IGCSE Religious Studies
 Refer
to notes from last year about the
beginning of revelation
 Qur’an Surah Al-Najm 53 Verses 4:18 : they
describe the revelation and when Jibril came
to Prophet Muhammad
 « It is not but a revelation revealed » ( 53:4)
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At the Prophet’s death it was not fully gathered as a
book.
Originally it was written down by scribes , on various
items such as bones, animal skins etc.
During the Caliphate of Umar and after many Muslims
who knew the Qur’an by heart died in battles, it was
thought it would be good idea to gather it into one
book
One fragment in Birmingham is thought to be taken
from among the eldest of such copies
Then it was formally gathered during the caliphate of
‘Uthman
At the beginning there were no dots or vowels on the
letters, these were introduced later
The Companions knew the order in which to gather
the surahs due to the way the Prophet was reciting
 It
is considered the main source of Law for
Muslims.
 It is also considered a source of guidance
 It has also been said that just looking at it
brings rewards to the Muslim.
 The book itself is considered blessed and is
carried by Muslims only when in ablution and
placed in a raised location.
 Children learn passages by heart from a
young age
 Learning it all is also considered a blessing
Formal worship :It is recited in each prayer: in
each of the five prayers and in any optional
prayers if they perform any.
 In the mosque :It can be read in order to be
memorised especially by children after school or
during the weekend ( hifz programmes)
 In the home: Some families recite passages of
the Qur’an or specific surah at specific times (
example :al mulk in the evening, Yaa Seen when
someone dies, al fatihah every morning)
 Informal worship :they can read passages daily
to reflect upon their meanings
 As a source of teaching and guidance :If they
are studying Islamic Studies it is referred to
constantly
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 Hadith
is understood to be the record of
what the Prophet said, did, of his attributes
and of what he confirmed (i.e. was a witness
of without condemning it, which counts as a
confirmation).
 Immediately after the death of Prophet
Muhammad, hadith was not generally written
down.
 This was to prevent people from elevating it
at a place that might reach that of the
Qur’an.
 There
were only a few collections at the
time, one of the very first ones was called al
Muwatta, written by Imam Malik (d.795 CE)
 However after some time (about 200 years)
the Muslims realised that a lot of factions
were distorting the sayings of the Prophet.
 Each little sect was claiming « The Prophet
said… », even though he might not have.
 That is when scholars who had the ability to
know what the Prophet really said, started
the task of compiling the authentic (sahih)
narrations from the Prophet.
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A hadith is composed of the text (matn) and of a
chain (isnad).
The scholars of hadith check, among other things,
that the matn is consistent with religious teachings,
that it does not contain any Arabic grammar mistakes
(as the Prophet is believed to only express himself in
the best Arabic)
They also check that the isnad contains only people
of the highest standards of piety, memory, and
reliability.
They would check for inconsistencies (for example if
there was someone unknown in the isnad, or if two
people in the chain could not have met, or if one was
known to have a weak memory, or if he was deemed
an « innovator »etc).
A hadith can be given various levels by the
scholars of hadith. For example:
 Sahih: highly reliable
 Hasan: its chain is good, and can be relied upon
to deduce judgements
 Da’if : weak (there could be a weakness in the
chain), it can be used but not relied upon to
deduce laws
 Mudtarib :inconsistent in its matn or isnad or
both (i.e. when several narrations cannot be
reconciled)
 Mawdu’: fabricated, invented, and cannot be
trusted
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For Sunnis, the hadith are the second source of
Law after the Qur’an
 There are six collections considered to be the
most authentic and used by all four schools of
Law. Thy are known as al-Kutub as-sittah (the
six books:
 Sahih al Bukhari by Muhammad al Bukhari
 Sahih Muslim by Muslim ibn al Hajjaj
 Sunan al-Nasai by al Nasai
 Sunan Abu Dawud by Abu Dawud
 Sunan al Tirmidhi by al Tirmidhi
 Sunan Ibn Majah by Ibn Majah
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 Shias
use a different set of collections. They
consider many Sunni transmitters as
unreliable because they sided with Abu Bakr,
Umar and Uthman according to them.
 The twelvers in particular use a collection
called the Four books (al Kitab al-Arba’ah)
 Kitab al-Kafi by al Kulayni
 Man la yahduruhu al faqih by Muhammad
ibn Babawayh (Shaykh al-Saduq)
 Tahdhib al-Ahkam by Shaykh Muhammad Tusi
 Al-istibsar by Shaykh Muhammad Tusi
 Shari’ah
law is derived from the Qur’an and
the Sunnah
 Shari’ah is derived by mujtahid scholars, i.e.
scholars who have the ability to do so thanks
to their intelligence and specific study.
 The permissibility to ask people of
knowledge for judgements that people do
not know is taken from the verse which
means « And Ask the people of knowledge if
you do not know ». It is twice in the Qur’an.
Surah 16 (al Nahl) verse 43 and Surah 21 (al
Anbiya) verse 7.
 Qiyas
is when a scholar compares a situation
for which the Prophet has given the answer,
with a situation where the judgement is not
known.
 Ijma is when all the mujtahid scholars of a
specific era agree on a matter
 Breaching the ijma is considered a serious
issue.
 The
verse means « And whoever opposes the
Messenger after guidance has become clear
to him and follows other than the way of the
believers - We will give him what he has
taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is
as a destination.»
 This verse can be used to show that one is to
adhere to the majority of the Muslims
otherwise one is driven unto hell.
 But some people do not understand from this
verse that it is referring to legal judgements
as well.
 Sunnis
have four established schools of Law
whereby they would go to one of those four
references when needing a specific
judgement: the Hanafi school, the Maliki
school , the Shafi’i school and the Hanbali
school.
