An honest note about the specification

CCEA GCSE Religious Studies (4610) has nine units. The world religion options are Unit 8: Islam and Unit 9: Judaism.

Buddhism and Hinduism are not CCEA GCSE units. If you are studying either of those, you are following a different board's specification — check with your teacher. This lesson therefore covers Islam and Judaism properly, rather than covering four religions badly.

Because the two units are structured identically, you can revise them side by side — that is exactly what this lesson does.

The units

Judaism: the formative history

CCEA sets the call of Abraham and the call of Moses, the covenant, and the importance of Jerusalem and the land of Israel.

• Abraham — called by God; the covenant of circumcision; promises of land and descendants.
• Moses — the burning bush; the Exodus from slavery; the giving of the Torah and the Ten Commandments at Sinai.
• The covenant — an agreement carrying responsibilities: to keep the mitzvot, and to live as a people set apart for God's purposes.
• Jerusalem — the site of the Temple; the Western Wall remains a place of prayer. Different Jewish traditions understand the land's significance differently.

Jewish scripture

Judaism: sacred writings

The Hebrew Bible is the Tanakh, in three divisions:

• Torah — the five books of Moses; the highest authority.
• Nevi'im — the Prophets.
• Ketuvim — the Writings.

Alongside these are the Mishnah (the written record of the oral law) and the Talmud (the Mishnah together with generations of rabbinic discussion). For most Jews these are the key to how the Torah is applied in daily life.

Judaism, Islam, or both?

Tap a card, then tap where it belongs. Take care — some things are true of both.

Judaism: beliefs, worship and festivals

Traditions: Orthodox, Reform and Liberal Judaism differ over how binding the mitzvot are and how far practice may change.

• God — one, without body, creator, merciful and just.
• Worship — the synagogue; Shabbat from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall; the Rabbi (teacher) and the Chazan (who leads the singing).
• Festivals — Rosh Hashanah (shofar, New Year), Yom Kippur (fast, Day of Atonement), Pesach (Seder, the Exodus), Sukkot (the sukkah, harvest and wilderness).
• Rites of passage — Brit Milah and the naming of girls; Bar and Bat Mitzvah; marriage under the chuppah; burial and the Kaddish.

The Talmud

Islam: the formative history

CCEA sets the life and career of Muhammad and the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs.

• Born in Makkah and known as al-Amin, the trustworthy; the first revelation came in the cave of Hira through the angel Jibril.
• Persecution in Makkah led to the hijrah to Madinah in 622 CE, where the first Muslim community was formed.
• After his death the community was led by Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthman (who had the authorised text of the Qurʾan prepared) and ʿAli.

Muslims add peace be upon him after the Prophet's name, and worship Allah alone — never the Prophet.

The Five Pillars

Islam: sacred writings and Sharia

The Qurʾan — revelations given to Muhammad (pbuh) over about twenty-three years, believed by Muslims to be the direct word of Allah, later compiled into a written text.

• Sunnah — the Prophet's way of life; Hadith — the recorded reports of his words and actions. Together they show how the Qurʾan is to be lived.
• Sharia — the religious law of Islam, drawn from Qurʾan and Sunnah and applied differently in different communities.

Key terms

Tap a term on the left, then its meaning on the right.

Islam: beliefs, worship and festivals

Tawhid — the absolute oneness of Allah — is the foundation, and risalah (prophethood) runs from Adam through Ibrahim, Musa and ʿIsa to Muhammad (pbuh).

• The Five Pillars — Shahadah (declaration), Salah (prayer), Sawm (fasting), Zakat (charity), Hajj (pilgrimage).
• Traditions — Sunni, Shi'a and Sufi (the mystical tradition, emphasising the inner life and closeness to God).
• Afterlife — resurrection, judgement and akhirah.
• Worship — the mosque and the Imam; the daily prayer cycle; observance in the home.
• Festivals — Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr (the end of the fast) and Eid-ul-Adha (the feast of sacrifice, at the end of Hajj).

Islamic traditions

Contemporary issues in both units

CCEA asks the same questions of both religions — which makes revision efficient.

• The role and status of women — in both units, present the range of views within the religion, not a single 'official' line.
• Food — Jewish kashrut (kosher and terefah; the separation of milk and meat) and Muslim halal and haram (food preparation; the prohibition of alcohol).
• Dress — Orthodox Jewish dress; the hijab and the concept of modesty in Islam.
• Money — in Islam, gambling and the paying of interest (usury) are prohibited.
• Prejudice — the Jewish experience of persecution; and, for Islam, the practice of the faith in a non-Muslim society.

Food laws

Comparing fairly

Comparison questions are common. Handle them like this:

• Note the real similarities — both are monotheistic; both have sacred law (halakhah and Sharia) worked out by scholars; both have dietary rules, festivals of fasting and feasting, and rites of passage.
• Note the real differences — for example, Jews look back to a covenant with a particular people; Muslims understand Islam as the final restoration of a universal message.
• Never rank religions or write as though one is 'more advanced'. Set out each on its own terms, then answer the question asked.
• Use insider vocabulary — Tanakh, mitzvot, Chazan; Sunnah, tawhid, Sawm. It is the fastest way to demonstrate real knowledge.

The big ideas to know

You have covered the shared structure of CCEA Units 8 and 9. Press Finish to see your score.