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Articles of Faith
Tauheed, the belief in Oneness of Allah
M/J 2013
4 (a) Outline the Muslim teaching about the belief in the oneness of God (tawhid). [10]
M/J 2016
5 (a) Muslims believe that God alone is Lord, that He alone should be worshipped and that His names and attributes are unique to Him. Outline Muslim beliefs in the
oneness of God. [10]
O/N 2020
4 (a) Write a detailed account of belief in:
• God as the Supreme Lord and Master of all creation;
• God alone is entitled to worship; and
• God is known by His most beautiful names and attributes. [10]
Answer(Learn and write):
It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal, which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in
His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that everything good or bad is decided by Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
At the heart of Islam lies belief in Allah as the only deity worthy of worship by his creation. The essence of Islam is bearing witness to the phrase, ‘There is no god
but Allah’. The testimony to this belief, called tauheed, is the axis around which Islam revolves. Tauheed requires belief in Allah’s existence which is reflected in
His creation. Allah’s presence can be perceived by His answer to our prayers, the miracles gave some of his Prophets, and the teachings in the revealed books. In
fact, every human is born with an instinctive belief in Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said, “Every child is born in a state of fitrah (a natural belief in
Allah) then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.”
Belief in Allah, In Islam, consists of following aspects:
1. Belief in Allah’s Lordship
Belief in the supremacy of Allah means that both heaven and earth, and all that lies beyond them, unknown to humans, belongs to Allah. He alone is the most
supreme the exclusive lord and master of all His creation. He created them out of non-existence and they are dependent upon Him for their conversation and
continuation and He alone has the power to bring them all to an end or bring them to life again.
Furthermore, He did not create the universe without purpose and leave it to run is own course. In fact, His power is what sustains this universe and all known and
unknown life within it. Quran says, ‘Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”
Belief in Allah as the supreme Lord also means to acknowledge Him as the Supreme lawgiver, the absolute judge and legislators, who alone distinguishes right from
wrong. Just as the physical world submits to His supremacy, human beings must submit to the moral and religious teaching of their Lord.
In other words, Allah alone has the authority to make law, determine acts of worship, decide morals, and set standards of human interaction and behavior.
2. Allah alone is entitled to be worshiped
In Islam, Allah’s right to be worshipped cannot be questioned. Allah has the exclusive right to be worshipped inwardly, and o utwardly, by one’s heart, body and
soul.
No one should be worshipped other than Him and no one can be worshipped along with Him. He has no partners and no associates in worship. Worship for Him
alone. The Quran says, “And your God is the one and only Allah; there is no God but He, most gracious, most merciful.” (2:163)
The central messages of all Prophets and messengers sent by Allah, such as Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Ishaq, Hazrat Ismail, Hazrat Musa, Hazrat Isa and Hazrat
Muhammad (P.B.U.H), is to urge humanity to surrender to Allah’s will and His Worship. The Quran says, “And we never sent any messenger before you (O
Muhammad (P.B.U.H) without having revealed to him that there is no God but I, therefore worship and serve Me (alone).” (21:25)
3. Allah’s names and attributes
The names of God reflect His majesty, power and perfection. His attributes are unique and all-encompassing. Amongst his 99 names are: Al-
Qawee[The Almighty], Al-Ahad [The Incomparable] , Al-Aleem [ the All knowing], Ar-Rahman [The Compassionate] etc. Muslim start their day and
tasks with the name of Allah and remind themselves of His compassion and mercy every time they eat, drink, or do anything of importance.
As only Allah is perfect, no one else should be named or qualified with His names or qualifications. Muslims must believe in all the qualities of Allah
stated in the Quran and as mentioned by His Prophet (P.B.U.H); this belief forms an integral part of faith.
Forgiveness too is an important dimension of human relationship with Allah. Human beings are weak and prone to sin, but Allah in His mercy is willing to forgive
those who repent. He is the Forgiver, Al-Ghafur and Oft-forgiving, Al-Ghaffar.