 Shi’as have two main schools of law : the
Ja’fari school and the Zaidi school (which is
the largest second group of Shi’as)
After the death of the Prophet, a man died
leaving behind his grand father and his brothers.
 The question was who inherits? The grandfather
alone, the brothers alone, or each a share? This
case had not happened at the time of the
Prophet.
 Abu Bakr who was the caliph at the time said: in
many other religious matters, the grand-father
replaces the father when the father is not there.
If the father had been alive he would have had
all the inheritance (as per Islamic law),
therefore he ruled that the grandfather should
get everything.
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 This
is an example of ijtihad.
 Also in the Qur’an it says that the waiting
period of the divorced woman Is three
“quru” but the “quru” can be menses or can
be the time when the lady is not on her
period. Therefore some ruled she needs to
wait to have her menses 3 times, others have
ruled she needed 3 gaps between two
periods.
Becoming a qadi requires between 7 to 10 years
of study with a shaykh or a renowned Islamic
university, it is very demanding.
 The person is then appointed by the caliph or
current governor of the place.
 The definition of « alim » , scholar, is somehow
less strict. There is an understanding that the
person must have learned the Qur’an and
received hadith books by transmission, but
nowadays many people claim to be religious
scholars, set up their own youtube channels or
TV programmes, and are in reality self-made
preachers.
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They had to apply the religious law to the letter
and to be fair to all parties
 A judge in Iraq ruled against Imam Ali when he
complained that a man had stolen his shield. Ali
could not produce 2 independent witnesses as
per Islamic Law. One of the witnesses was his
son. The judge said “I cannot accept the
testimony of your son, as you know”. Imam Ali
accepted and as he was leaving the non-Muslim
man who had lied embraced Islam due to being
impressed by the ruling he had just heard.
 Giving and accepting bribes in Islam is an
enormous sin. Judges should not be corrupted.
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Nowadays some Muslims will always go to a scholar before
doing anything while some Muslims will not grant scholars
this authority and they will ask around until they are
satisfied with an answer.
Or some might not ask anyone before doing anything.
In Muslim countries, with the rise of the use of the
Internet, more and more people look for answers by
themselves by googling some questions.
There are movements rejecting the authority of the four
schools and encouraging people to find their own
judgements by themselves now that they have access to
the Holy book and hadith collections by themselves
However many Muslims feel this is what allows some
extremists to manipulate religious texts, because they
take them literally instead of finding out the proper
context and explanations for those texts.
IGCSE Religious Studies
 The
Shi’as say that at Ghadeer Khum the
Prophet said « Of whomsoever I am Mawla.
Then Ali is also his mawla. O Allah support
whoever supports Ali and be against of
whoever opposes him », after which they say
that he set up a tent for Ali to receive oaths
of allegiance from the 120,000 present.
 Sunnis say that by « mawla » what was
meant was « friend of Islam » and not
« successor ». They also say the oath did not
take place and therefore they do not
celebrate Id al Ghadeer.
The imamah is the main way in which Muslims in
the Sunni and Shi’a traditions differ as this
aspect of imam is only accepted by the Shi’as,
where it is one of their five roots.
 They believe that in addtion to prophets, Allaah
also appointed guides who would correctly
interpret and explain Allah’s message.
 They believe that the Imam was always the
Prophet, but that the two roles became
separated after the death of Prophet Muhammad
as Allaah revealed he would be the last Prophet.
 Shi’as believe that the imams are the true
leaders of the ummah, guiding people on the
correct meaning of the Qur’aan. They do not
recognise the caliphs within Sunni tradition.
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They believe that the Imams have certain attributes that
enable them to act as proofs (hujjat) and signs (Ayat) of
God’s existence. These attributes are :
Nass, or divinely inspired designation, i.e. that next imam
is designated by Allaah before the current imam dies. This
successor is called the silent imam until the current imam
passes away
Isma : inerrancy i.e. being immune from sin/error due to
the power of Allah. This means they can trust the guidance
provided by the Imams
The best of men : i.e. that they can be role model. They
can also provide intercession on the day of judgement
according to this doctrine
Ilm or perfect knowlegde of the externals and the
internals of the religion due to being inspired by Allaah
Walaya: i.e. complete authority over the affairs of humans
 Their
roles include :
 Providing a true account of the meaning of
the Qur’an and the accepted hadiths
 Leading Friday prayers
 Announcing and leading a military jihad
 Imposing judicial decisions and legal
penalities
 Receiving the taxes (khums) and dividing up
the booty gained through military campaign
 The
twelvers claim there were twelve imams
in total from Ahlu l-Bayt. They say the first
eleven died as martyrs and that the twelfth
went into hiding to prevent this from
happening. It is called Ghaybat.
 They believe Allah hides him until a time of
His choosing but that he will return before
the day of Judgement.
 For
Sunnis the imam is somebody who leads
prayers in a mosque.
 They also do not believe that the Prophet
appointed a successor or that the successor
should come from his bloodline or that this
person is immune from sin and designated by
Allah to lead the community
 This is why al Imamah is not a fundamental
belief of the Sunnis and they believe
someone can be a true Muslim even without
this core belief of the Shi’as.
 The
Twelvers consider that there is no imam
but they believe that while they wait for his
return they owe obedience to a person called
« ayatollah », i.e. sign of Allah, who is also
the supreme religious leader of Iran
 The Seveners or Ismailis consider that their
current imam is the Aga Khan IV
 The Zaidis are named after one of the
grandson of Ali, Zayd, who was the fifth
imam for them. They are mostly located in
Yemen and are at the moment at the centre
of a regional conflict.
