What does this topic cover?

OCR calls this topic Islam: Beliefs and Teachings. It asks: what do Muslims believe about Allah, the afterlife, and how Allah guides humankind?

• Muslims believe in one God, Allah — Islam is strictly monotheistic (Tawhid).
• Allah guides people through prophets and holy books, delivered by angels.
• Muslims believe in life after death (akhirah) and a Day of Judgement.

Spec focus: the specification asks you to explain the nature of Allah (Tawhid), prophethood (risalah), the holy books, angels (malaikah), akhirah and al-Qadr, and to compare the beliefs of Sunni and Shia Muslims.

Words you must be able to define

• Tawhid — the oneness and unity of Allah; Islam's most central belief.
• Risalah — prophethood; Allah sending prophets (messengers) to guide people.
• Malaikah — the angels, beings created by Allah who carry out Allah's will.
• Akhirah — life after death, including the Day of Judgement and resurrection.
• Al-Qadr — predestination; the belief (in Sunni Islam) that Allah has decreed all that happens.

Common mix-up: Tawhid is about the oneness of Allah; risalah is about the prophets who bring Allah's message. Don't confuse the two — and remember Muslims believe in one God who has no partners.

Define the term

How Muslims describe Allah

Muslims describe Allah using a set of key attributes, drawn from the Qur'an and the 99 Names of Allah. Allah is both transcendent (beyond creation) and immanent (close to people):

Why it matters: because Allah is all-powerful, merciful and just, Muslims feel they can trust and pray to Allah; because Allah is all-knowing, they believe their actions and intentions are seen — so these attributes shape worship, prayer and moral behaviour.

Key term → meaning

Tap an Islamic key term on the left, then its meaning on the right.

Tawhid — the oneness of Allah

Islam is strictly monotheistic. Its most central belief is Tawhid: the absolute oneness and unity of Allah. Allah has no partners, no equals and is unlike anything in creation. Associating partners with Allah (shirk) is regarded as the most serious sin.

Prophethood — the messengers of Allah

Muslims believe Allah has sent prophets (risalah) throughout history to guide people back to the worship of the one God. These include Adam (the first prophet), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus). The Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet, called the "Seal of the Prophets".

Say it like this: "Muslims respect all the prophets. They believe the Prophet Muhammad was the last and final prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, who received the Qur'an." Note that in Islam, prophets such as Isa (Jesus) are honoured as human messengers, not as divine.

The final prophet

The Qur'an and the revealed books

Muslims believe the Qur'an is the revealed word of Allah, given to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jibril. It is the final and complete revelation, preserved unchanged. Muslims also believe Allah sent earlier holy books to earlier prophets:

The final revelation

The angels of Allah

Muslims believe in angels (malaikah) — beings created by Allah from light, who obey Allah perfectly and carry out Allah's will. Belief in the angels is one of the articles of faith. Key angels include:

• Jibril (Gabriel) — the angel of revelation, who brought the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad.
• Israfil — who will blow the trumpet to announce the Day of Judgement.
• Izra'il — the angel of death, who takes souls at the appointed time.

Akhirah — life after death

Muslims believe in akhirah, life after death. The specification highlights:

• The Day of Judgement — Allah will raise the dead (resurrection) and judge every person on their beliefs and deeds.
• Al-Jannah (Paradise) — a reward of eternal peace for those judged righteous.
• Jahannam (Hell) — a place of punishment for those who rejected Allah and did evil.

Because they will be judged, Muslims aim to live good lives, obey Allah and seek Allah's mercy. The recording angels are believed to note each person's deeds.

Careful: al-Jannah and Jahannam are the Islamic terms for Paradise and Hell — don't muddle them. Muslims also stress Allah's mercy, so judgement is not only about fear.

Paradise in Islam

Al-Qadr — Allah's decree

In Sunni Islam, al-Qadr is the belief in predestination: that Allah, being all-knowing and all-powerful, has decreed everything that happens. Nothing occurs outside Allah's knowledge and will.

Sunni Muslims hold that humans still have free will and are responsible for their choices — al-Qadr does not remove moral responsibility, because Allah knows what we will freely choose. Belief in al-Qadr can bring comfort and acceptance in times of hardship.

Note: al-Qadr is one of the six articles of faith in Sunni Islam. Shia Muslims generally do not list predestination in this way, emphasising Allah's justice (Adl) and human free will instead.

The six articles and the five roots

Muslims share core beliefs but organise them differently. Sunni Muslims list six articles of faith: belief in Allah (Tawhid), the angels (malaikah), the holy books, the prophets (risalah), the Day of Judgement (akhirah), and predestination (al-Qadr).

Shia Muslims teach the five roots (Usul ad-Din): Tawhid (oneness of Allah), Adl (the justice of Allah), Nubuwwah (prophethood), Imamah (leadership of the Imams), and Mi'ad (resurrection and the Day of Judgement).

Key contrast: the Shia five roots include Imamah (belief in the Imams as rightful leaders) and stress Adl (Allah's justice), which reflects the historical succession dispute after the Prophet Muhammad's death.

Sunni articles or Shia roots?

Tap the box that shows where each belief belongs — the Sunni six articles or the Shia five roots (Usul ad-Din).

A map of Islamic beliefs

Here is the whole topic on one page — the core beliefs and teachings of Islam:

An attribute of Allah

Why Sunni and Shia divided

After the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE, Muslims disagreed about who should lead the community. This is the origin of the Sunni–Shia distinction:

• Sunni Muslims believed the community should choose the leader; they accepted Abu Bakr, a close companion, as the first caliph.
• Shia Muslims believed leadership should stay in the Prophet's family; they held that Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, was the rightful leader (the first Imam).

Today most Muslims are Sunni. Both groups share the core beliefs — Tawhid, the prophets, the Qur'an and akhirah — but differ on leadership (Imamah) and some practices.

Memory hook: Sunni chose Abu Bakr; Shia = "Shiat Ali", the party of Ali.

The Shia view of leadership

How these beliefs shape Muslim lives

Exam questions often ask about the impact of beliefs. These teachings are not just ideas — they shape how Muslims live:

• Believing in Tawhid means Muslims worship Allah alone and avoid shirk (associating partners with Allah).
• Believing Allah is just and that there is akhirah encourages honest, moral behaviour, since deeds are judged.
• Believing Allah is merciful brings hope and a reason to repent, pray and seek forgiveness.
• Believing in risalah and the Qur'an means Muslims follow the guidance and example of the prophets.
• Believing in al-Qadr (Sunni) can bring acceptance and patience in times of hardship, trusting Allah's plan.

Nature of Allah, or the afterlife?

Tap a term, then tap the box it belongs to.

The angel of revelation

The beliefs to know

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