Attributing any of Allah’s qualities to another deity or human is known as shirk and this is an unforgivable sin in Islam as it goes against the primary
belief in Tauheed. The Quran says, “There is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)
5(b) Why has God repeatedly warned Muslims against committing shirk? [4]
All three kinds of shirk should never be committed . The severity of shirk can be understood through the following :Shirk makes the Creator like His creation,
Therefore, Allah declares shirk to be the greatest wrong,“Indeed to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong.” (Quran 31:13)
• Allah has forbidden Paradise to those who do not repent from committing shirk, condemning him to Hell for eternity,“Surely whoever associates (others)
with Allah, Allah has forbidden to him Paradise and his abode is the Fire.” (Quran 5:72)
• All the good works a person may have done are lost, become worthless, and are rendered vain if a person dies unrepentant of shirk.
Shirk
M/J 2017[22]
4(a) Associating partners (shirk) is opposed to believing in the oneness of God (tawhid) and can be divided into three main categories. Write about each category.
[10]
Answer (Learn and write):
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There is no issue upon which Islam is so strict as the one of tawheed (monotheism). Therefore, shirk is considered the greatest violation with which
the Lord of the heavens and the earth is defied. All three kinds of shirk should never be committed “Surely whoever associates (others) with
Allah, Allah has forbidden to him Paradise and his abode is the Fire.” (Quran 5:72)
Three main kinds of shirk are:
1. Shirk in the existence of God would constitute assigning partners to God or saying that there is more than one Creator or that there are more gods than one. It
could also be committed by declaring God to be the father or son of someone. An example is Christians who believe that Allah is God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit, all at the same time. Quran rejects it by saying,
‘He does not beget, nor is He begotten.’
This is the most unforgivable sin and should never be committed as God has said in several places in the Qur’an e.g. ‘Allah forgives not that partners should be set up
with Him, but He forgives anything else to whom He pleases.’ (AlNisa 4:48)
This category also includes Atheism (the belief that human beings have no Lord).
Pharaoh denied the existence of Allah and claimed his own self to be the Lord over Moses and the people of Egypt. He announced to people: “I am your Lord,
Most High.” (Quran 79:24). Also, the idea that nature itself is God, or that God dwells within His creation is also shirk.
2. Shirk in the worship of God can be committed by praying invoking or asking for help from any other than God and by offering sacrifice or slaughtering in the name of
any other than God. Muslims should therefore only ask God for the fulfilment of their wishes or needs as that power lies only with him. Only He should be invoked. “You
alone we worship and your aid we seek.”
Example of this shirk is held by people who pray to the dead. They believe the souls of the saints and other people can meddle in the affairs of mortal men, that somehow
the departed souls can cause change in the life of men and women by answering their prayers or in other ways. The truth is that the dead have no power over the lives
of the living; they cannot answer anyone’s prayers, nor protect them, nor grant their wishes.
3. Shirk in God’s attributes means to ascribe qualities which are unique to God to some other being. It means to believe that some being other than God ha s the
power to create, or make something perish or has the same knowledge as God or the same divine power. It can be further classified into two types:
(i) Humanizing Allah by giving Him attributes similar to humans is shirk. Depictions of God in paintings and sculpture are of this type. Christianity, the major religion of
the West, views God in human terms, as Jesus is considered God incarnate by them. On the contrary, the Muslim tradition has been clear on this point because
of the Quran’s clear teachings,
“There is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)
(ii) Another form of this type of shirk is when human beings are deified by giving them divine names or qualities. For example, the Christians raise Mary, the mother of
Jesus, to a divine status by giving her some of Allah’s attributes, such as the Merciful. They also call Mary the mother of God, ‘God’ being a reference to her son
Jesus.
4(b) Does belief in angels make a Muslim’s faith stronger? Give reasons for your answer. [4]
• belief in angels does make a Muslim’s faith stronger.
