Muslim Beliefs
The six beliefs:
What are the six beliefs:
● Belief in Allah- recognising Allah as the creator encourages Muslims to be
thankful for the life they have been given, and to express gratitude through
prayer
● Belief in angels- when Muslims end their prayers they turn their heads right and
left to say ‘peace be upon you’ and to the people they are praying next to
● Belief in books- Muslims study the books of Allah to improve their knowledge
about religious teaching
● Beliefs in messengers- Muslims may be named after a prophet to learn from
their example
● Belief in day of judgement- Muslims are reminded of their limited time on earth
and their inevitable meeting with Allah
● Belief in the decree- Muslims are reminded about the need to accept God’s will
and seek blessings
Importance of these principles:
● Compulsory for Sunni Muslims
● Believing in the six beliefs will ensure Sunni Muslims are on the right path and
will earn the pleasure of Allah
SOAs:
● Faith is that you believe in Allah and his angels and his books and his
messengers and in the last day and in the decree of Allah - Hadith
,The five roots of Usul ad-Din:
What are the five roots:
● Tawhid- belief in the oneness of Allah- Allah is unique and without equals
● Nubuwwah- belief in prophethood- chain of messengers have been sent to
preach Tawhid
● Adalat- belief that Allah is just and will bring divine justice- Muslims should
also demonstrate fairness
● Mi’ad- belief in a day of judgement and resurrection- after death each
individual will be judged by Allah and rewarded or punished for their actions
● Imamah- belief in God given leadership- Shia Muslims believe the 12 Imams
are successors to Prophet Muhammed
Importance of these principles:
● Compulsory for Shia Muslims
● Believing in these five roots will ensure Shia Muslims focus on the most
important aspects of their faith and guide their actions in daily life
SOAs:
● Say, He is God the one, God the eternal - Quran
● We sent a messenger to every community - Quran
● I advise you to be just towards both friend and foe - Hadith
● This world and he is the judgement and to him you shall return - Quran
Nature of Allah:
,Characteristics of Allah:
● Tawhid- Allah is without any partner, he is unique and to associate partners with
Allah is shirk
● Immanence and transcendence- Allah is the creator and he acts in this world
and beyond it
● Omnipotence- Allah is all powerful and has the power to create everything from
nothing
● Beneficent- Allah loves and acts for the benefit of his creation
● Mercy- everything Allah does is an act of kindness, including punishment
● Fairness and justice- Allah treats people fairly
Importance of these characteristics for Muslims:
● Muslims believe its impossible to visualise Allah because he’s not a physical
being
● Muslims believe that although it’s impossible to fully understand Allah these
characteristics can help
● These characteristics help establish a close connection with Allah
● Muslims believe knowing these characteristics help them reflect these qualities in
their own lives
SOAs:
● Worship God and shun false gods - Quran
● We are closer to him than his jugular vein - Quran
● He established himself on the throne - Quran
Risalah:
Nature and importance of prophethood:
, ● Muslims believe prophets are human beings appointed by Allah to communicate
between them and the world and guide people to the truth
● Prophets are an example of great qualities and what Allah expects
Important prophets:
● Adam- first prophet to receive a message from Allah
● Ibrahim- was obedient to Allah and upheld high moral standards that were an
example to others
● Ismail- son of Ibrahim who was willing to give his life for Allah. Helped rebuild
Ka’bah
● Musa- main founder of Judaism, his teachings were given in the Torah and gave
an example of how Allah rewards perseverance in the face of suffering
● Dawud- became king of Banu after defeating Goliath. Example of how Allah
gives honour to those who he chooses
● Isa- was given the Injil. Muslims believe he was divine
● Muhammed- principal prophet and last messenger to be revealed a scripture
SOAs:
● We believe in God and all the prophets and we make no distinction between
them - Quran
● Every community has been sent a prophet - Quran
Muslim holy books:
Nature and history of Muslim holy books:
● All revelations to prophets originally came from Allah
● Some holy books were only meant for a particular group of people at a particular
