Articles of faith are the beliefs of Muslims and there are six articles of faith (in Islam) in total. These are:
- Belief in the existence and oneness of Allah (Tauheed).
- Belief in the existence of books (revealed by God almighty).
- Belief in the existence of angels (of Allah).
- Belief in predestination and decree.
- Belief in prophets and messengers.
- Belief in the day of judgement.
Let’s discuss O Level Islamiat articles of faith notes in detail now according to the GCE O Level syllabus requirement.
Articles of Faith Notes
Belief in the oneness of God:
This article of faith refers to the fact that God is one and he is unique in his attributes. What does this mean?
This means that Allah almighty has no partners and no one can share the qualities and attributes he possesses.
He is the creator and the provider (cherisher). He (Allah) is eternal and supreme and far above from all weaknesses as the Surah Baqarah (Ayat ul Kursi) states:
Allah, there is no God but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of (all) existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep” (2:225 Al-Baqarah).
God has no father or mother, neither he has daughters nor, he has sons. He is pure from any kind of partners and there is none like unto him as the Surah Ikhlas states:
…He begets not, nor is He begotten and there is none like unto Him.
Surah Ikhlas (112)
Moreover, this belief also refers to the fact that Allah has the highest knowledge. No one possesses the knowledge He does. Not even a single leaf falls but with his permission.
He has complete control over everything in the universe and he has the highest powers to safeguard his people from Stan and “his agents” as Surah Naas says:
“… From the evil of the retreating whisperer. Who whispers evil in the breast of mankind…”
This belief requires Muslims to understand that there is no one except Allah who can help Muslims in their difficulties and ease. He has created everything and he is always watching everything.
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Therefore, Allah requires us to obey him by following the path taught by his beloved Prophet (S.A.W).
He is the God of all humankind, not of a particular tribe, race, or group of people. He is the God of mortals of all races and colours, and of followers and ignorant people alike.
Belief in the existence of Holy Books:
It is mandatory for Muslims to believe in the revelations of God sent to his prophets and messengers which consist of the Quran, Gospel, Torah, Psalms of David (Dawood) and the scrolls of Abraham (Ibrahim).
Muslims believe that all these scriptures were divinely revealed and they are the words of Allah. However, these (except Quran) were later modified and manipulated by Satan and his followers.
The Quran [revealed to Prophet (PBUH)] is the only book that is in the original form as it was revealed 1400 years ago. It is safeguarded by Allah himself according to his promise.
The Quran is the last and the final scripture revealed by Allah. It was revealed over a period of 23 years. The Quran is the book in which Allah has given clear instructions to Muslims regarding Islam. The last revelation (to Prophet (S.A.W) in Arafat) talks about this fact:
…This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion...
Surah maidah (5:3) – Al-quran
Apart, the Holy Quran is divided into chapters and verses which were brought by the arc angel, Hazrat Jibrael (A.S).
With the Quran, the messages revealed to Adam ended with Muhammad. The Quran is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature.
Now, let’s briefly discuss the other holy books.
- Torah: It was revealed to Hazrat Musa (A.S) as stated in the Holy Quran.
The Holy Quran says that the Torah has suffered corruption and therefore, it is no longer reliable as the words of Allah had been manipulated. The Quran also discusses that Musa (A.S) along with his brother, Haroon (A.S) preached the Torah to the people of Bani Israel.
- Zabur: The Quran declares the Zabur, also known as the Book of Psalms, as being the holy scripture revealed to King David (Dawud in Islam).
The scholars have agreed the Psalms be holy songs of praise. The current Psalms are still honoured by many Muslim scholars, but Muslims usually think that some of the current Psalms were reproduced later and are not divinely revealed.
- Gospel (Injil): According to the Quran, this holy book was revealed to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ taught the people of Bani Israel the teachings contained in the divine book. However, Muslims believe that the Injil with time was manipulated and corrupted and even some part of it was lost.
Although some Muslims believe the Gospel applies to the entire New Testament, scholars say that it refers to the word revealed by Allah to Jesus Christ.
- Scrolls of Abraham: These are among the earliest scriptures that were given to Abraham and were later used by Hazrat Ismail and Hazrat Ishaq.