• By believing in them, even though they cannot be seen, a Muslim is confirming his/her firm belief in all that the Qur’an says about them and what the Prophet
(pbuh) has said about them.
• the revealed faiths prior to Islam also believe in angels and this belief confirms the Muslim belief that Islam is a continuation and culmination of the previous
faiths revealed by God hence making their faith even stronger.
• by believing in angels e.g. Jibra’il being the angel who brought revelations to the Prophet (pbuh) Muslims are convinced of t he Qur’an being sent by God
which in turn makes their faith stronger.
Importance of Tauheed
M/J 2017 (21)
3(a) Belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) is a fundamental aspect of faith. State how tawhid benefits Muslims in their everyday life. [10]
Answer (Learn and write):
It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal, which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in
His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that everything good or bad is decided by Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
The Belief of Tawheed is the profound base of Islam, yet it is the core of all the Divine messages . There is One God Who has created everything, and He is the Lord of
everything, to Him creations and matter recur, and to Him are all destinies, He is The Lord in heaven and earth, and it is only Him Who deserves to be worshiped.
Allah says in the Qur’an: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
The benefits of tawhid in the life of a Muslim are several.
• It liberates human from all kind of slavery, except for being slave to One God, Who has created and honored mankind.
• The faithful believer doesn’t fear but Allah, and because of that, he is secured when people are frightened, calm when people are worried, and tranquil when
people are confused. Tawhid also gives a Muslim courage as they know that only God is the giver or taker of life so in turn this belief makes them brave.
• This belief makes a person virtuous and upright. He has the conviction that there is no other means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul and
righteousness of behavior. He has perfect faith in God Who is above all need, is related to none and is absolutely just. This belief creates in him the
consciousness that, unless he lives rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence or underhand activity can save h im from ruin. Thus, a Muslim
surrenders completely to the will of God and becomes obedient to Him.
• This belief produces the highest degree of self-respect and self esteem. The believer knows that Allah alone is the Possessor of all power, and that none
besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or provide for his needs, or give and take away life or wield authority or influenc e. This conviction makes him
indifferent to, and independent and fearless of, all powers other than those of God. He never bows his head in homage to any of God's creatures, nor does
he stretch out his hand before anyone else. He is not overawed by anybody's greatness.
• This belief also generates a sense of modesty and humbleness. It makes him unostentatious and unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty or
arrogant because he knows that whatever he possesses has been given to him by God, and that God can take away just as He can give. In contrast to this, an
unbeliever, when he achieves some worldly merit, becomes proud and conceited because he believes that his merit is due to his own worth.
• Tawheed is all about freeing mind from delusions and myths, freeing conscious from giving up and humiliation, and freeing life from the domination of
people.
• it stimulates unity and brotherhood and broadens the outlook of a believer as they realise that God’s love and sympathy is not confined to any one group of
people but to His entire creation.
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• It also creates an attitude of peace and contentment and frees one from jealousy and envy and greed. Muslims believe that Allah alone is the giver and taker
of everything, Therefore, a believer never becomes jealous of others.
3(b) Give reasons to support the statement that without tawhid there is no faith. [4]
▪ belief in the oneness of God is the first article of Islam and all forms of ibadah revolve around it. because Muslims believe in the one God they offer salat
five times a day to glorify Him and seek His aid; they fast in the month of Ramadan, give zakat and perform hajj which are all actions to glorify God, to
follow His commands, to please Him and to seek His mercy. If the belief in tawhid was absent there would be no need to act upon the Pillars of faith or the
teachings of Islam as they are all done to please the one God.
Belief in angels
M/J 2010
4 (a) What are Muslim beliefs about angels? [10]
O/N 2018
4(a) According to Muslim belief what part do angels play in the everyday lives of human beings? [10]
Answer (Learn and write):
• Belief in angels is the second article of faith. It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal,
which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that everything good or bad is decided by Allah,
the Almighty, and in life after death”.