time
The six beliefs:
What are the six beliefs:
● Belief in Allah- recognising Allah as the creator encourages Muslims to be
thankful for the life they have been given, and to express gratitude through
prayer
● Belief in angels- when Muslims end their prayers they turn their heads right and
left to say ‘peace be upon you’ and to the people they are praying next to
● Belief in books- Muslims study the books of Allah to improve their knowledge
about religious teaching
● Beliefs in messengers- Muslims may be named after a prophet to learn from
their example
● Belief in day of judgement- Muslims are reminded of their limited time on earth
and their inevitable meeting with Allah
● Belief in the decree- Muslims are reminded about the need to accept God’s will
and seek blessings
Importance of these principles:
● Compulsory for Sunni Muslims
● Believing in the six beliefs will ensure Sunni Muslims are on the right path and
will earn the pleasure of Allah
SOAs:
● Faith is that you believe in Allah and his angels and his books and his
messengers and in the last day and in the decree of Allah - Hadith
,The five roots of Usul ad-Din:
What are the five roots:
● Tawhid- belief in the oneness of Allah- Allah is unique and without equals
● Nubuwwah- belief in prophethood- chain of messengers have been sent to
preach Tawhid
● Adalat- belief that Allah is just and will bring divine justice- Muslims should
also demonstrate fairness
● Mi’ad- belief in a day of judgement and resurrection- after death each
individual will be judged by Allah and rewarded or punished for their actions
● Imamah- belief in God given leadership- Shia Muslims believe the 12 Imams
are successors to Prophet Muhammed
Importance of these principles:
● Compulsory for Shia Muslims
● Believing in these five roots will ensure Shia Muslims focus on the most
important aspects of their faith and guide their actions in daily life
SOAs:
● Say, He is God the one, God the eternal - Quran
● We sent a messenger to every community - Quran
● I advise you to be just towards both friend and foe - Hadith
● This world and he is the judgement and to him you shall return - Quran
Nature of Allah:
,Characteristics of Allah:
● Tawhid- Allah is without any partner, he is unique and to associate partners with
Allah is shirk
● Immanence and transcendence- Allah is the creator and he acts in this world
and beyond it
● Omnipotence- Allah is all powerful and has the power to create everything from
nothing
● Beneficent- Allah loves and acts for the benefit of his creation
● Mercy- everything Allah does is an act of kindness, including punishment
● Fairness and justice- Allah treats people fairly
Importance of these characteristics for Muslims:
● Muslims believe its impossible to visualise Allah because he’s not a physical
being
● Muslims believe that although it’s impossible to fully understand Allah these
characteristics can help
● These characteristics help establish a close connection with Allah
● Muslims believe knowing these characteristics help them reflect these qualities in
their own lives
SOAs:
● Worship God and shun false gods - Quran
● We are closer to him than his jugular vein - Quran
● He established himself on the throne - Quran
Risalah:
Nature and importance of prophethood:
, ● Muslims believe prophets are human beings appointed by Allah to communicate
between them and the world and guide people to the truth
● Prophets are an example of great qualities and what Allah expects
Important prophets:
● Adam- first prophet to receive a message from Allah
● Ibrahim- was obedient to Allah and upheld high moral standards that were an
example to others
● Ismail- son of Ibrahim who was willing to give his life for Allah. Helped rebuild
Ka’bah
● Musa- main founder of Judaism, his teachings were given in the Torah and gave
an example of how Allah rewards perseverance in the face of suffering
● Dawud- became king of Banu after defeating Goliath. Example of how Allah
gives honour to those who he chooses
● Isa- was given the Injil. Muslims believe he was divine
● Muhammed- principal prophet and last messenger to be revealed a scripture
SOAs:
● We believe in God and all the prophets and we make no distinction between
them - Quran
● Every community has been sent a prophet - Quran
Muslim holy books:
Nature and history of Muslim holy books:
● All revelations to prophets originally came from Allah
● Some holy books were only meant for a particular group of people at a particular
time