Also referred to as “Suhuf” by the scholars, the Muslims believe that the scrolls of Ibrahim (A.S) had been corrupted. The Quran talks about scriptures in 87:18-19:
“Indeed this is in the former scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses“.
Belief in the existence of Angels:
Before the advent of Islam, the people considered angels as the daughters of Allah. The Prophet (PBUH) informed the people that Allah almighty is alone and He has no partners.
The Quran also cleared this misconception and informed the people that the only purpose of angels is to obey the commands of Allah and worship him tirelessly.
The angels are absolutely obedient to Allah and they are constantly praising him and asking for the forgiveness for beings on earth.
The angels are made up of light (Nur) and they have wings. How do we know that the angels have wings?
The Prophet (PBUH) was wakened up by the spurs of the wings of Hazrat Jibrael when he was about to go to “Mi’raj”.
You are also required to know the duties of certain angels.
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Mikail the archangel of mercy is responsible for giving nourishment for bodies and souls while also being responsible for bringing thunder and rain on earth.
Jibrael is among the greatest angels and he performs the most noble task, that is to convey the message of God to his prophets and messengers.
Then comes Hazrat Israfel, the angel of a trumpet. He will blow the trumpet on the day of judgment on the command of Allah. Apart, Hazrat Izrael is responsible to take out the soul of the dead ones.
Then come the Kiraman Katibin who are responsible to write the deeds of each and every human being.
Belief in Predestination and Decree:
Muslims believe that whatever they face in their life, it is all because of the planning of God almighty. Either hardships or success, everything pertains due to the will of Allah.
This is Al-Qadr (predestination) as the Holy Quran says:
Only what God has decreed will happen to us.
Al-Quran – 9:51
Muslims have free will. This means that they are free to what they do but they will be accountable on the day of judgement. If a man strives very hard for something and prays from Allah constantly for that then, Allah almighty has the authority to change his predestination due to one’s efforts.
Allah says in the holy Quran:
“God does not change the conditions of a people for the worse unless they change what is in themselves”. (13:11)
This means that a Muslim should only adopt for halal (permitted) measures to achieve his aims because whatever the path one takes, he will only get what Allah has written for him/her.
The decree refers to the stamp that Allah almighty has placed on the book (Loh-e-Mahfooz) in which he has preserved the destiny of each and every one.
Belief in Prophets and Messengers:
Muslims believe that God has guided mankind throughout history through specially appointed prophetic messengers. This process started with Adam (the first Prophet) and ended with Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W).
The Holy Quran mentions 25 of these prophets such as:
Abraham, Noah, Jesus, and Moses. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet, sent for all humankind with the message of Islam.
The prophets and messengers sent by Allah were men. They had wives and children and they were entrusted with the task to guide their people. They were absolutely obedient to the command of Allah and they refrained from all sorts of sins.
This was a special gift given by Allah to them. Allah selected prophets and messengers, not because of their intelligence or deeds but, only because He wanted to do so and He bestowed them with the gift of prophethood.
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The prophets and messengers demanded their people obey Allah and follow him. Prophet Muhammad (S.AW) was the last and final prophet of Allah who explained each and every aspect of Islam (practically) with the help of the Quran.
The Quran has mentioned various prophets and messengers such as Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and Hazrat Isa (A.S). It is mandatory for Muslims to believe in all the prophets and messengers sent by Allah.
The message that Muhammad (PBUH) brought was universal, eternal and complete. He summoned up the message delivered by the previous prophets and messengers with the help of Allah almighty.
Belief in the Day of Judgement:
Muslims believe that they will be accountable for their deeds in front of Allah on the day of Judgement.
When a person dies, his second life in the state of Barzakh begins. This entire world will come to an end one day when Allah will command Hazrat Israfel to blow the trumpet.
The oceans will burn and the mountains will float like wool. This will be the time when the day of judgement will start. The day when everyone will be accountable for even atoms weighs of goodness or evil they have done.
All the wrongdoers (and ignorant people) will be entered into hell and the patient (and obedient) will be entered into paradise as promised by Allah.
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Every soul will answer what it has done and that will be the day when no injustice will be done. The details of the day of judgement are well-mentioned in Surah Al-Qariah.
Conclusion:
With this, O Level Islamiat articles of faith notes have been provided. Thank you very much for reading and staying with me till the end.
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