• Angels are special creation of Allah and are made of light(Nur). They are solely created to worship Allah and praise Him. The y are not Allah’s daughters or
objects of worship.
• The angels are a link between man and God, Allah says, “Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles to Gabriel and Michael, remember!
Allah is an enemy to those who reject faith.” (Baqarah 2:98)
• They are entrusted with specific function. They have been bestowed with the necessary qualities and power to carry out their duties, but they do not have a
free will. they worship and glorify Allah, sing His praises and prostrate before Him, Allah says, “Those who are near to your Lord hesitate not to worship Him:
They celebrate His praises and bow down before Him.” (Al-A’raf 7:206)
• Angels play a significant role in the everyday lives of human beings e.g. according to Muslim belief they breathe life into the foetus a few months after
conception with the permission of God; an angel then writes the answer to four questions in this human being’s book of deeds: Will it be male or female?
Will this person be happy or sad? How long will his/her life be and will the person perform good or bad deeds?
• Angels are also responsible for guarding people throughout their lives; The Quran says, “ For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who
protect him by the decree of Allah.” (Sura 13 verse 11)
• They strengthen the hearts of righteous believers. In the battle of Badr the angels strengthened the heart of the believers and helped them. They cast terror
into the hearts of the non believers. They ask Allah’s forgiveness for the believers and send blessings on them.
They act as messengers of Allah, but they do not descend without His permission, “Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission on every errand.”
(Al-Qadr:97:4) “ He does send down His angels with the inspiration of His command to such of His servants as He pleases.”[al Nahl16:2]
• Angels are heavenly beings not visible to ordinary mortals and belong to the category of unseen.They donot need sleep or othe r human requirements and
never get tired. The do not have freewill and only obey and implement command of Allah, therefore, they are sinless.
• Angels prostrated before Adam when Allah commanded them to do so.Angels also appeared to the prophet Ibrahim in human from to give him glad tiding of
a son An angel was sent to the prophet Zakariyah and to Maryam to give them tiding of a son..
The most prominent angels are:
1. Angel Gabriel is the one who brought the message of Allah to Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) ad all the other prophets.
2. Angel Izrael is the angel of death who takes away the life.
3. Angel Mikael provides the provisions to the people; he is also responsible to cause the rainfall.
4. Angel Israfeel is the angel who will blow the trumpet, ‘Soor’ on the Day of Judgment when directed. The first trumpet will be blown to annou nce the
end of the world and the second trumpet will be sounded to bring all the dead to life again to face Allah’s judgment.
These four angels are regarded amongst the highest ranking for the importance of their duities.
5. Kiramann Katibin record every deed of a person, Allah says, “ But verily over you (are appointed angels) to protect you, kind and honorable writing
down(your deeds).”(Al-Infitar82:10)
6. Munkar and Nakir question the dead grave, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “ When a faithful believer is made to sit in his grave, then (the angels) come
to him and he testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle .....” (Sahih Bukhari)
7. Rizwan the gatekeeper of Paradise; Malik the gatekeeper of Hell.
(b) Discuss the importance of Jibra’il in comparison to other angels. [4]
• Angels have particular jobs to do which are assigned to them by God.
• Jibrail is the arch angel who had the all important duty of bringing the word of Allah to his chosen messengers.
• He was sent by Allah to announce the birth of Hazrat Issa to Hazrat Maryam , to deliver the Quran to Prophet Muhammad and als o to conduct him on the
Miraj.
• He had been in direct interaction with mankind as compared to any other angel and appeared in human form on many occasions. The Quran refers to him as
“The Holy Spirit” at several places e.g surah Maryam, surah al Qadr etc.
Belief in Divine Books
O/N 2010
4 (a) Write a descriptive account of the Muslim belief in revealed books. [10]
O/N 2014
5 (a) Name the revealed books mentioned in the Qur’an, giving the names of the messengers they were revealed to and the message they contained. [10]
Answer (Learn and write)
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• Belief in divine books is the third article of faith. It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal,
which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that everything good or bad is decided by Allah,
the Almighty, and in life after death”.