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Sahih al bukhari 73 hadith 37 which means
Narrated Abu Sulaiman and Malik bin Huwairith:
“We came to the Prophet and we were (a few) young
men of approximately equal age and stayed with him
for twenty nights. Then he thought that we were
anxious for our families, and he asked us whom we
had left behind to look after our families, and we
told him. He was kindhearted and merciful, so he
said, "Return to your families and teach them
(religious knowledge) and order them (to do good
deeds) and offer your prayers in the way you saw me
offering my prayers, and when the stated time for
the prayer becomes due, then one of you should
pronounce its call (i.e. the Adhan), and the eldest of
you should lead you in prayer.”
 From
this hadith it has been understood that
a community leader’s function is :
 to order what is good,
 remind and guide people with regards to the
orders of Allaah,
 organise the five daily prayers and
 lead the Friday prayer.
 This is what Sunnis understand from an
Imam. He also helps with marriage and other
routine acts of worship for Muslims.
 People go to them for guidance in their
everyday life.
Sunnis believe that the imam is a spiritual and
learned man which means their interpretation of
the Qur’an is not infallible and therefore imams
might not be the best source of authority.
 Sunnis believe that the Qur’an is the final word
of Allah and the only unchanged and accurate
source for Muslims to follow so it must be the
best and truly authentic source of authority
 Sunnis also believe that only Muhammad
received direct messages from Allah which were
recorded accurately and so he is the only human
who has any authority to interpret the Qur’an so
is a better source of authority than the imam
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Shi’a Muslims believe that Imams receive direct
guidance from Allah today which confirms their place
as the best source of authority and so enables them
to give the best guidance to help Muslims follow the
straight path.
Shi’a Imams are believed by their followers to be
sinless and infallible which gives them authority to
interpret the Qur’an for today and so are the best
authority to help a Muslim understand how to follow
its teachings to live a good life
Some Muslims believe that no age can be without an
Imam to interpret the Qur’an which suggests that
they have relevance across time, suggesting they are
still seen as the best source of authority.
IGCSE Religious Studies
 He
received the revelation at the age of 40
 He called people to worship one God only
instead of statues.
 He taught people that Islam is submission to
God and that all Prophets before him were
Muslim in the meaning that they were
submitting to God and asking people to
submit to Him as well.
 In his final sermon he also emphasised how
no one was superior to anyone else except
by piety, not even an Arab over a non-Arab.
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For 13 years he stayed in Makkah. His main call was
explaining tawheed or the oneness of God
Most of the verses he received during that period
were part of short surahs dealing with belief in God
and in the hereafter
During the first 3 years he called to Islam all those
close to him and those he would meet
Then he received the order of the public call
That is when his uncle Abu Lahab and other
dignitaries of Quraysh showed enmity towards Islam
They even offered that for one year they would
worship Allah and for one year they would worship
the idols, thinking the Prophet was after power.
The persecution of the Muslims increased until
some of them migrated to al-Habashah
(Abyssinia) in years 5 and 6.
 Then the idol-worshippers boycotted the Muslims
for three years until year 9.
 In year 10 he lost Abu Talib who was supporting
him and Khadijah. The trip to Ta’if also did not
end as he had wished, but he remained patient
through all of this.
 In year 11 he was granted the miracle of the
nocturnal journey and the ascension
 In the following 2 years, during the hajj period,
people from Yathrib pledged allegiance and he
then received the order to migrate
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 Muslims
had started to migrate to Yathrib as
ordered by the Prophet.
 The idol worshippers of Makkah noticed and
plotted to have the Prophet killed before
he’d go too.
 Their plot failed and he left with Abu Bakr
unharmed.
 The migration lasted 8 days after which he
arrived in Yathrib which he renamed Madina
and he was welcomed by the Ansar there,
the Helpers.
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In Madinah, he established a community
Most of the verses received during this period are part of
long surahs which detail laws and judgements, contracts,
punishments
Fasting became compulsory in year 2 AH ( after the Hijrah)
Battles to defend
his the Muslims took place during that
period
final sermon;
The peace treaty of Hudaybiyah with the idol worshippers
of Makkah took place in year 6. It was established for 10
years but lasted only 2 years due to the breach of the
Meccans even though the terms of the treaty were very
favourable to the non-Muslims.
In year 8, the opening of Makkah took place and that is
when scores of people embraced Islam.
He died two years later.
 Some
of the contents
 « O people, hear my sayings, for I may not be
able to stand with you in this place next
year. Certainly the blood and money of your
brother are forbidden to you. You will die
and be asked about your deeds. I have done
my job. »
 « Whoever has entrusted with something,
give it back to the rightful owner. The usury
of every debt must not be paid. You have the
right to take your original amount of money
and no more ».
« The Devil has given up being worshipped in
Arabia. However, the Devil wishes that you
disobeyed God in less than that. I warn you
against him. »
 He also told people that a person of one race did
not have superiority over another one by race.
The superiority is only by piety.
 He also said « O People, you have rights on your
wives and they have rights on you. I command
that you treat the women well. The women are
like prisoners in your hands. So do not take
advantage of them and do not harm them. »
 « I have conveyed what I was ordered to
convey »
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The time he spent in Makkah reminds the
Muslims of the importance of the teachings of
tawhid
 The Hijrah shows to Muslims nowadays the
importance to migrate to a place where they can
practise their religion freely. Also it shows the
extent of the sacrifice that these Muslims did for
the sake of their religion
 The way the people of Madinah welcomed the
migrants shows the real meaning of brotherhood
in Islam.
 The life in Madinah is until now an example of a
close-knit community strengthened by the
presence of the Prophet. It remains an example
of unity.
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Surah 33 (al –Ahzab verses 36-47) specifically
verse 40 which means:
 « Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of
your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and
last of the prophets. And Allah is ever, of all
things, Knowing”
 And verse 45 which means
 “O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a
witness and a bringer of good tidings and a
warner.”
