2058/2

Articles of Faith

COMPILED BY MS. KIREN LAKHANI

2/1/2058
 Articles of Faith

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prophets.............................................................................................. 3

Angels: ................................................................................................ 5

Revealed Books:................................................................................ 8

Life after Death: ............................................................................... 10

Belief in Predestination ................................................................... 13

Review Questions:........................................................................... 17

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Prophets Belief in all the prophets is one of the articles of faith in

Islam. Write about this Muslim belief in detail. [10]

 Since the beginning of creation Allah has sent guidance to mankind through
prophets. Believing in Prophets is an important part of faith. One who does not
have faith in Allah’s prophets and accepts the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as the last
messenger of Allah is not a muslim.
 Allah has sent one hundred and twenty four thousand messengers for the
guidance of mankind. They were sent to different parts of the world but most
were sent to Jerusalem near Masjid Aqsa. The Quran says: “And for every nation
there is a messenger.” (Yunus 10.47)
 Every prophet spoke in the language of his people. “We sent an apostle except
(to teach) in the language of his (own) people in order to make (things) clear to
them.” (Ibrahim 14.4)
 Prophets are those selected human beings which were chosen and sent by Allah
for the guidance of mankind. All of these prophets were communicated by Allah
through revelations which were brought to them by Angel Jibrael.
 Some prophets were given new scriptures and law hence they are referred to as
“Rasool”. These include:
 Hazrat Moosa (AS) or Moses who was given the Old Testament (Torah),
 Hazrat Dawood (AS) or David who was given Psalms (Zabur)
 Hazrat Isa (AS) or Jesus who was given the New Testament/Bible (Injeel)
and
 Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) who was given the Quran
 On the other hand those prophets who were sent down to preach the previous
books of other prophets are known as “Nabi” (eg Haroon used to preach Torah)
 All the prophets sent down by Allah were just like any other human beings. They
did not have any super power except miracles (eg Moses’s staff which could
change into a snake or Jesus could give live to the dead)
 Islam tells us that a prophet has the following characteristics: He is absolutely
faithful to Allah and is free from all kinds of sins. He delivers the message of
Allah without any omission. He has the highest level of intelligence and mental
ability.
 Although the prophets were men of great piety and served as model of good
conduct but being a human they did make mistakes on which Allah corrected
them. (eg Hazrat Adam ate the forbidden fruit in paradise)
 Just like any ordinary human beings, prophets were also mortal human beings.
They had wives, children and family. Their activities were similar to any other
human beings. All prophets sent by Allah were men and prophet hood was never

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given to women since women couldn’t withstand the torture, persecution or do

jihad.
 All the prophets sent by Allah preached the word of Allah in the language of their
nation upon which they were sent and spoke the same language that was
spoken by his people. The Quran says “We never sent a messenger save with
the language of his folk.”
 The prophets sent by Allah were not only teachers of their respective scriptures;
explaining how to implement it in their daily lives but also served as the role
model for their people. Moreover, they never asked for anything in return for their
work and efforts. They had their own way of earning income and expected the
reward of preaching Allah’s word from Allah Himself.
 The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was the Last Messenger of Allah after whom no other
prophet would come. All other prophets before him were sent for a particular
nation for a particular period of time but the Holy Prophet is universal and his
teachings are perfect and will remain valid till the day of judgment

Practice questions:
1. Write about muslims belief in prophets. (10)
2. Explain how this belief influences the daily lives of muslims. (4)

How is the message brought by these prophets important for Muslims today? [4]
Marking Scheme:
It could be said that 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. Not all the points
mentioned above need to be written about and discussed to get to the higher level
marks.

How are these prophets and their messages important for Muslims? [4]
Marking Scheme:
In answer to this question the candidates need to bring out the importance of all the
prophets and the message they brought. They could in their answers say that the
prophets and their message always taught the unity of God and so reinforce Muslim
belief in tawhid. They all spoke of the need to treat fellow human beings with kindness
and taught their communities the importance and need for good conduct and that was
the primary teaching of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as well which makes Muslims
realise that Islam is a continuation of God’s earlier message, his completion of that
message and not a new religion etc. All valid responses must be credited.

