RSB10Muslim Beliefs: Holy Books, Angels, Predestination and Life After Death

Belief in the holy books (kutub) is one of the Six Beliefs. The Qur’an is the most important: Muslims believe it is the word of Allah, his final revelation.

• Revelation: Muslims believe Jibril brought it to the Prophet Muhammad over about 23 years (610–632 CE). It began in the cave of Hira on the Night of Power with ‘Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth’ (96:1, Pickthall’s translation).
• Nature: it was revealed in Arabic; ‘Qur’an’ means recitation. Muslims believe only the Arabic is the Qur’an itself; an English version is a translation of its meaning.
• History: it was memorised and written down in the Prophet’s lifetime, gathered into one book under the first caliph, Abu Bakr, and a standard copy was sent out under Uthman. Sunni and Shi’a Muslims use the same text.
• Authority: Muslims believe it is complete and unchanged: ‘This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt’ (2:2) and Allah is ‘its Guardian’ (15:9).
• Purpose: guidance for the whole of life; the basis of Shari’ah (Islamic law) with the Sunnah; recited in every Salah; a source of comfort and worship.

Kutub

The holy books; belief in them is one of the Six Beliefs.

Qur’an

‘Recitation’: the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe is Allah’s final, unchanged revelation.

Revelation

Allah making his will known, which Muslims believe he did through prophets and holy books.

Muslims believe Allah sent holy books to earlier prophets. The spec names four, each with a Qur’an reference to learn.

• Tawrat (Torah), given to Musa. ‘Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light’ (Qur’an 5:44, Pickthall’s translation). Surah 5:43–48 says Jews and Christians should judge by what Allah revealed to them, and that the Qur’an confirms earlier scripture and is ‘a watcher over it’ (5:48).
• Zabur (Psalms), given to Dawud: ‘as We imparted unto David the Psalms’ (4:163, Pickthall’s translation). Surah 4:163–171 places it in a line of revelation from Nuh (Noah) to the Prophet Muhammad.
• Injil (Gospel), given to Isa: Allah ‘caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and gave him the Gospel’ (57:27, Pickthall’s translation). Muslims mean a book revealed to Isa, not the four New Testament Gospels written about Jesus.
• Sahifah (Scrolls), given to Ibrahim; the Qur’an mentions ‘the Books of Abraham and Moses’ (87:19). Muslims believe they have been lost.
• Muslims call Jews and Christians ‘People of the Scripture’ because they received earlier books.

The holy books and the prophets who received them

Tawrat

The Torah, revealed to Musa.

Zabur

The Psalms, revealed to Dawud.

Injil

The Gospel, revealed to Isa.

Sahifah

The Scrolls of Ibrahim (and Musa), now lost.

The spec asks about divergent (different) Muslim views of how important the holy books are today.

• Most Muslims: the earlier books were revealed by Allah, but over time their texts were changed, lost or misread (the Qur’an warns against people who ‘write the Scripture with their hands’ and claim it is from Allah, 2:79). So the Qur’an, which they believe is unchanged, has the final say.
• Some Muslims: parts of the Torah and Gospel still contain true guidance, since the Qur’an tells Jews and Christians to judge by what was revealed to them (5:47). They read the Bible to understand the earlier prophets or for interfaith dialogue.
• Respect for all the books: belief in every revealed book is part of iman (2:4; 2:136), so Muslims should not insult them.
• The Qur’an in daily life: many Muslims learn Arabic or memorise the whole Qur’an (a hafiz); others rely on translations for understanding. Many recite it daily and at special times such as Ramadan.
• Other sources alongside the Qur’an: Sunni Muslims use Hadith collections such as Sahih al-Bukhari; Shi’a Muslims also value the teachings of the Imams. A small minority of Muslims accept only the Qur’an.

Hafiz

A person who has memorised the whole Qur’an.

People of the Scripture

The Qur’an’s name for Jews and Christians, who received earlier holy books.

Belief in angels (malaikah) is one of the Six Beliefs. Muslims believe angels are spiritual beings who serve Allah and link Allah with humans.

• Nature: a hadith in Sahih Muslim teaches angels were created from light. They have no free will: they ‘do that which they are commanded’ (Qur’an 66:6, Pickthall’s translation).
• They are not male or female, don’t eat or sleep, and praise Allah constantly. The Qur’an describes them as messengers with wings (35:1), but Muslims don’t picture them.
• Roles: bringing revelation; recording deeds: ‘guardians, generous and recording, who know (all) that ye do’ (82:10–12); guarding people; taking souls at death; questioning the dead; and guarding paradise and hell.
• Why angels matter: they show Allah’s power and care; revelation came through them, so without Jibril there would be no Qur’an; they remind Muslims that every action is recorded and that they are never alone.
• Angels are not prophets and not jinn. Iblis (Shaytan) is believed to be one of the jinn, made of fire, who disobeyed; angels cannot disobey.

Malaikah

Angels: spiritual beings created by Allah from light, who obey him completely.

The spec names three angels, with two Qur’an references: Surah 2:97–98 and Surah 32:11.

• Jibril brings Allah’s messages to the prophets. The Qur’an says he brought the revelation down to the Prophet’s heart by Allah’s permission (2:97). He first came to the Prophet in the cave of Hira in 610 CE.
• Mika’il is named alongside Jibril as one of Allah’s angels (2:98). Muslims believe he provides rain and nourishment for the earth by Allah’s command.
• Izra’il is the angel of death: ‘The angel of death, who hath charge concerning you, will gather you, and afterward unto your Lord ye will be returned’ (32:11, Pickthall’s translation). The Qur’an says ‘the angel of death’; the name Izra’il comes from Muslim tradition.
• Significance today: Jibril shows the Qur’an came from Allah, so Muslims trust it completely; Mika’il reminds Muslims that food and rain are gifts from Allah, so they give thanks and share; Izra’il reminds Muslims that death can come at any time, so they try to be ready for judgement.