• All divine teachings are contained in the books of Allah. The main purpose for sending the revealed books was for people to learn about the religion sent to
them and to know of their obligations towards God and fellow human beings. Belief in divine books before the revelation of the Qur’an is an essential aspect
of Muslim faith. They are source of guidance for the mankind.
They all brought the same teachings . All Divine books invited people to worship of Allah,they contained belief in prophethood, the day of judgment and the
concept of reward and punishment, and they also contained a code of morality and justice, but were not comprehensive enough to contain a complete code of
life.
The Quran does not mention all the prophets nor all the books ,however it mentions that revelations were sent to Nuh, Ibrahim , Isma’il, Is-haq,Yaqub,Musa and
Isa (peace be upon them),Allah says,
“Say (O Muslims):We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham and Ismael and Is-haq ,and
Jacob,and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction
between any of them, and unto him we have surrendered.”(Al-Baqarah2:136)
Quran mentions the Suhuf (scrolls) of Hazrat Ibrahim which was lost.
The revealed books mentioned in the Qur’an are:-
1.The Torah was revealed to Musa for the guidance of Bani Israel.
It contained Allah’s command, light, admonition, mercy, and a clear explanation of things.
The original book was changed ;its followers distorted it and perverted words of Allah and changed its meaning. Allah says,
“They change the words from their(right)places and forget agood part of the message that was sent.”(Al-Maidah 5:13)
2. The Zabur was revealed to Daud. It was also lost and corrupted.
3.The Injil (bible) was sent to Isa (p.b.u.h)The Christians distorted Bible and introduced the doctrine of “trinity” and redemption through crucifixion, although Isa
(peace be upon him)had clearly told his followers that Allah was his Lord and their lord and that they should worship Allah alone. According to the Quran Injil
confirms the Torah.The prophet (P.B.U.H) is mentioned in both the Injil and the Torah. Allah says,”And remember Jesus the son of Mary said:
“O children of Israel I am the apostle of Allah (sent)to you confirming the Law(which came)before me and giving glad Tidings of an Apostle to come after me
whose name shall be Ahmad.” (As-Saff 61:6)
4.The Quranwas revealed to Muhammad(P.B.U.H). Itis the last and the most perfect Book of Allah.It is a comprehensive book.It deals with every aspect of human
life,e.g.sociol, economic, legal, moral and political etc.
None of the revealed Books except the Qur’an exists in its original form today. The Suhaf of Ibrahim was lost .Some of the books were changed and modified such
as Torah and Injil. God’s words have been blended with those of man,thus it is difficult to establish the authenticity of various parts of these Books.The languages
of these books are dead languages. They were revealed to a particular nation for a particular period of time.
The Qu’ran is the only book which universal and for all times till the day of judgment. It is unchanged, Allah promised to safeguard it,
“We have, without; doubt revealed the reminder and we will guard it(from corruption)”(Al Hijr 15:9)
The Qur’an is a universal book, sent to the entire mankind for all ages. God says, ‘This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favours upon
you and chosen for you Islam as your religion’. (Al Maidah 5:3).
4.(b) How is the message brought by these prophets important for Muslims today? [4]
• the message brought by all the prophets was of belief in the one God; good conduct and belief in resurrection and the Day of Judgment.
• This message is important to Muslims today just as it was important to Muslims of the past ages and will be to those of the future because it reiterates tawhid
and accountability which if a person bears in mind will lead to good conduct and prosperity in this world and the next.
• It teaches Muslims tolerance for other revealed faiths and makes them realise that Islam is a continuation and culmination of the other revealed faiths.
• The unity of the message will foster better relations between Muslims and other believers etc.
