4.

The Articles of Faith

Belief in 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]

• 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.
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 Tawheed is the axis around which
Islam revolves. Tawheed requires belief in Allah’s existence which is reflected in
His creation.
• There is a harmonious and systematic arrangement in the universe; in the solar
system, the night and day follow fixed schedule; the Sun, the Moon, and the
planets rotate within their set orbits Allah says,
“It is not permitted for the sun to catch-up with the moon nor can night outstrip
day each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to law).” (36:40)
• 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
his own course. In fact, His power is what sustains this universe and all known and
unknown life within it.
“Say (O Muhammad P.B.U.H), Who provides for you from the sky and the earth?
or who has power over hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the
dead and bring out the dead from the living? And who rules and regulates all
affairs? They will say: Allah. ‘Say. Will you not then bow (show piety) before
Allah?’” (10:31)
• 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 outwardly, 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 lshaq, 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 l, therefore worship and serve Me
(alone).” (21:25)
3. Allah’s Names and Attributes:
•As only Allah is perfect, no one else should be named or qualified with names or
qualifications of Allah. 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.
• 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
Tawheed. The Quran says,
“There is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)
• The names of Allah indicate His majesty, power and perfection. His attributes
are unique and all encompassing: He stands in need of none as He is perfect.;
“And the most beautiful names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them.” (7:180)
• 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. 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.
  Shirk:
M/J 2017
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]
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. 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.

1. Shirk in Allah’s Lordship:

Shirk in the Lordship 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 Quran e.g.
“Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives
anything else to whom He pleases.” (AI Nisa 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:
“l 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 Allah:
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
fulfillment 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 Allah’s Attributes:
Shirk in Allah’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 has 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.
  Importance of Tawheed:

M/J 2017
3(a) Belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) is a fund mental aspect of
faith. State how tawhid benefits Muslims in their everyday life [10]
• 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 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 Quran:
“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.
• This belief makes man 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 him from ruin.
• A Muslim surrender completely to the will of God and becomes obedient to
Him.
• This belief produces in man 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 influence. 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 attitude of mind cannot be produced by any other belief. For it is
necessary that those who associate other beings with God, or who deny God,
should bow in homage to some creatures, regard them able to benefit or harm
them, fear them and place their hopes in them.
• 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 realize that God’s love and sympathy is not confined to any one group of
people but to His entire creation.
• 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.
• It also creates an attitude of peace and contentment and frees one from
jealousy and envy and greed.
Belief in Allah’s Angels:
M/J 2010
4 (a) What are Muslim beliefs about angels? [10]
It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal, which is:
“l believes 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.
• It is the second article of faith.
• Angels are special creation of Allah and are made of light(Nur). They are solely
created-to worship Allah and praise Him.
• They 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 Lo! Allah is on enemy to those who reject.” (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 disdain not to do Him worship: They celebrate
His praises and bow down before Him.” (Al-Aaraf 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.
• 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 Nah116:2]
• Angels are heavenly beings not visible to ordinary mortals and belong to the
category of unseen. They do not need sleep or other human requirements and
never get tired.
• 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:
l. Angel Gabriel is the one who brought the message of Allah to Muhammad
(P.B.U.H.) and all 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 announce 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 duties.
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).” (82: 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.
Belief in Allah’s Books:
O/N 2010
4 (a) Write a descriptive account of the Muslim belief in revealed books.
[10]
• 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.
It is the third article of faith.
• All divine teachings are contained in the books of Allah. 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 judgement 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 nog mention all the prophets nor all the books, however it
mentions that revelations were sent to Nuh, Ibrahim, Ismail, 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 Ismail, 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)
• None of the revealed Books except the Quran 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 revealed books mentioned in the Quran 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 sent to Isa (AS) 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 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 Quran was revealed to Muhammad (P.B.U.H). It is the last and the most
perfect Book of Allah. lt is a comprehensive book. lt deals with every aspect of
human life, e.g. social, economic, legal, moral and political etc. The Quran is the
only book which 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 Quran 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 favors upon
you and chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (Al Maidah 5:3).
Belief in Allah’s 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]

