Islam beliefs

●        After Muhammad died Sunni Muslims elected a new leader (Abu Bakr) who was Muhammad’s advisor/ friend. He was the 1^st of the ‘4 Rightly Guided Caliphs.’ In Sunni Islam an imam is a leader of a mosque, not a divinely chosen person from Muhammad’s bloodline.

●       After Muhammad died Shi'a Muslims believed the new leader should be a relative from the blood-line of the Prophet and was divinely chosen by Allah (God). Ali was seen as the 1^st of 12 imams (a lineage of leaders who have special abilities to interpret the Quran).

• The 6 articles of faith are the key beliefs underpinning life for Sunni Muslims. They are;
  • Tawhid the belief in the oneness of Allah, the creator)
  • Angels ( who work for Allah, eg delivering revelation)
  • Sources of authority (4 corrupt/lost  books+ the Quran)
  • Prophets (Messengers like Adam, Ibrahim, Muhammad)
  • Day of Judgement (Allah decides heaven or hell)
  • Supremacy of Allah’s will (Qadr: Allah knows what will happen in future and nothing happens randomly. However, we still have free will to choose what to do).
• The 5 roots of Usul ad-Din (foundations of faith/ roots of religion) underpin Shia life and lead to their 10 Obligatory Acts. Sunnis disagree about imamate.
  • Tawhid (same as Sunnis. Links to Surah 112, shirk)
  • Prophethood (same as Sunnis but imam protects messages from prophets so they aren’t distorted)
  • Imamate (leaders who are infalliable (can do no wrong and were divinely chosen to protect faith)
  • Resurrection (all will physically resurrect to be judged)
  • Adalat (justice of Allah, which we can’t always see)

• Tawhid
  • Muslims believe not only that there is one God but that this God is indivisible. They strongly disagree with the oneness of God shown in the Christian Trinity. For Muslims there is nothing like God, he alone is the ultimate source of power and creation. He is beyond human understanding. Nothing happens without God knowing or allowing it. Everything that exists is connected because we were all created by Allah, who demands complete obedience from us.
    
• Oneness in Surrah 112
  • “Say, He is Allah, (this means ‘the God’ = monotheism)
  • the one, the eternal, (Tawhid and he has always existed)
  • the Absolute, (He is omnipotent – all powerful)
  • He begetteth not, (This is to separate Islam from Christianity…
  • Nor his He begotten, …Muslims disagree with the incarnation)
  • And there is none like Him” (Shirk is comparing Allah to something else and is the worst sin a Muslim can commit)

• Omnipotence -all powerful. God is not limited and can do anything.
  • The Quran teaches that God is “all-powerful, able to do anything.” It is the revealed word of Allah and 100% true. One of his names is Al-Qadeer (all-powerful). He crated the universe and will judge us in the afterlife.
  • Paradoxes challenge this concept – If God is all powerful can he create a rock so big he cannot lift it or make a circle a square?
• Benefience - kind and compassionate. Al-Rahman is one of the 99 names.
  • Al-Rahman (the beneficent) is said during daily prayers. He sent prophets to guide us on the right path so is compassionate, the rules of Islam make us focus on being good eg giving to charity, removing injustice from the world)
  • The problem of evil - If God is so loving, why does he allow us to suffer so much? If you love someone you protect them.

• Mercy - forgiving. Al-Rahim (the merciful is one of the 99 names).
  • The Bismillah prayer which is opens all chapters (Surahs) of the Quran begins with “In the name of Allah, the merciful.” Shariah Law encourages that mercy is shown even to murderers. Allah will forgive those who repent for their sins.
  • Hinduism – rather than sin, repentance and forgiveness wrongdoing leads to bad karma which is then paid off in future life.
• Justice - – fair (adalat in Shia Islam). Means to what is right and treat people equally.
  • Allah is perfect so always does what is right. Humans cannot always see justice being served but it is only because we cannot understand Allah fully. Allah’s divine justice rules the world and will be carried out on Judgement Day. The rules of the Quran support justice and bringing about a fair society.
  • The problem of evil – Mill said there is too much suffering in the world and it is shared disproportionately. Some suffer more. Muslims see it as a test.

• Angels are beings made by Allah out of light. They do not have free will (“only according to His command do they act”)
• They are one of the 6 articles of Sunni faith.
• They have wings and can move at the speed of light. They can appear to look like humans but dazzle so are not exactly like humans. They have no gender and are part of the unseen world (as are Jinns who are beings made of fire with free will)
• Angels are inferior to humans and had to bow down to Adam.
• There are many angels, each with their own duty to perform as assigned by Allah. Some, like Jibril and Mika’il are more important than others.