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Angels:
Belief in angels is one of the cardinal articles of a muslim’s faith. The Quran says: And
the believers also believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers,
proclaiming that we do not discriminate in faith about any of His Messengers.”

Angels are creations of Allah. They are created out of light and are not visible to
ordinary mortals. They are ever obedient to Allah’s Will and Commands. Angels are
neither male nor female; they don’t have parents, wives, husbands, sons or daughters.
They have no material bodies but can assume any form they like. They do not have
human urges such as food, drink or sleep nor do they have any materialistic desires.
They are innocent and do not commit sins and they never disobey Allah’s commands.

Angels are not Allah’s daughters nor are they object of worship. (The people of Makkah
used to believe that angels are daughters of Allah but the Holy Prophet corrected their
belief) They do not have any physical relationship with Allah. They have no knowledge
except what Allah has taught them. They have no free will and do not speak without
Allah’s permission. They only act on Allah’s commands.

Angels have wings. The number and size of their wings depends upon their ranks. The
Quran says: Who (Allah) made the angels with wings, two or three or four.”

Functions of angels:

Angels were created to communicate between Allah and His messengers. (sometimes
in human form, sometimes as angels and sometimes even in dreams) Angels also act
as Allah’s messengers. For example Allah sent down an angel to Hazrat Maryam to
inform her about the birth of a child. Similarly Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) also received glad
tidings of a son via angel.

Angels were created to worship Allah. The Quran says: And we (angels) glorify You with
praises and prostrate before You.”

There have been instances where angels descended to Earth to help muslims during
battles (eg. Battle of Badr)

Angels are also in charge of Heaven and Hell. Rizwan is in charge of Heaven and Malik
in charge of Hell. Similarly Kiraman Katibeen are the pair of angels who record our good
deeds and bad deeds whereas Munkar and Nakeer are responsible for questioning the
dead

Some of the angels mentioned in the Holy Quran include:

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Angel Jibrael: He was responsible for bringing down revelations to Allah’s chosen
people. He ranks the highest amongst all angels and has been referred to as the
trustworthy spirit in the Holy Quran

Angel Mikael: He is responsible for rainfall, blowing wind and the distribution of “rizk”

Angel Israfeel: will blow the trumpet on the Day of Judgment and every creature will be
destroyed as a result of the noise of the trumpet. Upon blowing the second trumpet evry
creature will rise again for the Day of Judgment.

Angel Izrael: The angel of Death will take the souls of men on their deaths. Unbelievers’
souls will be taken with violence.

According to Muslim belief what part do angels play in the everyday lives of
human beings? [10]
Marking Scheme:
Candidates could begin their answer by saying that belief in angels is an Article of Faith
and that Muslims believe in them as both God and the Prophet have provided Muslims
with information about them.
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; Candidates
could quote the Qur’an here, Sura 13 verse 11. Each person has been assigned two
recording angels; apart from the four angels constantly guarding and recording, other
angels visit human beings to witness the prayer and listen to recited verses of the
Qur’an. It could also be said that angels helped the Prophet and his small band of
followers in the Battle of Badr and helped them gain victory. Angel Azrael has the task
of taking life with the permission of Allah. Candidates could write about other angels e.g.
Mikail who provide daily sustenance to humankind by bringing forth rain.

What in your opinion is the primary link between angels and prophets in Islam?
Marking Scheme:
Candidates could say that the primary link between angels and prophets is that angels
are a means of communication between God and the prophets. God sent angels to
prophet Ibrahim to inform him of the birth of his son, angels were sent throughout
history to other prophets like Lot etc. Gabriel was the angel who visited Mary and
brought the revelation to Prophet Muhammad. All valid responses to be credited

Does belief in angels make a Muslim’s faith stronger? Give reasons for your
answer. [4]
Marking Scheme:

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Candidates in response to this question could say that 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. Some could say that 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. Yet some others could write that by believing in angels e.g. Jibra’il
being the angel who brought revelations to the Prophet (pbuh) Muslims are convinced
of the Qur’an being sent by God which in turn makes their faith stronger. All valid points
of views should be credited.