The three angels named in the spec, and other angels in Muslim teaching

Jibril

The angel who brings revelation; he brought the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad.

Mika’il

The angel who brings rain and nourishment by Allah’s command.

Izra’il

The angel of death, who takes each soul at its appointed time (Qur’an 32:11).

al-Qadr is the belief that Allah knows and has decreed everything that happens. It is one of the Six Beliefs. Don’t confuse it with Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, when the Qur’an was first revealed.

• ‘Naught of disaster befalleth in the earth or in yourselves but it is in a Book before we bring it into being’ (Qur’an 57:22, Pickthall’s translation).
• Why it matters: it shows Allah is in control (omnipotence), so Muslims can trust him in good times and bad; it reminds them that everything has a purpose, even when they can’t see it.
• Implications today: Muslims say ‘insha’Allah’ (if Allah wills) about plans; they accept hardship with patience (sabr); they give thanks for good things; they pray (du’a), believing Allah hears them.
• Belief in al-Qadr is not fatalism: Muslims still work, study and seek medical help, and are responsible for what they choose.

al-Qadr

Predestination: Allah knows and has decreed all that happens.

Insha’Allah

‘If Allah wills’: said by Muslims about future plans.

Sabr

Patience and steadfastness, especially in hardship.

If Allah has decreed everything, how can people be judged fairly? Muslims answer that humans still have freedom and are responsible for their choices.

• Freedom: ‘Lo! We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving’ (Qur’an 76:3, Pickthall’s translation). Allah does not change people’s condition until they change what is in their hearts (13:11).
• Responsibility: no one carries another’s load (6:164), and Allah asks nothing beyond a person’s ability (2:286). So the Day of Judgement is fair: people are judged on what they freely chose and intended.
• Sunni views stress Allah’s power: Allah knows and wills all things and even creates human acts, yet humans choose and ‘acquire’ responsibility for them. Allah’s knowledge doesn’t force anyone, just as knowing what someone will do doesn’t make them do it.
• Shi’a views stress Allah’s justice (Adalat): a just God would never force someone to do wrong and then punish them. Many Shi’a scholars quote a saying attributed to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq: not total compulsion and not total freedom, but ‘a matter between the two’.
• Many Shi’a scholars also teach bada’: Allah may change what happens in response to people’s actions, such as prayer and charity, though Allah’s knowledge never changes.

Human freedom

Humans can choose their thoughts and actions, so they are responsible for them.

Bada’

In Shi’a teaching, Allah may change a decree in response to human actions such as prayer.

Akhirah means life after death. It is one of the Six Beliefs (and, as Mi’ad, one of the Five Roots). Muslims see this life as a test that decides what follows.

• ‘Every soul will taste of death’ (Qur’an 3:185, Pickthall’s translation). The angel of death takes the soul (32:11).
• Barzakh is the barrier or waiting state between death and the Day of Resurrection (23:100). Hadith teach that Munkar and Nakir question the dead in the grave about their Lord, religion and prophet.
• Surah 17:49–52: doubters ask how bones and fragments can be raised as a new creation. The answer: ‘He Who created you at the first’ (17:51) will raise them, and it may be soon.
• The Day of Judgement: the trumpet sounds (39:68); everyone is raised and gathered; each person is given the record of their deeds. ‘Whoso is given his book in his right hand… will not be wronged a shred’ (17:71, Pickthall’s translation).
• Deeds are weighed: even ‘an atom’s weight’ of good or ill will be seen (99:7–8). Hadith describe the Sirat, a bridge over hell that all must cross.
• Many Sunni Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad will intercede (plead) for believers; many Shi’a Muslims believe the Imams will intercede too.

The stages Muslims believe follow death

Akhirah

Life after death, including the Day of Judgement, paradise and hell.

Barzakh

The barrier or waiting state between death and the Day of Resurrection.

Resurrection

Allah raising the dead, body and soul, to face judgement.

After judgement Muslims believe each person goes to Jannah (paradise) or Jahannam (hell).

• Many Muslims see nearness to Allah as the greatest reward of paradise.
• Different readings: some Muslims take the descriptions literally; others see them as pictures of realities beyond human imagination.
• Different effects on Muslims today: hope of paradise motivates prayer, charity and honesty; fear of hell discourages wrongdoing; some Muslims stress Allah’s mercy more than fear; people who have been wronged trust that Allah’s judgement will be fair; belief in meeting loved ones again can comfort the bereaved.
• ‘The life of this world is but comfort of illusion’ (3:185): it matters as a test, not as an end in itself.

Jannah

Paradise: Allah’s reward after death for the faithful who did good.

Jahannam

Hell: a place of punishment after death for those who rejected Allah’s guidance.

Akhirah is an asterisked spec point, so Pearson can ask you to describe two differences between Islam and Christianity, ‘the main religious tradition of Great Britain’.

• How to write it: one Christian belief (1 mark) + a contrasting Muslim belief (1 mark), twice. Use ‘whereas’ to show the contrast.
• Similarities (don’t give these as differences): both believe in one God who judges, in resurrection, and in reward and punishment after death.

Purgatory

In Catholic teaching, a state of purification after death for those who will go to heaven.

Main religious tradition of Great Britain

Christianity: the comparison Pearson requires on asterisked points.