Belief in Prophets
O/N 2013
4 (a) Give an account of Muslim belief in prophets and the messages they preached. [10]
O/N 2016
4 (a) Belief in all the prophets is one of the articles of faith in Islam. Write about this Muslim belief in detail [10]
Answer (Learn and write):
• Belief in prophets is the fourth article of Muslim faith. It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-
Mufassal, which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that everything good or bad is decided by
Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
• Muslims believe that prophethood is a gift from God and He bestows this honour on whomsoever He chooses. Prophets were intellectually and morally superior
to the rest of their communities. Every prophet confirmed the revelations that were sent before him. They were sent throughout history for the guidance of
mankind and they acted as a link between God and mankind.
• All the messengers were human but sinless which means that they never disobeyed God delibrately. They were all men and many of them got married and had
children. They did not have any physical relation with God. The Holy Quran condemns the Christian belief that Prophet Isa was the son of the God.
• All the messengers conveyed the same teachings that are belief in oneness of Allah and in the life hereafter but with the exception of Quran all previous
messages were either lost or corrupted.
• They were sent to particular communities and their messages were only for the guidance of those communities for example, Prop het Musa and Prophet Isa
were sent for the guidance of Bani Israel.
• Some of these messengers were given the miracles as a reflection of God’s power. The miracles granted to the prophets were usually in the field in which their
nations excelled.for example Prophet Musa was given the miracle of the staff which turned into a snake because his nation excelled in magic. Similarly, Prophet
Isa could cure the blind and even brought forth the dead as he was sent to skilled physicians Prophet Muhammad pbuh was given the miracle of Quran because
Quraish were known for their eloquence. Miracles given to previous prophets were for that time only whereas the Quran is immortal and universal.
• All the messengers were to be obeyed as the Quran says, “We did not send any messenger but to be obeyed in accordance to God’s will.” [Ch4:V64]
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• According to Muslim belief the line of prophets started from Hazrat Adam. According to a Prophet’s hadith, the line numbered 1, 24,000 approximately. The
Quran mentions only 25 of them by name. major individuals include Hazrat Ibrahim (Suhuf), Hazrat Musa (Torah), Hazrat Daud (Zaboor), and Hazrat Isa (Injil)
and Prophet Muhammad pbuh (the Holy Quran).
• Muslims believe that all the messengers were morally perfect which means that they were honest upright and truthful and they did not make any addition or
omission in Divine revelations.
• All the messengers should be respected equally without any distinction because they were divinely appointed for the same purpose. The Quran says, “And We
make no distinction between one and other of His messengers.” [Ch2:V285]
• Prophet Muhammad pbuh was the last in the line of prophetic messengers, therefore, he is also known as “Seal of the Prophets”. The Holy Quran says,
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men but the Messenger of Allah and the seal of prophets.” [Ch33:V40]. Prophet pbuh himself said, “I am the
seal of prophets and there will be no prophet after me.” His message was the same as the previous ones but it was sent for all mankind and for all times to
come (Universal and Eternal). God himself has taken the responsibility of protecting His message from any change or corruption. God says, “We have, without;
doubt revealed the reminder and we will guard it(from corruption)”(Al Hijr 15:9)
4(b) Why is belief in all prophets important in Islam? [4]
• Belief in all of them is important because they were all sent by God;
•it is written in the Qur’an that we should make no distinction between them, al Baqarah,2:285.
• The Qur’an tells us stories of the various prophets of God sent over the ages which teaches Muslims respect for other revealed religions and promotes religious
tolerance. Every prophet carried the legacy of the prophet before him and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) carried this legacy in totality. Though belief in all prophets is
essential in Islam the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has the distinction of being the last prophet of God and was the one on whom the religion was perfected.
Belief in Allah’s Predestination and Decree
M/J 2011
4 (a) What does the statement ‘There is no ability or power except through Allah’ tell you about Muslim belief in Allah’s predestination and decree? [10]
O/N 2017
5(a) Write an account about the relationship between belief in God’s divine decree and human responsibility. [10]
Answer (Learn and write):
The fifth article of Islamic faith is belief in divine decree which means that everything good or bad, all moments of happiness or sorrow, pleasure or pain,
come from God. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal, which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that
everything good or bad is decided by Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete.