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Revealed Books:
 Revelations are special invisible supernatural means of communication used by
Allah to communicate His commands and messages with His Apostles. The
success of mankind depends on following the revelations of Allah. The Holy
Quran says: “O Children of Adam! If there come to Messengers from among you,
reciting to you My verses, then whosoever becomes pious and righteous, on
them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve. But those who reject our Ayat and
treat them with ignorance, they are the dwellers of the Fire, they will abide therein
forever.” [7:35-36]
 All human beings in this world are servants of Allah and for our guidance Allah
has sent books of guidance which were revealed on to the prophets. Believing in
these revealed books is one of the articles of faith.
 Although 124,000 messengers of Allah were sent for the guidance of mankind to
this world but only 26 messengers are mentioned in the Holy Quran. Similarly the
Quran also mentions the existence of a few scriptures. These include:
 Suhuf-e-Ibrahim: The scriptures given to Hazrat Ibrahim
 Suhuf –e- Musa: The scripture sent down on Hazrat Musa.
(These scriptures have been completely lost over time hence not much is known
about them)
 Apart from this, the Holy Quran also mentions the existence of books sent down by
Allah before the Holy Quran. These books today do not exist in its original form
hence we don’t have to follow them but we must acknowledge its existence. The
Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “The excellence of Quran over all other expressions is
like the excellence of Allah over all His creations.”
 The Books mentioned in the Holy Quran includes:
1. Torah (The Old Testament): Torah was revealed onto Hazrat Musa (AS) in
Hebrew language. Today no copy of the original Torah exists. The people of
Banu Israel failed to act upon Torah and made changes to the original book.
They showed to their people separate sheets and concealed the original
version. The Holy Quran says: “And gave Moses the book Torah in order that
they might receive guidance.”
2. Zabur (Psalms): Revealed onto Hazrat Dawood (AS). The Quran says: “And
to David we gave the Palsms.”
3. Injeel (New Testament): It was granted upon Hazrat Isa (AS) [Jesus] for the
guidance of the people of Banu Israel. The Holy Quran says: “And in their
footsteps, We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come
beforehim and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and
confirmation of the Torah that had come before it, a guidance and an
admonition for Al-Muttaqin. (the pious).” [5.46] The book Gospel also got
corrupted resulting in various versions such as the Gospel of Mark, the

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Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John. Furthermore,
the people of Hazrat Isa introduced the doctrine of trinity and redemption
through the so called crucifixion of Hazrat Isa (AS).
4. The Holy Quran:In the last of these books is a comprehensive book designed
to meet the requirements of mankind, valid for people of all time and ages. It
is the final message of Allah sent down to the Last Messenger of Allah; the
Holy Prophet (PBUH). The Quran says: “And We sent down to you the Book
(Quran) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and a witness
over it (Old Scriptures).”
 Believing in revealed books is one of the prominent beliefs for being a true muslim.
The Holy Quran says, “It is righteous in God and the Last Day and the Angels and
the Books and the Messengers.” Although we need to acknowledge and believe in
all the divine books but we only have to follow the teachings of the Holy Quran as it
is supreme in every sense and was sent down to the Last Messenger of Allah.
 Hence the Holy Quran abrogated all the previous scriptures and we have no need of
it for guidance in the presence of Quran. Furthermore the previously revealed books
were designed for a limited period of time catering to the needs of a particular tribe
and hence have become out dated but the Holy Quran was designed to guide
mankind till the Day of Judgment and Allah Himself has taken the responsibility of its
protection.
 As muslims, it is our first and foremost duty to believe in the Holy Quran, understand
and recite it regularly, understand its message implement its teachings in our daily
lives and mould our character according to it.

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Life after Death: What do Muslims believe about the Day of

Resurrection and Judgment? [10]

Belief in life after death (also known as the grave life) is also an article of faith. As
muslims we believe that this world is only temporary and a day will come when this
world will come to an end. This day is mostly commonly referred to as the Final Day or
Qiyamah. Hence whatever we do in this life is constantly being recorded and every
single one of us will have to face the consequences for our actions in the next life. The
Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “This world is the cultivating ground for Hereafter.”
Additionally the Quran also mentions:” so whoever will do an atom’s weight of good
shall see it and whoever will do an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.”

