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Principal beliefs N.B. This section takes a general approach to the principal beliefs of Islam. Where there are major differences of interpretation and emphases in the two major orientations—Sunni and Shi‘i—this is noted. Glossary ‘Aqida ul‐Islam The beliefs or creed of Islam. shirk The opposite of tawhid, shirk means to believe and worship another god or gods alongside the one true God, Allah. Shirk is the worst and only unpardonable sin in Islam. tawhid The declaration of the unity of God. Allah is the one true God, the sole Creator and Lord of the universe. All divine attributes belong to Allah and all human worship is to be directed to Allah. The articles of faith The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men
of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His
messengers. ‘We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His
messengers.’ And they say: ‘We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our
Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.’
Surat al-Bakara 2:285 ‘The Cow’
This verse from the Qur’an sums up the main articles of faith (or doctrines) in Islam (‘Aqida ul‐
Islam), which it says have been revealed or ‘sent down’ from Allah. It speaks of belief in the following: 1. Existence and unity of God—tawhid 2. Existence of Angels—mala’ika 3. God’s revelation to humans in holy books—kutubu’llah 4. God appointing prophets to all people—rusuluhu 5. Resurrection and life after death—al‐Akhira 6. God’s Will and human freedom of choice—al‐Qadr Existence and unity of God Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him. Surat al‐Ikhlas 112:1–4 ‘Oneness’ The first article of faith is tawhid—the belief in the oneness and unity of Allah. If there is only one God, then he alone is the creator of all that exists, but was not himself created; he is ‘The Eternal’. Tawhid has some far‐reaching implications in Islam. Muslims should worship Allah alone; no one else is worthy of worship. No other being should be associated with Allah. The sin of idolatry is called shirk (attributing Allah’s divinity and qualities to someone else), and is regarded by Muslims as the worst of all sins. It is forbidden to represent Allah in visual or symbolic form. The ninety‐nine names of Allah given in the Qur’an to describe the attributes of Allah, for example, the Compassionate, the Giver of all things, the All Knowing, are often written on the walls as part of the decoration of a mosque. The existence of angels All praise is due to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Maker of the
angels, messengers flying on wings, two, and three, and four; He increases in creation
what He pleases; surely Allah has power over all things.
Surat al-Fatir 35:1 ‘The Creator’
A belief in angels is central to the religion of Islam, beginning with the belief that the Qur’an was dictated to the Prophet Muhammad by the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel). The angels are created from light (noor), have no gender and do not eat or drink. Angels witness God’s creative glory in the universe and therefore express absolute praise, service and obedience to God. They often serve as God’s messengers as Jibril did. Jibril, also called the holy spirit, is the greatest of all God’s angels as he was the vehicle for the revelation of the Qur’an. Other great angels are Izra’il (Azreal), the angel of death, whose task is to separate a person’s soul from their body at death; Mika’il (Michael), who with Jibril instructed Muhammad; and Israfil, whose task is to sound the trumpet on the Day of Resurrection. Each person has two recording or guardian angels who record their good and bad deeds, and these angels are acknowledged during daily salat (prayer). Belief in prophets and the Books of Allah We have sent you inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: We
sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah,
Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms. Of some apostles We have
already told you the story; of others We have not;—and to Moses Allah spoke direct;—
Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of
the apostles, should have no argument against Allah. For Allah is Exalted in Power,
Wise.
Surat al‐Nisa 4:163–165 ‘The Women’ A prophet is someone through whom Allah speaks. The Qur’an names twenty‐five prophets, but tradition says there have been more than 124 000. God sent a prophet to every nation on earth. Nabi is the word used for most of these prophets, but rasul describes a prophet who has delivered a holy book. These are known as the Messengers of Allah. Belief in prophethood is closely linked with belief in holy books—kutubu’llah, the Books of Allah. Five prophets are considered the most important as they received special revelations and performed their work at a pivotal time in history. They are Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. For Muslims, Muhammad is Allah’s last prophet, known as the ‘Seal of the Prophets’ (Surat al‐Ahzab 33:40 ‘The Clans’), who brought the final message that has been preserved intact in the Qur’an. This is seen as the final and complete message from Allah to humanity. Along with the Qur’an, the holy books that contain Allah’s revelation to these revered prophets are the Hebrew Bible and the Christian gospels. Resurrection and life after death So consider the signs of God’s mercy; how He gives life to the earth after its death.
Indeed, it is He Who gives life to the dead, for He is powerful over all things.
Surat al-Rum 30:50 ‘Romans’
O soul that art at rest, return to your Lord, well-pleased (with Him), well-pleasing (Him).
So enter among My servants, and enter into My garden.
Surat al-Fajr 89:27–30 ‘The Dawn’
Islam sees the real universe—more than what is visible—and that ‘real’ universe continues after death. Belief in al‐Akhira is so crucial to Islam that any doubts about it amount to the denial of Allah. The Qur’an states that for each person after death, there is an intermediate period where souls wait for resurrection (Surat al‐Mu’minun 23:99–100 ‘The Believers’). When, at some time in the future, this present world ends, Allah will call these souls and they will be brought to judgement before Allah. Every human who has ever lived will be rewarded for their goodness or punished for their sins. God’s forgiveness will manifest in abundance but the only sin that will not eventually be forgiven by Allah is the deliberate worship of other gods (shirk). While there is a place for the wicked called jahannam (hell), ruled over by Iblis (Satan), depictions of which in the Qur’an are particularly graphic, believers and good people will be rewarded forever in jannah (paradise). Because death marks the beginning of eternal life in Islam, the funeral is highly significant (see pages 322–4). God’s will and human freedom of choice And with Him are the keys of the unseen treasures—none knows them but He; and He knows what is in the land and the sea, and there falls not a leaf but He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything green nor dry but (it is all) in a clear book. Surat al‐An‘am 6:59 ‘The Cattle’ Although Muslims are held responsible for their own sins, they also believe that nothing happens unless it is the will of Allah. In sha‐’Allah (meaning ‘If God is willing’) is a frequent statement that shows their recognition of his power and acceptance of his will for them—
people cannot do anything unless approved by God; however, they still have a free will to choose. In other words, while Allah knows the past and future actions of every person, individuals have the free will to act for good or for evil; he does not force them to do anything—they do have control over their fate. Islamic scholars have had to attempt to reconcile the two notions: that humans are fully responsible for their final happiness or suffering, and that Allah knows, wills and creates everything. The nominal position is that humans choose their actions but God creates them. Shi‘i Muslims do not believe in absolute predestination since they consider it incompatible with God’s justice. Neither do they believe in absolute free will since that contradicts God being all‐
knowing and all‐powerful—Omnipotence. Rather they believe in ‘a way between the two ways’—believing in free will, but within the boundaries set for it by God and exercised with his permission. 1. Define tawhid and outline the implications of tawhid for Muslim belief. 2. Examine the role of the Books of Allah and prophecy in Islam. In your examination, explain why Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus are seen as ‘special’ and outline the implication of Muslim belief that Muhammad is Allah’s last prophet. 3. What do Muslims believe about angels? 4. Outline the principal Muslim beliefs about life after death and predestination. 5. Construct a chart or mind map to explore the interrelationship of the principal beliefs of Islam.