The Six Beliefs of Islam

Overview

Recall questions on the Sunni articles of faith and the Twelver Shi'a scheme, adalat, tawhid and the 99 Names, Chittick and Nasr on tawhid, angels, the books and prophets, the afterlife, and qadr and human responsibility.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What are the six articles of faith that Sunni Muslims traditionally list?

   Model answer

   Belief that Allah is one; belief in angels; belief in the revealed scriptures; belief in the prophets; belief in the Day of Judgement; and belief in divine decree, qadr. Sunni tradition calls them the pillars of faith, arkan al-iman, and summarises them in a set creedal formula that many Muslims learn by heart.

2. 2

   Why do Muslims describe these beliefs as interlocking rather than as a list?

   Model answer

   Because each depends on tawhid. Angels and prophets are the means by which the one God communicates; the scriptures are that communication; judgement is the moral outcome of accepting or refusing it; and qadr is the framework within which the whole thing runs. Remove the first and the rest lose their point.

3. 3

   How does the Twelver Shi'a scheme of fundamental beliefs differ in shape?

   Model answer

   Twelver Shi'a Muslims speak of five roots of religion: tawhid, divine justice (adalat), prophethood, the Imamate and the resurrection. The content overlaps heavily with the Sunni six, but adalat and the Imamate are raised to the status of foundations, while angels, scriptures and decree are treated within those headings rather than listed separately.

4. 4

   What work does adalat do in Shi'a theology?

   Model answer

   It holds that justice belongs to Allah's very nature rather than being simply whatever Allah happens to will, so Allah cannot act unjustly. Twelver Shi'a Muslims draw from this that human beings must be genuinely free, since punishing someone for what they could not avoid would be unjust. Much Sunni theology, especially the Ash'ari school, instead makes the good whatever Allah decrees, and puts the weight on omnipotence.

5. 5

   Tawhid is usually translated as oneness. What does it rule out as well as affirm?

   Model answer

   It affirms that Allah is one, without partner, parts or offspring, and unlike anything created. It rules out shirk, associating anything with Allah, which Muslims regard as the gravest of sins; it rules out picturing the divine in creaturely form, which shapes Islamic art; and it rules out any intermediary whose permission is needed for access to Allah.

6. 6

   Why do Muslims speak of Allah through the 99 Beautiful Names?

   Model answer

   Muslims hold that the divine essence is unknowable in itself, so the names are how Allah has chosen to be known: the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Just, the Provider. They are recited in remembrance, counted on prayer beads, and give many Muslims their own names, such as Abd al-Rahman, servant of the Merciful.

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