The gap between death and the second life is known as Barzakh. When we die, angels
come and take our soul from our bodies (comfortably in the case of true believers and
harshly in case of a disbeliever) Immediately after death the lesser judgment or
Qiyamat-e-Sughra takes place which continues till the second trumpet is blown and
then resurrection for the Day of Judgment takes place. The Day of Judgment is also
referred to in Quran as “Al-Akhira.” The Holy Quran says: “And the Trumpet will be
blown and behold from the graves they will come out quickly to their Lord. They will say:
Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of sleep?” [Surah Yaseen]

After a person is buried in his/her grave Munkar Nakeer will appear and ask questions
about our faith. In case of answering the questions correctly, the grave widens and the
dead receives perfume and wind from paradise but in case of not answering the grave
squeezes and crushes that person until one side of the rib cage enters the other side.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “Your grave is either a garden of paradise or a ditch of
Hell.” During the grave life the pious remains in good state whereas the wrong doers
start paying for their sins.

The Quran has given a very clear description about the Day of Judgment is Surah Al
Qariah. It says that a time only known to Allah, this world will come to an end with a
horrifying noise. On this day, men will be scattered like moths and mountains which are
the heaviest objects on the earth will be flying like wool. The gravity on earth will come
to an end. That day everyone’s deeds will be balanced and the weight of their deeds will
be dependent on their intentions.

The good will receive their deeds in their right hand and will be rewarded Paradise.
Whereas those who have performed bad deeds will receive their deeds in their left
hands and will go in the Hell fire. It is said that the intensity of hell fire is 70 times
greater than the fire of this world.

No injustice will be done on this day. A man’s hands and feet and tongue will testify
against them. Those who have an equal number of good deeds and bad deeds will stay

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in A’raaf (a place between Paradise and Hell) Details about A’raaf are mentioned in
Surah Araaf

How the belief in the Day of Judgment affect the daily living of Muslims? [4]

Belief in hereafter is the part of real Iman and it is free of social and moral evils. When
one believes in the hereafter then he follow the right path and takes care of the all
hakookulabad and perform his duties according to the teachings of Islam. He know well
that he should answer to the God of his deeds so he improve his acts and lead his life
according to the duties prescribed by Allah and his propjet (pbuh). When one believes in
the Day of Judgment than he doesn’t care of the small happiness of this world as these
happiness are imperfect and it is mixed with pain so there will be a world where
happiness is in great measure and this is hereafter so one can avoid bad activities in
order to get this real happiness.

Belief in the Day of Judgment is the part of our faith (iman) and it is free of social and
moral evils. When one believes in the hereafter then he follow the right path and takes
care of the all hakookulabad and perform his duties according to the teachings of Islam.
First and foremost it allows mankind to thank Allah for the numerous bounties that He
has bestowed upon us. It reminds us that we are answerable to Allah for all of our
deeds so we improves our acts and lead a life according to the duties prescribed by
Allah and his propjet (pbuh). (i.e according to the Quran and the Sunnah) This belief
leads man to do good deeds and charities, to avoid evil and bad deeds, to be equipped
with high ethics and merits, to fear Allah and to obey the divine criteria imposed by Him
in anything he does.

A person with such a belief will never abandon honesty. He will do everything in time
and fully. He behaves honestly toward himself, his family, his environment, his country
and nation and humanity. He accepts it a principle to show love and compassion to
them, to be useful for them and to serve them.
He never abandons justice; he never oppresses anyone. If he wants to be rich, he will
never do something bad or deceive anyone. He spends his money and property on
good and useful things. He knows his rights and respects the rights of others. He takes

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pleasure in helping the poor. He wants for his believing brothers what he wants for
himself because he definitely believes in the hereafter, the day of reward and
punishment and knows that what is done in this world will be accounted for in the
hereafter; he bases his acts on this principle. That principle is an important factor that
arranges the lives of individuals and the society, and ensures peace and tranquility.

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Write an account about the relationship between belief

Belief in Predestination
in God’s divine decree and human responsibility. [10]

The fifth article of Islamic faith is belief in divine decree or Predestination.

Belief in God’s decree or Predestination (Taqdir) is one of the fundamental articles of

faith. We as muslims believe that everything in this universe and all the events that are
to take place are pre-ordained by Allah. Hence belief in the divine decree means that
everything good or bad, happiness or sorrow, pleasure or pain comes from Allah.