 These verses mention how Prophet Muhammad
was married to Zaynab the ex-wife of his
“adopted” son to make it clear to the people
that Zayd was not his son at all, and also
therefore not his successor.
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 Muslims
believe that all Prophets since Adam
called people to submit to their Creator as
Islam means submission
 They believe the teachings of some of the
previous prophets have been dismissed and
changed by some people.
 They believe the book revealed to Prophet
Muhammad is the only one that has not been
falsified or corrupted.
 Muslims
do not believe in the claim of
anyone else to the title of prophethood,
because of their belief of Prophet
Muhammad as the seal of the Prophets
 They also hold in high respect all the
Prophets such as Jesus, Moses, David,
Abraham, with the belief that they called
people to the belief Prophet Muhammad has
called them to.
 They consider that insulting any one of them
is blasphemy and disrespectful.
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The Prophet is seen as a role model in various aspects
of Muslims’ life. For example:
He was very patient and humble.
After the death of his wife Khadijah he was taking
care of his children on his own for a while.
Whenever he was at home and needed milk he would
go to the sheep and tray it to have his milk or he
would mend his shoes by himself, even though he had
people at home who would have been happy to do
this for him.
In his last sermon he asked people to be considering
of their wives
He was not after power and was against corruption.
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Ali was the cousin of the Prophet. Aged 10 when the
Prophet received the revelation, he is the first child
to have embraced Islam. He also became the son-inlaw of the Prophet after marrying his daughter
Fatimah.
After the assassination of Uthman in 656, he became
Caliph until his assassination in 661. He is considered
by Sunnis as the fourth rightly-guided caliph.
Shi’a means the « party » or faction of Ali. They are
called thus because they believed Prophet
Muhammad did appoint his successor and that it was
Ali.
An « imam » according to Shi’as is Muhammad’s
successor, is infallible, has divine wisdom and comes
from the Ahl al-Bayt.
Shi’as consider Ali to be the first Imam (more in 3.7)
It started with the question of authority and who
to consider a successor of the Prophet.
 Shi’as use as a proof for their claim the hadith
known as « hadith ath-thaqalayn » where the
Prophet said left two « weighty things » to stop
them from going astray : the Qur’an and Ahl alBayt, thus for them referring to the authority
of the Imams (more in 3.7).
 They also use 4:59 which means « You who
believe, obey God and the Messenger, and those
in authority among you » where they say that
« those in authority » is referring to the imams.
 Shi’as believe those who appointed Abu Bakr as a
caliph betrayed the command of the Prophet.
The split started there.
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Surah 33 (al –Ahzab verses 32-34) specifically
verse 33 which means:
 “And abide quietly in your homes, and do not
flaunt your charms as they used to flaunt them
in the old days of pagan ignorance; and be
constant in prayer, and give the zakah, and obey
God and His Messenger. God only wills to remove
from you the impurity [of sin], O you members of
the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you to
utmost purity.”
 For Shi’as this is the proof that the descendants
of the Prophet are free from sin and therefore
should be followed.
 For Sunnis it is a praise for his family but it does
not imply authority for his family.
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 Research
the reasons behind the split
between the Twelvers and the Ismailis ( at
least half a page)
 The Ismailis have another name, what is it?
 The
main group of the Shi’as is called «the
« Twelvers ». Because they believe in 11
imams and that the 12th is currently in
hiding (occultation or ghaybat)
 However there is another group of Shi’as
called the Ismailis or sometimes « seveners »
who only recognise 7 main imams. They stop
at one imam called Ismail who they say did
not leave any direct successor ( although the
main branch of Ismailis consider they have an
imam today, called the Aga Khan IV). The
Twelvers continue the chain with Ismail’s
younger brother, Musa.
 This
split means that Sunnis and Shi’as do not
recognise the same sources of wisdom and
authority.
 For Sunnis the caliph is the leader of the
community and he is appointed by the
consultation of the most pious men of the
community. They also therefore have no
divine wisdom.
 Whereas for Shi’as the leader is an imam who
has a blood link to the Prophet and who is
guided by God and infallible. (See 3.7)
 They
were
 Abu Bakr
 ^Umar^
 ^Uthmaan
 ^Aliyy
 Election
as a caliph : some people wanted an
ansar as caliph, some wanted a qurayshi,
then some said two caliphs, then Bashir ibn
Nu^man , an ansar, said they would accept a
Qurayshi. Abu Bakr suggested Umar, Umar
refused and suggested Abu Bakr and shook his
hand. Following day people pledged at the
mosque
 Usama’s expedition : this was the first task
of Abu bakr when elected. Sent to Syria as
the Prophet had decided. Despite problems,
the Muslims won. Some of the tribes that had
left Islam came back into Islam
The Prophet did not make an explicit statement
to appoint Abu Bakr, but he left signs such as
 -the leading of prayer
 -the closing of all house entrances to the mosque
except that of Abu Bakr
 -he advised a woman to ask abu Bakr for any
issue, if she did not find him when back after a
year
 In the house of Bani Sa^idah, ^Umar strechted
his hand towards him, and so did the Muhajirun
and the Ansar
 Following day : general oath of allegiance and
speech
 His caliphate was entirely just and not usurpated
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 It
is considered the most successful caliphate
and the golden period of Islamic history
 He introduced many changes called reforms ,
in many domains such as : judicial,
educational, economic, financial,
agricultural, military etc
 His election : Abu Bakr consulted the Shura
when he was ill and approved the choice of
Umar. All the leading companions pledged.
Title of Amir al Mu’mineen
Administration : the golden principle was justice
and fair dealing
 He punished and rewarded equally without
distinction
 There was a Majlis al-Shura to advise him. Also a
governor, a judge
 Was protecting the rights of the non Muslims
 His character is that he was intelligent,
responsible, just and simple
 He kept the empire united.
