whilst the Justice of Allah is a

doctrine which is clearly and explicitly taught in the Qur’an,

many Sunni theologians have

generally disagreed with the Shi’a on the

nature of Divine Justice.

Sunni Islam teaches instead that Allah is

not subject to higher moral

standards and therefore could commit acts of

injustice against human beings.

These acts of injustice would

therefore become just acts due to the

fact that Allah is the moral standard.

Al-Adalah means the one who is very just and fair, who never oppresses, who judges justly and who has

justice.

Muslims believe that Allah has justice, does not wrong people and is just in all of

his deeds.

This includes Allah’s creations, calculations,

punishments, rewards and activities.

It is argued by theologians and philosophers that since Allah is

the greatest conceivable perfect being, and since justice is an

attribute of perfection, Allah must, by definition, always act

within a just framework.

All other Islamic beliefs stem from the concept of Allah’s

justice, including the sending of Prophets and Imams to mankind.

Al adl is a core belief for Shi’a Islam. Sunni Islam

also teaches al adl but it is not considered a pillar or

separate ‘core belief’.

For both Shi’a and Sunni al adl is connected with

Tawhid.

According to the Qur’an each prophet was given Allah’s word for their generation, but their

words were either ignored, forgotten or distorted.

Allah had to send a new prophet with the original message several

times.Prophet Muhammad was the

exception as his revelation – the Qur’an was the final revelation.

The Major prophets in the Qur’an are:

• Adam – The first man and the first

prophet.• Ibrahim - The prophet Abraham,

also connected to the Hajj

• Musa - The prophet Moses, who Allah

revealed the Tawrat(Torah) to.

• Isa - The prophet Jesus, who Allah revealed the Injil

(Gospels) to• Muhammad - The

final prophet of Islam and the ‘seal of the prophets’. Allah revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad as the complete message to

humanity

The main teaching from the Qur’an concerning the prophets is that they bring God’s message

so that people know how to behave. Surah 10:47:

“To every people was sent an Apostle: when their Apostle

comes before them the matter will be judged between them with

justice and they will bot be wronged”

Shi’a Muslims believe that the prophets were sinless

from birth.

This is why Muslims authors put PBUH – peace be upon

him.

Shi’a Islam teaches that Muhammad’s prophethood did

not begin at aged 40, but started from birth. It was

simply announced at aged 40.

25 prophets are named in the Qur’an, but Muslim tradition says there have been

124,000.

They are human, but received their

messages from an angel.

Risalah – literally means ‘message’, often translated as ‘prophethood’. Risalah is the

beliefs to do with Allah’s prophets.

3. Al – Nubuwah (Prophethood) – Shi’a (Mostly the same as

Sunni)

4. Al – Imamah(Imamate) –Shi’a Only

All Shi’a groups agree that Muhammad appointed Ali as his successor. They believe Muhammad gave Ali the ‘divine light’ so

that Ali had Allah’s power to decide what Muslims could and could not do.

Twelvers the largest Shi’a group believe there have been twelve Imams since Muhammad, including:• 1st was Ali, chosen

by Muhammad, told to him by Allah.

• 2nd was Hasan, Ali’s eldest son.

• 3rd was Husayn, who chose martyrdom.

• 12th Imam was Muhammad al’Mahdi – the hidden Imam. Shi’a believe he will return on day to bring in the Day of Judgement.

*The imamate has been chosen by Allah .

In Shi’a Islam the Imam is understood as a ‘perfect human’.

He is a successor of Muhammad, and must be a descendent of

Muhammad.

The Imam does not commit sin (although could if he wanted to

as he has free will) and is an intermediary between man and

Allah.

Every Imam is designated by the previous Imam – this ensures

continuity, called ‘nass’.

Different Shi’a groups differ on how many Imams there have been.

The main Shi’a group called ‘Twelvers’ believe there have been

twelve Imams.

In Shi’a the figure of the Imam is very different

to that of Sunni.

In Sunni Islam the imam is similar to a vicar in

Christianity. An imam in Sunni Islam is a person who lead prayers in the

Mosque .

This is not the same for Shi’a.

Sura 2 in the Qur’an says: “Be sure We shall test you

with something of fear and hunger, some loss in

goods or lives or the fruits of your toil, but

give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere’

The Last Day:• The world as we

know it will disappear.

• The Last Day will be announced by the sounding of a

trumpet. • Everything will

stop, heaven and earth will change

and the raised dead will join the

living. • No one knows when

the Last Day will happen except

Allah. • For Shi’a the Mahadi will be the ‘Hidden Imam’ and

will return alongside Isa. Isa

will come first and then the

Mahadi.

Islam teaches that this life is simply a

preparation or a test for the life to come. Belief in

the afterlife is therefore a fundamental belief in Islam. On the

Day of Judgment humans will go to:

Heaven or Paradise is called al’ Jahannah.

orHell is called Jahannan

Islam teaches the resurrection of the dead. This means that when a person dies, their soul

waits in the grave until the Last Day when soul and

body will be re-joined and the raised person will come out of the grave.

According to the teachings of Islam, humans are Allah’s

vice-regents on earth (to look after the earth). Allah has shown humans how to do this via the Qur’an and also the Sunna (example of way

of life of Muhammad). Humans are free to follow

this path (free will). 5. Al – Ma’ad

(Resurrection) – Shi’a (Same as Sunni

Akhirah)

What is the same and what is different?

Tawhid Angels Holy Books

Prophethood Afterlife Predestination

Divine Justice Imamate

Both – Shi’a add ‘Ali was the friend of Allah’ to

the Shahada.

Both – however for Shi’a, belief in angels falls under Tawhid.

Both – however for Shi’a, belief in holy books falls under

Tawhid.

Both – Sunni and Shi’a believe that Allah has

sent many prophets, and Muhammad is the seal of

the prophets.

Both – however Sunni Muslims believe the

return of Isa will bring in the Last Day. Shi’a

Muslims await the hidden Imam.

Sunni (Shi’a Islam has a different view on this, and will be explored in a later

lesson)

Shi’a – Sunni Muslims do also believe in

divine justice but it is not an article of faith

or a pillar.

Shi’a – Sunni Islam rejects the idea of the imamate. For Shi’a it is a core

belief.

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Exam Question Practice

State three religious traditions other than Islam in Great Britain today (3 marks)• Christianity• Judaism• Islam

Exam Question Practice

Explain two reasons why the six beliefs are important to Muslims (4 Marks)

• By following these beliefs Sunni Muslims believe that are on the right path and will earn the pleasure of Allah.

• These beliefs are important because they are the foundations of Sunni Muslims’ faith and impact their daily lives

Slide Number 1Slide Number 2Slide Number 3Slide Number 4Slide Number 5To finish . . .How are these beliefs expressed in the Muslim community today?Slide Number 7Slide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Slide Number 16Slide Number 17Slide Number 18Slide Number 19Slide Number 20Exam Question Practice Exam Question Practice