Believing in predestination also includes believing that Allah is the absolute controller of
all the affairs of the universe and nothing can happen without Allah’s knowledge. Allah
knows the present, the past, the future and the destiny of every single one of his
creation. Just like Allah’s knowledge encompasses of everything possible and
impossible, Allah is also the giver and the taker of everything hence we should seek
help from Him whenever in need.

There are certain things in our life in which we are not given the freedom of choice like
our appearance, our family in which we are born etc but these things are not made the
criteria of success in the next world. The judgment will be done according to our actions
which we are free to choose.

As far as the notion of destiny is concerned, Islam tells us that a man is neither
completely the master of his or her faith nor is he bound to the blind law of
predestination. He is partly free and partly subjected to this deterministic force.

The belief in Allah’s Divine Decree or predestination includes:

1. Allah is the sole Creator and Cherisher of the universe.

He knew everything about His creation even before He brought them into being. His
foreknowledge includes their provisions, their appointed time in life, their words and
deeds, all their doings, whatever they conceal and reveal, those who will be admitted
into Paradise as well as those who will be sent to Hellfire. The Qur’an says, “He is Allah,
other than Whom there is no other god, the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible.” (Al-
Hashr, 59:22)

Surah Ikhas affirms the Oneness of Allah as the sole Creator of not only mankind but
also this entire universe, It also negates all forms of polytheistic ideas and idol
worshipping. Belief in One God entails certainty. Muslims worship Allah alone, He has
no partners, associates, or helpers. Worship is directed solely to Allah, for He is the
only One worthy of worship. The Holy Quran says: “He has created everything, and has

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measured it exactly according to its own measurement.” At another instance the Quran
also says: “For it is He who creates everything and determines its nature in accordance
with (His own) design.” This includes our characteristics and our deeds. The human
beings are created by Allah and so are the actions and statements that result from
them. This is because the actions and the statements of a person are his
characteristics; if the person is a creation, then so are his characteristics a creation of
Allah.

2. Allah knows everything; what has, is and will happen. Therefore it will not be wrong to
say that God not only has knowledge of each and every affair of the entire universe but
also all the matters and occurrences are under His control. ‘’…He knows what is in
front of them and what is behind them…’’ (2:255)

3. Allah has recorded all that has passed, all that is happening and all that will happen
until the Day of Judgment in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lauh al-Mahfuz). However the fact
that Allah is aware of what every single person is going to do does not affect the
freedom of will. A human’s freedom of action does not clash with the fore knowledge of
Allah. Man has the free will to choose any path of life (either good or bad) however on
the Day of Judgment he will be judged on the basis of his intention. If he follows Allah’s
guidance he will be rewarded and if not he will be punished.

4. Whatever Allah wills, happens and whatever He wills not, does not happen. We
ourselves can see the Divine Will in many objects and phenomena around us. The
Qur’an says: ‘’It is not permitted to the sun to catch up to the moon, nor can the
night outstrip the day; each just swims along in its own orbit (according to the
Divine Will)’’

Believing in Predestination also involves believing in two types of taqdeer mentioned in

Quran. These include:

Taqdeer Mubram:

This refers to the inevitable fate or those decisions of Allah that can never be changed.
Eg. the Day of Judgment. We all know that it will happen one day and Allah has already
warned us about it so we can mould our lives and actions according to it.

Taqdeer Muallaq:

This refers to those items of Taqdeer which a man can change through invocation (dua)
or charity. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “Charity repulses calamity.” Hence by
praying to Allah man can save himself from various misfortunes and sins.