 A persian slave named Firoz stabbed him six
times when in ruku^. He nominated a council of
six to elect a caliph within three days.
 HE ruled for 10 years, 5 months and 21 days
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Due to his closeness to the Prophet, he was
considered by all companions to be the most
suitable candidate.
 His election : in the six were Uthman, Ali, Sa’d
ibn abi waqqas, Talha, Zubair, abdur Rahman ibn
^Awf. The latter withdrew his name. Then
consulted with everyone and chose Uthman
 During his caliphate , the grip over the new
terroritories was consolidated
 As a caliph he added Lybia, Tunisia, Algeria
Morocco, and Cyprus. Also Afghanistan
 It became a bigger empire than the Byzantine or
Persian one before
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 He
was most innocently martyred Companion
and Caliph
 He could have moved the army against the
rebels but he never wished bloodshed in the
city of Madinah
 He was martyred while reciting the Qur’an
 He was 80
 His character was that he was a very pious
Companion, very modest, strict follower of
the Sunnah, was always doing his housework
even though he was one of the wealthiest
persons in Arabia, he was very generous.
Elected in a confused situation after the
assassination of Uthman: for three days no
government in Madinah
 The insurgents first went to Aliyy. He first
declined the responsibility, but they threatened
him. He then decided to put it to the public and
the companions agreed he was the fittest for
it.Then the pledge took place
 His three main problems were :
 To establish peace in the state
 To take action against the assassins of Uthman
 To deal with the companions demanding the
arrest and punishment of the assassins of
Uthman
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 His
martyrdom : he laid down his life for the
sake of Islam
 Kharijites plotted against Aliyy, Mu^awiyah
and ^Amr ibn al-Aas. Abdur Rahman bin
Mujlim attacked him in the darkness of the
early morning.
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Caliphs as Examples of Leadership:
They were chosen by the general consensus of
Muslims
The Caliph was the head of the State & strictly
followed the Qur’an & Sunnah and if not, used Ijma
and Qiyas. They always consulted the Majlis-e-Shura
Everyone was free to express their own opinions and
views and criticize the Calips. They were available to
everyone all the time
Bait-ul-Mal (Treasury) was public property
The judiciary system was independent: no one was
above law: Once Ali lost his armor and saw a Jewish
man selling it and took him to court using his son as a
witness but the judge rejected the complaint
 Many
British Muslims take inspiration from
Malcom X, the African-American civil rights
leader. In the early days of his life, he held
separatist views regarding different races.
 However, after he performed Hajj, his views
changed totally, because in Makkah he saw
Muslims of different colours all worshipping
Allaah and living together as equals.
 Upon his return he began to teach racial
harmony regardless of skin colour.
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Many Muslims also take inspiration from al-Ghazali,
considered by many as Mujaddid, a renewer of the faith
who, according to the prophetic hadith, appears once
every century to restore the faith of the ummah ("the
Islamic Community. His works were so highly acclaimed by
his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the
honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islām).
Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had
become moribund and that the spiritual sciences taught by
the first generation of Muslims had been almost
forgotten.That resulted in his writing his most famous work
entitled Iḥyā’ ‘ulūm ad-dīn (the Revival of the Religious
Sciences).
Among his other works, the Tahāfut alFalāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers") is a significant
landmark in the history of philosophy, as it advances the
critique of Aristotelian science developed later in 14thcentury Europe
 Many
British Muslims take inspiration from
Malcom X, the African-American civil rights
leader. In the early days of his life, he held
separatist views regarding different races.
 After he performed Hajj, his views changed
totally, because in Makkah he saw Muslims of
different colours all worshipping and living
together as equals.
 Upon his return he began to teach racial
harmony and respect for all, regardless of
skin colour.
IGCSE Religious Studies
IGCSE Religious Studies
 They
celebrate and commemorate important
parts of Islamic history
 They demonstrate that Islam encourages
both personal practice and community
cohesion
 They encourage people to offer kindness and
give to charity
 They show that the priority for a Muslim is to
submit to the will of Allah
 They promote spiritual development and
Islam as a complete way of life.
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It is the festival of sacrifice which is celebrated
sometimes up to four days. It marks the annual
completion of Hajj. It is on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah
The sacrifice at Mina is an event that all Muslims
around the world can participate in.
Sacrificing animals is done in commemoration of
Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as
commanded by Allah in 37: 77-111
It is an example of complete obedience and
surrender to Allah
Muslims can enact this part of Hajj on a small scale in
their local area.
« Peace be upon Abraham » This is how We reward
those who do good. Truly He was one of our faithful
servants » Surah 37: 109-111
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The main activities of this day include the sacrifice of
an animal. The meat is divided into three equal
portions : for family for neighbours and friends, for
the poor.
It may be the only time some poor people have meat.
In addition
Muslims wear new clothes and children often have
presents
Mosques will decorated and special id prayers are
called (Salat al Id)
The imam delivers a sermon
Rest of day spent with family and friends, sharing
food together
Families may choose to visit graveyards
It usually is a public holiday
It is on the 1st of Shawwal the month following
Ramadan. Muslims celebrate the end of fasting
and give thanks to God for the spiritual blessings
and renewal of faith by attending a special
prayer. Celebrations can last for three days.
 The main activities of Id-ul-fitr are joyful :
 -it is forbidden to fast, people enjoy food
 New clothes and exchange of gifts and cards
 Families meet up or go to graveyards
 People give money as a special obligatory charity
called Zakah ul-fitr to help the poor
 It is a public holiday

It means « tenth » and it is a solemn day of
remembrance for Shi’as.
 On the tenth of Muharram, imam Husayn , the
grandson of the Prophet, was martyred alongside
72 other companions and family , at the battle
of Karbala. Husayn refused to give allegiance to
the oppressive new caliph Yazid, who then broke
several rules of Islamic military law during the
battle that followed. Husayn and his followers
were prevented from reaching water, then they
were killed.