The Arabic word for destiny ‘ Qadr’ implies ‘the measuring of something or fixing a limit to it’. The word Qadr has the same root as word ‘Qadir’ one of
Allah’s names meaning “All powerful”. Quran says,
“ Verily, We have created all things in measure and proportion.”
This belief highlights God’s Omnipotence and Omniscience and states that Allah is the most powerful and the Supreme Being and nothing can take place
without His will. Quran says,
“To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth”.
Muslims also believe in Allah’s Supreme knowledge of past, present and future. “He knows what is before and after and behind them ”.
He holds the Supreme power to decide the outcome of events before they occur. This is defined as Allah’s predestination “He has the Power to dispose of all
affairs” (Al Anaam), for example, birth of Hazrat Isa was predestined and Allah sent jibrail to Maryam to give her glad tidings of the birth of a son. This is mentioned in
the Quran as follows, “it is the matter already decreed”. (19:19-21).
Another example showing Allah’s predestination is that the victory of Muslims in the battle of Badr (2AH/624AD) was predestined as the Quran says: “A matter already
enacted” (8:45).
Similarly, Allah has already decided the birth, death, shape or appearance, amount of livelihood of every human being on earth which is recorded in the
Preserved Tablet (al-Lauh al-Mahfuz). Everything in the universe is the outcome of planning and will of the Creator. He has created it with infinite wisdom and wit h a
definite purpose. He not only maintains it but is also directing it to its destined end.
Human knowledge is limited and so humans should act upon Allah’s will. Day of Judgment and its events which will take place in future have already been decided by
Allah. “And when the earth is flattened out, and casts forth what is within it and becomes (clean) empty” (84:3,4)
Allah created humans with certain powers which he could exercise under certain limitations and thus these powers produce good or evil. Freewill is given to humankind
i.e., they can choose between right and wrong. Moreover, this is what for which Allah will question us on the Last day. Allah has shown the path of right and wrong and
then left upon humans to opt for their way and made them responsible for their actions.
Once Hazrat Ali was travelling, on his way he asked a Bedouin to take care of horse and saddle as he wanted to perform Salat and thought he would give the Bedouin
50 dirham for this. When Ali returned, he found out that the Bedouin had stolen his saddle. He then headed to the market to buy a new saddle. On one of the shop he
found his own saddle and questioned about it. The shopkeeper told that a Bedouin had sold this saddle to him in fifty dirhams . Hazrat Ali smiled and said that how
unlucky was the Bedouin who turned his Halal (lawful) into Haram (Unlawful) out of his free will. This event shows that Man is not a helpless creature borne along by
destiny. Rather, each person is responsible for his acts. Man is bound to obey the moral law; and he will receive merited punishment or reward as he violates or observes
that law. However, if such is so, man must have within his power the ability to break or keep the law. God would not hold us responsible for something unless we were
capable of doing it: "God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear’’. (Quran 2:286)
5(b) How does this belief in God’s divine decree affect the day to day life of Muslims? [4]
• Belief in divine decree strengthens one’s belief in God.
• A person realises that God alone controls everything, so he trusts and relies on Him.
• Even though a person tries his best, at the same time he relies on God for the final outcome.
• His hard work or intelligence does not make him arrogant, for God is the source of all that comes his way.
• Finally, a person attains peace of mind in the realisation that God is the Wise and His actions are dictated by wisdom.
• Things don’t happen without a purpose. If something reached him, he realises it could never have escaped him.
• If something misses him, he realises it was never meant to be. A person achieves an inner peace, and is inwardly at rest with this realisation.