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Human Responsibility:
In one instance, Umar (ra) departed for Syria
Belief in predestination, keeps human liberty and when he arrived, they found that a plague
intact without denying divine interference in human had broken out, so Umar announced that they
affairs. It does not undermine the principle of would return to Medina. Abu Ubaidah
man’s moral freedom and responsibility. Man is questioned him, saying, “Do you flee from the
not a helpless creature borne along by destiny. It decree of Allah?” And Umar replied:
is incorrect to believe the action of fate (taqdeer) is
blind, arbitrary, and relentless. Would that another had said so, O Abu
Ubaidah! Yes, we are fleeing from the decree
Allah knows everything, but at the same time of Allah to the decree of Allah. Do you not
He has granted man both freedom for his actions see that if you had camels descending in a
as well as the responsibility for those acts. Based valley with two fields, one of them fertile and
on whatever actions man chooses he will receive the other barren, you would graze in the
punishment or reward accordingly. fertile field by the decree of Allah or you
would graze in the barren field by the decree
Man is bound to obey the moral law; and he of Allah?
will receive merited punishment or reward as he
violates or observes that law. However, if such is Umar understood that whatever happened as a
so, man must have it in his power to break or keep result of his actions was from the decree of
Allah, so he should act accordingly and
the law. Allah would not hold us responsible for
consider the causes of events. In this case, he
something unless we were capable of doing it. The avoided the plague as he understood it to be a
Quran says: “So keep your duty to Allah and cause of harm. People often mistakenly
fear Him as much as you can.” (Quran 64:16) assume that trusting in Allah’s decree means
we should not act, like a person who does not
Some people mistakenly imagine the divine
wear his car’s safety belt, thinking it has no
decree of each individual’s future life is so effect on what Allah chooses to ordain. But
rigorously predetermined in all its details by Allah Umar’s example shows us that real trust in
that his own decisions or desires have no power to Allah means one should act upon the pattern
alter the course of events. It defeats common of causes we observe in daily life.
sense to reject faith or commit a sin even before
knowing whether or not it was destined!

Everyone has the ability to choose between

righteousness and evil, so how can a person willfully choose the wrong path and then
use the divine decree (Qadr) as an excuse? It is more appropriate to walk on the
blessed path and attribute it to one’s destiny.
Allah knows from eternity with infallible certainty who will be saved and doomed,
while Allah has this infallible foreknowledge, we, on our part, cannot have an absolutely
certain assurance as to how we will end. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Seek what is beneficial to you, and ask Allah for help. Do not lose hope, and if
something were to afflict you, do not say ‘If I had done so and so’, because
saying ‘If’ opens the doors for the devil.”

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Importance of Belief in divine decree

Belief in divine decree strengthens one’s belief in Allah. A person realizes that Allah
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 Allah is the source of all that comes his
way. Finally, a person attains peace of mind in the realization that God is the Wise and
His Actions are dictated by wisdom. Things don’t happen without a purpose. If
something reached him, he realizes it could never have escaped him. If something
misses him, he realizes it was never meant to be. The Quran says: “God does not
burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear." (2:286)
A man achieves an inner peace, inwardly at rest with this realization.

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 by realizing 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.
 Additionally, 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 realization

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Review Questions:
(a)Give a full account of the Muslim belief in angels.[10]
(b)Briefly explain why Allah revealed different books from time to time.[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]
(b)To what extent does this belief affect the daily living of Muslims?[4]

(a)Give a descriptive account of the Muslim belief in revealed books.[10]

(b)Discuss the importance of Jibra’il in comparison to other angels.[4]

(a)What are Muslim beliefs about angels? [10]

(b)Why is the belief in resurrection important to Muslims in their daily living?[4]

(a)Write about Muslim beliefs in prophets.[10]

(b)Explain how this belief influences the daily living of a Muslim.[4]

(a)Give an account of the Muslim belief in angels and God’s predestination and
decree.[10]
(b) All revealed books were sent down by Allah. What in your opinion makes the Quran unique?
[4]
(b) Explain how the belief in revealed books affects the life of a muslim. [4]

(a) Write in detail about Muslim belief in Life after Death and the Day of Judgement. [10]
(b) How does belief in life after death affect the life of a Muslim? [4]

(a) List the Six Articles of Faith and give an account of what any two of them teach. [10]
(b) What, in your opinion, is the importance of prophets being sent to humanity? [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]

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 Articles of Faith

(b) Does belief in angels make a Muslim’s faith stronger? Give reasons for your answer
Belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) is a fundamental aspect of faith. State how tawhid
benefits Muslims in their everyday life [10]

(a) Write an account about the relationship between belief in God’s divine decree and
human responsibility. [10]
(b) How does this belief in God’s divine decree affect the day to day life of Muslims? [4]

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