 The Shi’as believe that Husayn accepted a cruel
death as an example to Muslims that sacrifice
and suffering are needed to fight evil, on top of
the power of an army.
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Sunni Muslims also remember this day to be the day when
Musa and the Banu Israil were saved from Pharaoh in
Egypt. They fast two consecutive days as optionally
recommended by the Prophet.
Activities during Ashura include (for Shi’as)
-performing prayers at mosques and religious centres
-Mourning ceremonies and eulogies
-Wearing dark or black clothes
-Banners and slogans to remind people of the sad occasion
Some may cry while others refrain from laughing and
smiling. The evening is known as « the evening of
distraught »
To Shi’as, Id-ul-Ghadeer and Ashura keep the memory of
two important Muslims alive: Ali and Husayn. And Muslims
are reminded of the importance of upholding the truth,
justice, and sacrifice made for the love of Allah.
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It is a Shi’a celebration of what they consider the
Prophet’s appointment of his cousin Ali as his
successor. They believe it happened in a place called
Ghadir Khumm where he would have stopped on his
way back from his last Hajj on an 18th of dhul hijjah.
Shi’as believe verses of the Qur’an were revealed to
Muhammad alluding to Ali as the Prophet’s successor,
including Surah 5:3 which means « Today I have
perfected your religion for you, completed My
blessing upon you, and chosen as your religion
Islam ». They believe this verse has been revealed
after an announcement by Prophet Muhammad that
Ali was his successor.
Sunnis do not agree with this idea and some also
suggest the revelation took place elsewhere.
 Shi’as
consider that the hadiths that relate
the events of Ghadir Khumm are of the
highest possible level of reliability.
 They consider these hadith to be mutawatir
and therefore they consider that there is less
likelihood of mistakes because many authors
have written the events consistently.
IGCSE Religious Studies
 What
is Hajj? It is commanded by the Qur’an
Surah 22:25-30.
 It is the Fifth Pillar and the Third Obligatory
Act.
 It is a set of rituals that take place in and
around Makkah every year over five or six
days.
 The rituals follow the example of Prophet
Muhammad’s own ritual of Hajj
 « Proclaim the Pilgrimage to all people »
Surah 22:27
It is a duty on all those who have sufficient
money to ensure care for their dependants while
they are away., and who are physically and
mentally fit to perform it.
 « We made the House a resort and sanctuary for
people, saying, « Take the spot where Abraham
stood as your place of prayer » We commanded
Abraham and Ishmael: Purify My house for those
who walk round it, those who stay there, and
those who bow and prostrate themselves in
worship » 2: 125
 According to Muslims Adam built a sanctuary in
Makkah later rebuilt by Ibrahim as described in
Surah 2:124-130
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 Because
the pilgrim obeys the command of
Allah in the Qur’an and fulfilled the pillar or
obligatory act
 He follows the example of the Prophet
 It is a reminder that people are created by
Allah and will return to His judgement
 The places of Hajj are linked to great
Prophets of Islam: Muhammad, Adam,
Ibrahim and Ismail. It reminds people it is
not a new religion
 Also it teaches patience as the person leaves
his familiar surroundings and travels
Benefits are :
 The opportunity to repent and have sins forgiven
 Awareness and unity of Islam as over 2 million
Muslims of all races, colours, and cultures
perform the same actions in the same place
 Meeting new people and learning from them
about Islam
 Taking part in one of the holiest events in the
Muslim calendar
 Achieving the title of Hajji (man) and Hajjah (
women)
 It is seen by many Muslims as the crowning
achievement of a Muslim’s life
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 Challenges
are :
 It is a very physically demanding ritual
 There are fatalities every year
 Muslims need time to recuperate after Hajj
 Many Muslims delay Hajj until they retire
because it can be expensive and difficult.
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The rituals of Hajj are based on the instructions in
Surah 22:27-29 but they also follow the actions shown
by Prophet Muhammad himself
Preparation: Ihram: it means “to make forbidden” as
certains things become forbidden after ihram, such
as which include cutting hair or nails, covering the
head (men) or face ( women) , wearing stitched
clothing and using perfume.
To prepare for the ihram people usually remove pubic
hair and shave underarms, take a purifying bath, men
wear two piece of unstitched white cloth, they offer
prayers then they declare their intention to
perform Hajj and they recite the Talbiyah, which is a
declaration that their hajj is only for Allaah. They are
now ready to avoid the prohibitions of ihram,
 Ritual:
Tawaf: the Ka^ abah is at the centre
of the Sacred Mosque. On one of the corners
there is a black stone believed to be from
heaven.
 Muslims walk 7 times anti-clockwise around
the ka^bah.
 As they pass the Black Stone they try to kiss
or touch it
 Then it is completed by prayers at the Place
of Ibrahim. Tawaf is undertaken three times
during Hajj.
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Ritual: Sa’yy ( or Sa’ya): jogging or walking between
two hills 7 times in remembrance of Hagar who was
left with her son Ishmael and who was searching for
water.
Ritual: Wuquf at Arafah : a day spent in repentance
and prayer. The Prophet gave his last sermon there
Ritual: Ramy al-Jamarat: stones are collected for
this ritual which is a symbolic stoning of the devil,
who tried totempt Ibrahim three times, without
success. Muslism do not believe the devil lives there.
Ritual : Sacrifice ( Qurbani) : a sacrifice is made on
behalf of the pilgrims and the meat distributed to the
poor. This reminds people of the willingness of
Ibrahim to sacrifice his son on God’s command
Ritual Halq : men shave their heads or women dip
the ends of their hair
IGCSE Religious Studies
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The mosque is a place where prayers are offered by
Muslims.