• 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.
• It is the, fourth article of Muslim faith.
• All the messengers were chosen by God.
• 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. 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 then messages were only for the
guidance of those communities for example, Prophet Musa and Prophet Isa were
sent for the guidance of Bani Israel.
• Some of these messengers were given the miracles as a sign of their divinity for
example Prophet Musa was given the miracle of the staff which turned into a
snake. Similarly, Prophet Isa could cure the blind and even brought forth the
dead. 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.”
(4:64)
• According to Muslim belief the line of prophets started from Hazrat Adam.
According to a Prophet’s hadith, the line numbered 124,000 approximately. The
Quran mentions only 25 of them by name. major individuals include Hazrat
Ibrahim (Suhaf), Hazrat Musa (Torah), Hazrat Daud (Zabur), 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 because they are equal in
status. The Quran says,
“And We make no distinction between one and other of His messengers.” (2:285)
•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.” [33:40]
Prophet pbuh himself said,
“l 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,
“This is a Glorious Quran in a Tablet preserved.” (Ch85:V21-22)
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 (21)
5(a) Write an account about the relationship between belief in God’s
divine decree and [10]
• 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:
“l believes 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 off all affairs" (Al Annam).
• For example, birth of Hazrat Isa was predestined and Allah sent Jibrail to
Maryam R.A 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).
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)
• 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 with 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. 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)
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]
• 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.

• Belief in resurrection and the last day is the sixth Article of Faith. 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 this deeds.
• According to Muslim believe upon death a person enters and intermediate
phase the waiting period between that and has a reaction called Barzakh. In
Barzakh start the lesser judgement where the dead will be questioned by Angels
about their religion, prophets and their Lord Allah. Depending in how one fares in
this lesser judgement, one’s grave can be reflection of Paradise or Hell. The soul
rest in Barzakh where they will remain till resurrection, Allah says,
“Before them is partition (Barzakh) till the day they are raised up.” (23:100)
• 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" (AI Qariah 101:4-5).
Mothers will forget their children everyone will be concerned about his own self,
Allah says,
"When the deafening blast is sounded that day man shall flee from his brother,
his mother, and his father" (Abas 80:33-35).

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, Allah says,
"Every soul must taste of death" (Al Anbiya 21:35).
• 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! And the earth will shine with the glory of its Lord: The Record (of
deeds) will be placed (open)" (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)
• Men 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.

Questions from Past Papers:

O/N 2012
3 (a) Give an account of Muslim belief in the following: [10]
(i) angels; and
(ii) prophets.

O/N 2015
5 (a) Belief in prophets and the revealed books are essential to Islam.
Write an account of these two articles of faith. [10]

4.(b) Discuss the importance of Jibrail 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 Isa to
Hazrat Maryam, to deliver the Quran to Prophet Muhammad and also 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.

5.(b) All revealed books were sent by God. What in your opinion makes
the Qur'an unique?[4]

Qur'an is different from other revealed books as it is the only book revealed to all
humanity for all times. God Himself has promised to protect its message. the
language of the Qur'an is very much alive today and spoken by millions unlike
those of the other revealed books. it message is universal and eternal

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 realize 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

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.
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 dies good unrepentant works a person of shirk, may have done are lost,
become worthless, and are rendered vain if a person "And certainly, it has been
revealed to you and to those before you: if you should associate (anything) with
Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among
the losers." (Quran 39:65)

4.(b) Why is the belief in resurrection important to Muslims in their

daily living? [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. Rejection of this
belief makes all other beliefs meaningless. If a person does not believe in
accountability to his Creator for 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. In this world, we
sometimes see the pious suffer whilst the impious live enjoyable lives. What
needs to be remembered is that all shall be judged one day and justice will be
meted out. The acceptance or rejection of life after death is perhaps the greatest
factor in determining the course of an individual's life.

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 realizes 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 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. A person achieves
an inner peace, and is inwardly at rest with this realization.