 6

Belief in Resurrection and Last Day

M/J 2015
4(a) What do Muslims believe about the Day of Resurrection and Judgment? [10]
M/J 2018
4(a) Write in detail about Muslim belief in Life after Death and the Day of Judgement. [10]
Answer (Learn and write) :
• Belief in Resurrection and the Last Day is the sixth article of faith. It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-
e-Mufassal, which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that everything good or bad is decided by
Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
• Every Muslim must believe in the life after death, all life will come to an end one day. Mankind will be resurrected and will be presented in the court of Allah with
the record of his deeds. He will be given an account of all his deeds.
• According to Muslim belief, upon death a person enters an intermediate phase, the waiting period between death and resurrection called barzakh. In barzakh
starts the lesser judgment where the dead will be questioned by angels about their religion, prophets, and their lord, Allah. depending on how one fares in this
lesser judgment, one’s grave can be reflection of Paradise or Hell. The soul rest in Barzakh where they will remain till the resurrection, Allah says, “Before them is
partition (Burzakh) till the day they are raised up (Al Muminun23:100)
The Day of Judgment can be divided into three stages.
• Life will come to an end at appointed day. Everything of this universe shall be destroyed. The day is called Qayamah. Qayamah will be the day of clamour and
noise, people will be running in confusion and bewilderment, Allah says, “(it is) a Day whereon Man will be like moths Scattered about. And the mountains will
be like carded wool” (Al Qariah 101:4-5).Mothers will forget their children every one will be concerned about his own self.
The sun will be folded up, the stars will lose their lights and scatter away. The earth will be rent asunder. The mountains will set in motion and they will be blown
away. “One day we shall remove the mountains and you will see the earth as a level (20:100). The ocean will boil over the burst forth. All the people will die.
• The second trumpet will be blown and there will be resurrection not only of men but also of angels and Jinn . “Then will a second one be sounded when behold
they will be standing and looking on.” (68-69).
A new world will emerge with a new sky. All human beings who had lived on this earth since its inception will come back to life, this is called HASHR. “You were
lifeless and He gave you life and He will cause you to die and will bring you again to life” (2:28)
• Mankind will be presented in the court of Allah with the record of their deeds and they will be judged according to their deeds. Allah says, “And the book of
(Deeds) will be placed (before you) and you will see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein” (Al Kahf 18:49)
Scales will be set up and the deeds will be weighted. Furthermore, the Quran tells us that those who have done good deed will be handed their record in their right
hands, and those who have sinned will receive the records in their left hands.” ‘Those who are given their record in their right hands will read it (with
pleasure)”(17:71).
“ And he that will be given his record in his left hand will say Ah! Would that my record had not be given to me.” (69:25)
• As-Sirat will be laid across Hell and Muhammad (P.B.U.H) shall be the first amongst the Apostles to cross it with the followers.
Those who emerge successful in this judgment will go to paradise Allah says, “Then he whose Scales are heavy shall be in state of bliss and he whose scales are light
shall have a deep pit for his dwelling.” (Al Qariah 101:9-10)
Paradise and hell are described in the Quran and Hadith with concrete and material thing of this world. This is to give an idea to human mind about the intensity of
pleasure in paradise and severity of the punishment in Hell.
4(b) Why is the belief in resurrection important to Muslims in their daily living? [4]
4.(b) How does this belief affect the daily living of Muslims? [4]
• Belief in the Hereafter, resurrection the Day of Judgment and accountability before Allah is at the heart of Islam as this stress the purpose of human creation.
• This belief shows the direct relation between a person’s conduct on earth and the life beyond i.e the present life is a preparation for the next, which will be one of
rewards and punishments, depending on one’s conduct on earth. In preparation for the afterlife, Allah has provided guidance to humanity through His prophets
and revealed books.
• Rejection of this belief makes all other beliefs meaningless. If a person does not believe in accountability to his Creator f or all his deeds, there is nothing to stop
him from wrongdoing. It is fear of accountability that keeps a person in check; faith in life after death urges people to do right and stay away from sin.
• This world, then is seen by Muslims as a temporary place where their actions and behaviour will determine what will become of them in their next life.