Religiously a « masjid » (mosque) is a place which is
considered to belong to all Muslims (i.e. Not to a
particular group of them) and which is meant to
provide access to all at the five prayer times.
Some are also open in between those times for
people who need to pray at other times or for other
activities.
Some people consider that men should perform each
of their five obligatory prayers in a mosque
Most Muslims consider that it is not compulsory for
every single prayer (for example if they are at work)
Women are allowed to go to the mosque although
there is a narration encouraging them to pray at
home.
 In
some mosques the only thing that can be
performed is the prayer and the retreat (
i’tikaf at the end of RamaDan)
 However many mosques historically as well
as nowadays, have been a hub of activites
for Muslims. Such activities include :
 -Religious classesfor adults and children,
called circles or madrassah
 -funeral preparation
 -workshops (language, study support)
 -women gatherings
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A mosque is called a masjid, in Arabic : « place of prostration »
The simplest mosque would be a prayer room with a mihrab, i.e.
a niche in the wall indicating the direction to Mecca, which
Muslims should face when praying
A typical mosque would also include :
A minaret : It is the tallest part of the building. It comes from the
arabic word « manarah » lighthouse. A Muslim « crier », or
« muezzin » calls people to the prayer five times a day.
A Minbar: a pulpit from which the imam (khatib) stands to deliver
his sermon
A dome, or qubba, usually above the main prayer hall, as a
symbol of the vaults of heaven and sky
A prayer hall : large open space where everyone sits on the floor.
A place to wash before the prayers: this is for the ritual washing
before the prayers (wudu).
Mosques designed to house the entire male population of a city or
town are called « Jaami’ » mosque, or « Friday prayer mosque »
A common mosque design is the hypostyle
mosque, literally « under pillars », where the
roof is supported by arches or pillars. It usually
has a courtyard too.
 Another common type in Iran is the four-iwan
mosque: the iwan is monumented wall. One of
them will be the qibla wall. IT also features a
courtyard.
 Centrally-planned mosques with a central dome
 An interesting feature of mosques architecture is
that it often reflects and incorporate local and
regional styles of architecture: for example
Timbuktu mosque (Mali, Africa) , Great mosque
of Xi’an (China), Mosque of Bahasa in Indonesia.
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A
rack at the entrance for shoes
 Old mosques used to have intricately
designed oil lamps which were important for
the prayer of the dawn before electricity
 Calligraphic friezes (long stretch of painted,
or sculpted decoration usually above eyelevel) see. 4.3.
 Various types of carpets for people to pray
on
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Masjid al Qiblatayn is the mosque in Madina where the
Prophet first was ordered to pray towards Mecca instead of
Jerusalem. It contained 2 mihrabs until very recently (the
first one was removed after renovation).
The referenced hadith means: “He offered his prayers
facing Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen
months, but he wished that he could pray facing the Ka'ba
(at Mecca). The first prayer which he offered facing the
Ka'ba was the 'Asr prayer in the company of some people.
Then one of those who had offered that prayer with him
came out and passed by some people in a mosque who
were bowing during their prayers (facing Jerusalem). He
said addressing them, "By Allah, I testify that I have prayed
with Allah's Apostle facing Mecca (Ka'ba).' Hearing that,
those people changed their direction towards the Ka'ba
immediately.”
IGCSE Religious Studies
 Salah
is the worship of Allah through regular
prayer. It is a physical, spiritual and mental
act follwing prescribed words and actions.
 It is the second pillar for Sunni Muslims and
the first obligatory act for Shi’as.
 The Prophet called it the central pole of
Islam. The Qur’an command performance of
Salah more than any other activity.
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Salah also displays the relationship between Qur’an and
Sunnah, which is a record of what the Prophet did and said
because the Qur’an commands Muslims to pray at fixed
times but it does not state how. So Muslims follow the
example of how the Prophet prayed.
So Salah is a mixture of what the Qur’an says and how the
Prophet performed it.
There are five obligatory prayers
Fajr : at dawn, before sunrise
Zuhr : midday, after the sun passes its highest point
Asr : the late part of the afternoon
Maghrib: just after sunset
Isha between end of sunset and dawn for Sunnis, between
sunset and midnight for Shi’as.
Sunnis perform them at set times, Shi’as combine midday
and afternoon and sunset and night, so they pray three
times a day.
«
Keep up the prayer: prayer restrains
outrageous and unacceptable behaviour.
Remembering God is greater: God knows
everything you are doing » Surah 29 (al’Ankaboot) : 45
 « Celebrate the glory of your Lord and be
among those who bow down to Him: worship
your Lord until what is certain comes to
you » Surah 15 (al-Hijr) : 98-99.
 The main purpose of the prayer is that it
allows them a direct relationship with God
five times a day.
 They
submit themselves to Allah’s will in
public five times a day.
 They are united in brotherhood and
sisterhood and love, as they pray in lines
using the same actions and words
 Together they acknowledge the oneness,
power, and holiness of Allah and they hope
thier sins to be forgiven. As one hadith
means « the five prayers remove sins as
water removes dirt »
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Most mosques have a board showing the times of the
prayer plus of the Jummah prayer. The times vary from
week to week because of the changing times of sunrise and
sunset
It means the Friday prayer. This weekly worship bring
Muslims together and it gives them the opportunity to
learn from the imam.
It will have a sermon led by the imam on how to behave as
a Muslim in the local and global community.
Surah 62 al-Jumu’ah : 9 advised Muslims to gather in this
way, recognising the priority of this community prayer over
other business at this time.
