Summary Top Grade notes and quotes to use for RS AQA - Christianity & Islam
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Course
Religious education
Institution
GCSE
In-depth structured notes for students preparing for GCSE RS AQA exams for Christianity and Islam. Includes relevant quotes from religious texts for all topics. The perfect revision tool for students aiming to improve exam technique and enhance subject knowledge.
The Oneness of Allah: (Tawhid)
● Monotheistic religion; believe that there is only one God (Allah) who is an
undivided entity that nothing or no one else can compare to.
“There is no God but Allah” - Shahadah.
● Since Allah is the only supreme being, Muslims believe in the supremacy
of His will and surrender themselves to Him as the divine creator of all.
“You who believe, obey God and the messenger” - Qur’an
● Impacts of the belief on Muslims today:
○ Monotheism, believe it is a sin to worship any other Gods.
○ Since Allah is unique and cannot be compared to anything else,
Muslims forbid idolatry and any pictures of God.
○ Since His will is supreme, Muslims believe that everything happens
for a reason and submit themselves to the predestined events.
“Inshallah” = God willing
“Misfortunes can only happen with God’s permission” - Qur’an
○ Muslims make nothing more important than Allah
6 Articles of Faith (Sunni):
● Articles: Tawhid, Risalah, Holy Books (Kutub), Day of Judgement and the
afterlife (Akhirah), Al Qadr, Angels (Malaikah)
● These are the 6 elements of Islam which a Sunni Muslim must believe in
to cement their faith in Islam.
● 3 of the articles can be seen in the 5 Roots: Tawhid, Day of Judgement,
Nubuwwat (Prophethood).
● Impacts of these beliefs:
○ Kutub: Qur’an is the highest authority and the unchanged word of
God that must be followed and respected. Lays the foundation for
the Islamic laws.
○ Akhirah: Live righteous lives to be sent to Heaven in the afterlife.
○ Maliakah: only angels can deliver messages from Allah to humanity
through the Prophets.
○ Al Qadr: Muslims have free will but every event is controlled and
predestined by God, He who knows everything.
5 Roots of Usul al-Din (Shia):
● Roots: Tawhid, Resurrection, Adalat, Imamate, Nubuwwat.
, ● Impacts of these beliefs:
○ Adalat: Allah is just and will treat everyone fairly; gives Muslims
hope they will be judged fairly on the DoJ and that those who have
wronged them will be punished by God.
○ Nubuwwat: acceptance of the teachings of Prophet Muhammed
(Sunnah) and the Hadith.
“Muhammed is His messenger” - Shahadah
○ Imamate: accepting the authority and doctrine of the 12 Imams that
succeeded Prophet Muhammed who led Muslims with their
religious knowledge and leadership.
● Angels and Holy Books are not parts of the 5 Roots; they are not deemed
as key beliefs for a Shia Muslim to believe.
Comparing Shi’a and Sunni Muslims:
● Similarities:
○ Both believe that Prophet Muhammed is the messenger of Allah
and in his Hadith.
○ Both believe in the oneness of Allah.
○ Both believe in the inevitability of the Day of Judgement.
○ Both celebrate Eid in similar ways.
● Differences:
○ Celebrate Ashura (solemn commemoration of the martyrdom of
Husayn - Ali’ son) in contrasting ways (Shias often wear black during
the period of mourning and re-enact the battle’s events while
parading through streets and Sunnis fast and hold special prayers
in Mosques).
○ Shi’a Muslims believe that Ali was the rightful successor of
Muhammed and follow the teachings passed down by him.
○ Shi’as pray 3 times a day whereas Sunnis pray 5 times a day.
○ Shi’a Muslims also abide by the 10 Obligatory Acts:
■ Salah: committing to 3 daily prayers.
■ Sawm: fasting from just before dawn to sunset during
Ramadan and abstaining from sex, alcohol and cursing.
■ Zakah: giving a portion of your wealth to the poor.
■ Jihad: the struggle to follow Allah and protect Islam.
■ Khums: 20% of annual profit is given to those in need
(charities and Islamic education institutes).
■ Tawalia: showing love to God and everyone in Ummah.
, ■ Amr-bil-Maroof: encouraging good deeds and following the
Shari’ah law.
■ Nahi Anil Munkar: discouraging people to do what is wrong
as an attempt to forbid evil.
■ Tabarra: disassociation from the enemies of God.
○ The Last 5 of the Obligatory Acts differ from the necessary acts for
Sunni Muslims.
The Nature of Allah:
● Immanent: God is closer to you than your jugular vein and is involved.
“He is with you wherever you are” - Qur’an
● Transcendent: God is beyond human understanding and is not restricted
by the physical world - explains the controversy of predestination vs will.
● Beneficent: God loves all his creations and is generous.
● Merciful: He understands suffering and will forgive those who repent.
● God is perfect and the greatest - “Allahu Akbar”
● The 99 names of Allah are learnt by Muslims so that they can understand
him better.
Predestination:
● Sunni: Believes that Allah is so powerful that he controls everythings and
what everyone does.
○ Free will is, however, still possible since Muslims do not know what
Allah wants from them and find free will in trying to work out what
He wants.
● Shi’a: Believes that Allah knows everything that will happen, including the
decisions we make, but does not control us.
○ Humans have freedom to make the choices that will impact them
on the Day of Judgement and determine their fate. God is the
creator of time, so is not restricted by it and has written down
everything that will happen in the ‘book of creeds’.
“God does not change the condition of people, unless they change what is in
themselves” - Qur’an
● Impacts of this belief:
○ Muslims act freely and believe there is no conflict between
predestination and free will.
○ Believing life is a test of faith which will determine their fate in the
afterlife.
○ God will reward the worthy and punish the wicked.
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