• The purpose of angels is complete obedience to Allah as they have no free will.
• There are many angels with different roles which include; to watch over humans, to bring peace to believers and instil fear in unbelievers, to record every thought and action of each person and report this on Judgement Day, to cause natural disasters (if commanded).
• There is an Angel of Death who takes the soul (either gently or with extreme pain depending on belief of the dying person).
  • Some question the souls waiting for Judgement Day either punishing or soothing them.
  • Two stand at the gates of paradise to welcome people, others throw people to hell.

• Jibril is the most famous and important angel in Islam.
• He is responsible for bringing all revelations and messages from God to all of the prophets.
• The Holy Books of Islam were passed on via angel Jibril, including the Quran.
• He is known as the ‘Angel of Holiness.’
• He appears in the:
  • Injil (Gospel) as Gabriel who passes on news of Isa’s conception to Maryam. He always brings good news.
  • Hadith (a saying of Muhammad) describes him as having 600 wings. Muhammad first saw him  in cave Hira, when he received the first revelation. Over the following 23 years Jibril revealed the Quran to Muhammad.
  • He is mentioned 5 times in the Quran and also in Hadith.
• He helped Ibrahim when he was thrown in to fire, opened up the Zamzam well for Hajar, told Maryam she would have Isa.
• He is the first thing to be given life by Allah and was allowed to peer at heaven and hell.
• He saw the challenges facing those trying to get to heaven and the desires which will lead people to hell.

• Much of what is known about Mika’il is from Islamic tradition rather than the Quran but he is one of the most important angels and is believed to have helped and guided Muhammad on his spiritual mission, and to do the same for others today.
• He was the first to bow to Adam and was put in charge of plants and rain.
• Some think this means he gives rain and sustenance to the world but others see this as a metaphor for him providing spiritual help for the soul and physical help to the body.
• He helped prepare Muhammad for his miraculous visit to heaven by providing the waterJibril used to purify him.
• Some Muslims think he lives in heaven.
• He is mentioned as having helped Muhammad succeed at the Battle of Badr when the Muslims fought the Meccan army.
• On Judgement Day, him and Jibril will help weigh a person’s activities.
• He has seen hell (but not heaven) and how hard it is to get there so it is believed he does not smile.
• He is the friend of humans trying to help them reach heaven.

• For
  • Quran “Only what God has decreed will happen to us”
  • Hadith “Never will we be struck, except by what Allah has decreed for us”
  • The Quran speaks of a Book of Decrees in which is written everything that will happen
  • Allah is omnipotent so must be in complete control
  • He is transcendent so is beyond time and space, and also omniscient so he already knows our future
• Against
  • Quran “God does not change the condition of people, unless they change what is in themselves”
  • Hadith reports Muhammad saying it is through good deeds we will be rewarded and the Quran supports this “those who do good deeds will have their reward”
  • Most Sunnis believe Allah creates our possible options but then allows us to choose from them
  • Just because Allah knows the future, does not mean he decides it for us
  • Allah cannot be just and the concept of judgement doesn’t make sense unless we are free, Shias believe in complete free will (Bada)

• This life is a test.
• When we die the Angel of Death will ask us who is our lord, our prophet and what was our life like.
• This then determines how comfortably we wait for the Day of Judgement.
• 40 days after the end of the world, when everyone will die, the dead are resurrected and await judgement.
• Angels will report our deeds and we will be questioned and held accountable for our actions.
• The Quran says “most certainly you will be questioned as to what you did.”
• Humans need to live a good life now or face punishment.

• Resurrection - when bodies of the dead are raised
  • This is one of the 5 roots of Usul ad-Din for Shia Muslims. Most Muslims, Sunni and Shia, believe that before being judged our bodies will resurrect to be questioned for our actions. For this reason Muslims bury their dead rather than cremating them. 
    
• Heaven (Jannah) - Eternal paradise
  • Heaven is described in the Quran as “a reward” for those who have been good in this life. It is a place of eternal paradise “enter my paradise.” It is a place where all wishes are fulfilled and without aging or death. Families will be reunited. To enter you must have lived religiously and asked Allah’s forgiveness. When entering two angels will greet you saying ‘peace be upon you’ and you will be called through a gate which represents your best actions. There are 7 levels.
• Hell (Jahannan) - A place of punishment
  • Hell is described in Islam as being hotter than any flame on earth where people try to escape and are pushed back in by angels and experience nothing but pain. Those sent there have spent wicked, evil lives and rejected the teachings of the Quran. They blame others for their sin rather than accepting responsibility. The Quran says “we will show you the truth of what you did.” Punishments match your sin eg people who gossiped will have their lips cut off. For some this will last for eternity, for others they will only be there for a set time.