« Believers when the call to prayer is made on the day of
congregation [Friday], hurry towards the reminder of God
and leave off your trading- that is better for you, if only
you knew »
It is performed either in the mosque or at home
after careful preparation
 « You who believe, when you are about to pray,
wash your faces and your hands, and arms up to
the elbows, wipe your heads, wash your feet up
to the ankles… » Surah 5 al Maai’dah : 6
 The method is to put the intention, do the
obligatory acts mentioned above, and some
recommended acts like washing the hands,
gargling, washing the nose.
 As prayer is so sacred, cleanliness is vital.
Wherever Muslims pray the floor must be clean.
They might even keep an area in the house
where no one enters with the shoes.
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 They
have to face the qiblah direction which
is towards the ka’bah in Makkah , Saudi
Arabia.
 In a mosque this is shown by the mihrab (an
alcove in the wall). Many prayer mats have a
compass too
 The prayer is announced by the adhan. It
states that Allah is great, that there is no
God but God, and that the Prophet is the
Messenger of God and it calls people to join
the prayer
Each unit of prayer is called a rak^ah. It is a set
of actions and words performed during Salah. All
the prayers are said in Arabic using the same
actions and facing the same direction, this shows
the unity of the Muslims.
 One Rak’ah is
 -silent intention including the number of rak^ah
and the purpose of the prayer
 Raise the hands to ears and recite
 Place the right hand over the left and focus
where they stand (in some schools of law the
hands can be on the sides)
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Bend over to the position of ruku^(bent at waist,
hands on knees) and recite
Stand back up , with the arms by the sides and recite
Kneel down and place the palms and head on the
floor in the sjdah position andn recite
Rise from the sajdah and sit back
Go back to sajdah and recite
That is one rak^ah after which they either stand or
sit.
And at the end of the last rak^ah, Sunnis look to the
right shoulder and recite, then to the left and recite,
whereas Shi’as raise their hands three times and
recite. After they can make duas.
A child in Islam is welcome with the adhan (call
to the prayer) being recited in his right ear and
the iqaamah beign recited in his left ear, usually
by his father or grand father.
 A date can be briefly run through his lips to
indicate sweetness of character.
 On the 7th day his hair can be shaved and
weighed and the equivalent amount of gold
offered in charity.
 A ^aqeeqah can take place whereby an animal is
slaughtered and the meat offered to celebrate
the birth of the child.
 These usually are not compulsory but they one or
more of those are usually performed by Muslim
families.
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A
guardian for the woman
 Two witnesses
 A statement
 A man and a woman free from anything that
prevents a marriage contract
 The guardian says the statement to the
bridegroom in front of the 2 witnesses, that
IS the contract (the bridegroom says ‘I
accept’)
 The
guardian says “I now marry you my
daughter who is here, (or my daughter so and
so)”
 It has to contain the word “marrying”
explicitly
 If he just says “I give you my daughter” it is
not valid
 The man says “ I accept”
 It should mention the dowry (i.e. “for the
dowry of such and such”), but if it is not
mentioned at that moment the contract is
still valid
 It
is sunnah to offer a meal to celebrate.
 The strongest saying is that it is
recommended and not an obligation
 It is permissible to organise it straight after
the contract, but it is better to organise it
after the contract has been consummated
 The minimum is normally to slaughter a
sheep, however it is permissible to do it with
some other sort of food, even if there is no
meat.
 Minimum
of washing: wash the whole body to
remove any najasah (impurity)
 Minimum of shrouding : what covers the
whole body
 Minimum of the prayer : Intention and «
Allaahu akbar (takbeerah), then the Fatihah,
then takbeerah, then the Salah ^ala nNabiyy, then takbeerah, then a du^a, then
takbeerah, then « Assalaamu ^alaykum »
 Minimum of the burying: in a hole dug in the
ground deep enough to prevent smells and
wild animals digging the body.
 The
^awrah should always be covered even
during the different moves
 The person who helps the one who washes to
get to the area of the ^awrah should try to
look up and not down
 The dead person should never be on his/her
face
 Someone should always maintain the head
when the body needs to be moved (which is
why 3 people is better)
 Muslims
, both men and women, have a
^awrah, which is a part of their body which
they are expected to cover.
 For men it is usually what is between their
belly button and their knees.
 For women it is usually understood to be
their whole body except their face, hands
and feet.
 The verses which are usually quoted for this
are Surah an-Nur verses 30-31, although
some people say that they only mean to
cover the chest and not the hair.
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Surah Nur 24: 30-31 which mean « Tell the believing men
to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is
purer for them. Indeed, Allah knows what they do. And tell
the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their
private parts and not expose their adornment except that
which [necessarily] appears thereof, and to wrap [a
portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not
expose their adornment except to their husbands, their
fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands'
sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons
[…]”
The most widespread interpretation of this verse is to
cover the hair with a scarf long enough to also cover the
chest, or to cover both hair and chest even if with two
pieces of clothing.
However some people have said that the only requirement
is to be modest, with or without a scarf, going against the
majority of scholars.
Muslims believe they need to find out what Allah
allowed them to do or forbidden them to do.
 They believe the Qur’an and Sunnah contain
most of the principles of the halal and haram
and that the scholars have gathered them in
order to teach them.
 Certains things are compulsory (fard),
recommended (sunnah), disliked (makruh),
forbidden (haram) or simply allowed (mubah).
 Seeking to avoid what is forbidden is considered
an obligation in Islam and is a sign of striving to
obey God’s command.
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 About
food, the main rule is that all food is
allowed except that which has been specified
to be forbidden which will include meat
derived from pigs and dogs, meat from
animals not slaughtered according to Islamic
rites, and alcohol or alcohol based products.
 About usury the Qur’an says what means
‘Allah has allowed selling, and has prohibited
usury’ Surah 2 verse 275. Muslims have
therefore tried to stay away from loans
which incur interests, or have tried to use
Islamic finances products in order to combine
their faith and life in modern society.