Difference Between Sunnii & Shi'a Core Beliefs (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

The Six Articles of Faith in Sunni Islam

The Articles of Faith within Sunni and Shi’a Islam

• There are Six Articles of Faith within Sunni Islam and Five articles of Faith (Roots) within Shi’a Islam

  • They are the most basic summary of what a Sunni and Shi’a Muslims must believe

  • They Influence everything a Sunni and Shi’a Muslim says and does and guides them on the right path

The Six Articles of Faith within Sunni Islam

• There are Six Articles of Faith are Tawhid, Malaikah, Kutub, Nubuwwah, Akhirah, and Al-Qadr

• Tawhid (There is one God)

  • Surah 112:1-4 says: ‘He is Allah, the One, Allah is Eternal and Absolute. None is born of Him, He is unborn. There is none like unto Him’

  • This means that Allah is the creator and sustainer of life. He is beyond any human limitations like age and death because He was not born and cannot die

• Malaikah (Angels) communicate with man

  • Angels deliver revelations via the prophets so that Muslims know what Allah wants them to do

  • They record the words and actions of each individual person so that they have a book to account for their lives

  • They receive souls at death

  • Angels do not have free will like humans and they obey Allah’s commands

• Kutub (The five sources of authority)

  • These are the books: the Torah of Moses; the Psalms of David; the Gospels; the Scrolls of Abraham; and the Qur’an

  • According to Muslims, the first four books have been lost in their original form so they may not represent the actual word of God as they have been altered over time

  • The Qur’an is the only revealed scripture still in its original form. It is the direct Word of Allah as given through Angel Jibril

• Nubuwwah (prophets) of which Muhammad (Pbuh) is the most important

  • Prophets and messengers are chosen by Allah to deliver His message to humankind

  • Muslims believe that Allah has revealed messages throughout time to guide humanity and that Prophet Muhammad was the last (Seal) of the prophets

  • He was given the ultimate guidance in the Qur’an. As a result of this, there is no need for any more prophets

• Akhirah (afterlife) The Day of Judgement is when all humanity will be judged by God and sent to paradise or hell

  • When all Muslims and others stand alone in front of Allah, who decides whether they go to heaven or hell based on their deeds

  • Everyone must answer for themselves and must accept the consequences of their thoughts and actions on earth

  • Human life acts as a test for the eternal life to come

• Al-Qadr (predestination) meaning that God already knows but also makes everything happen in the world and human life

  • Sunni Muslims believe that Allah knows everything

  • Qadr means everything is ordered by Allah; nothing is random or by chance

  • ‘In all things the master-planning is God’s’ (Surah 13:42)

  • Humans do have free will though, but as Allah knows the past, present and future their choices are already known to Him, but not to them

Six articles of faith in Sunni Islam

How the Six Articles of Faith Influence the life of a Sunni Muslim

• Sunni Muslims will devote their life to Allah and follow His rules

• They will follow the rules of the Qur’an and the example of Muhammad (pbuh)

• The angels are writing up all thoughts and actions, and people will have to justify them

• They will think about how they approach life and the people around them

• They will live their lives expecting to be questioned on Judgement Day and then sent to Paradise or Hell

Five Roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi'a Islam

Five Roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi'a Islam

• There are Five Roots or Articles of Faith in Shi’a Islam are Tawhid, Adalat, Nubuwwah, Imamah, and Ma’ad

• Usul ad Din means ‘foundations of the faith’ and they influence everything a Shi’a Muslim says and does. They also support the Ten Obligatory Acts

• Tawhid (There is one God)

  • Surah 112:1-4 says: ‘He is Allah, the One, Allah is Eternal and Absolute

  • None is born of Him, He is unborn. There is none like unto Him’

  • This means that Allah is the creator and sustainer of life. He is beyond any human limitations like age and death because He was not born and cannot die

• Adalat (The Justice of Allah)

  • The belief in the divine justice of Allah (Adalat). God is just and wise and cannot do wrong, and holds humans accountable for their actions

  • The Shi’a believe they need to be aware there is good and evil in everything, but that Allah commands them to do good

  • Surah 16.19 says, ‘Indeed Allah commands them to do justice.’ Humans will be held responsible for their actions, good and bad

  • Allah acts with a purpose that humans cannot understand. Sometimes justice can be hard to see but the Shi’a should try to understand as much as they can

• Nubuwwah (Muhammad pbuh is the most important prophet of God)

  • Prophets and messengers are chosen by Allah to deliver His message to humankind

  • Shi’as believe that Allah sent messengers to guide people to the right path and Prophet Muhammad was the last of them

  • The ‘right path’ means a peaceful way of life, lived in total submission to Allah

  • Prophets deliver the messages to spread the religion

  • The imam protects the messages so that people do not forget and leave the faith in the absence of prophets

• Imamate (Al-Imamah) or the belief in the authority of the imams

  • The Imamate means accepting that the twelve Imams are the leaders of Islam and guard the truth of the religion

  • All imams are seen as infallible and must be obeyed

  • They are protectors of the faith, ensuring that the teachings so not become corrupted or spoiled

• Al-Ma’ad (The Shi’a believe that there will be a Day of Judgement)

  • Every Muslim and non-Muslim will be judged by Allah

  • Humans will be physically resurrected to stand to be judged and they will be asked to account for the words and actions of their lives on earth

  • The events of this day are described in both the Qur’an and Hadith

Five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi'a Islam

How the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din Influence the life of a Shi’a Muslim

• Belief in Allah as One influences a Muslim’s life. They will follow Allah’s path which means doing the right thing

• Prophethood means that a Muslim is not alone in life. Guidance is there throughout history and in the present in the Qur’an

• The imamate is important to Muslims as we need leaders as we might go off track when living in the modern world. This provides guidance

• They know that the Day of Judgement will happen, they cannot hide from Allah and so need to do the best they can in terms of intentions

• Belief in justice means that Muslims have faith that Allah always has a purpose and his actions are based on wisdom

Similarities and Differences between the Sunni and Shi’a Beliefs

• Most of these beliefs are also shared with Shi’a Muslims

• However, there are some distinct differences