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 Aqida is an Arabic word meaning creed
 It refers to the five basic articles of belief in the Qur'an
 The five articles are belief in Allah, belief in the prophets, belief in angels,
 belief in the scripture and belief in the day of judgment.
 Tawhid refers to the belief about Allah
It affirms that there is one true God
 Nothing can rival Allah, nor can there exist anything that is even remotely like
Allah.
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Existing separately from creation in a transcendent way
 Allah is all knowing and all powerful. Allah is also eternal.
 The ways of Allah are beyond human understanding.
Allah is also understood as being close to the heart of every person
 The concept of Tawhid it is incompatible with pride or arrogance
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All individual gifts and talents are attributed to the gift of Allah
 Possessions are in essence on loan from Allah regarded as transitory
Tawhid affirms that all things happen for a purpose
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Whatever the circumstances this is what Allah has allowed
 Acceptance of this leads trusting in the great love and compassion of Allah
Allah knows all things
 Therefore to act with impure motives which in effect seek to deceive others
 and deceive Allah
 Tawhid is also contravened by a false sense of personal holiness
Allah is not fooled by appearances.
 Any belief that diminishes this faith in the oneness and absoluteness of Allah is referred to as shirk.
Tawhid leads to a greater surrender to the will of Allah,
It reminds Muslims that they are accountable for their actions and for their use of worldly possessions

 Prophecy is regarded as an essential element of Muslim belief
 It is the was in which the ways of Allah become revealed to human kind
 Muhammad is regarded as the last and the greatest of these messengers
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He is referred to as the seal of the prophets.
 The Qur'an refers to twenty four messengers among many others
Adam is considered to be the first of these messengers and Muhammad the last.
 The term nabi is used to refer to an inspired prophet who has not been commissioned for a particular purpose and rusul is used to describe a messenger who has been given a particular mission
 The term rusul is given to famous biblical figures
 The Qur'an gives special attention to the figures who were responsible for the
 handing down of significant books
The scrolls given to Ibrahim are known as "Sahifa", the books revealed to
Musa are known as "Tawrah", those revealed to Dawud are known as "Zabur" and the teachings given to Isa are known as "Injil".
 The revealed books of the rusul are known as the Books of Allah
 Muslims believe that initially each of these revealed books contained the complete revelation of Allah, however, over time were not properly preserved and some such as the Sahifa given to Ibrahim have been completely lost.
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These books of Allah have been changed
 They no longer faithfully represent the message of Allah
Thus the scriptures of the Jewish and Christian religions are profoundly
 respected by Muslims
 They cannot be relied upon because they have not been properly preserved
The Qur'an is regarded as the last of the revealed books
 The Qur'an stands apart as the reliable and complete source of the revelation of Allah.

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Angels o There exist other beings which are outside the material or physical o o world
They are not of physical or material form
They cannot be understood by human beings nor can they be depicted in any way o o o
There are two identifiable types, angels and jinn
Angels are understood to be the messengers of Allah
Muslims believe angels to be creatures of light which exist everywhere o o throughout the universe and are constantly interacting with human beings
Some people are occasionally able to see angels.
The angel usually appears in human form as the angel Jibril did when o o o appearing to Muhammad.
Muslims believe that each person has two angels designated to keep a record of their deeds, good and bad.
The Qur'an names a number of angels and designates specific purposes to each.
Jibril is the messenger bringing the word of Allah to those who are the o o chosen ones.
At the time of death the angel Azra'il will be present at the side of the person dying to receive their soul as it leaves them.
The angel Israfil has the role of calling all souls of the Day of
Judgment.
The angel Mika'il has the special role of guarding places of worship
The angels Munker and Nadir have the role of the questioners of souls o o o o o o
Iblis is the devil.
Other beings are known as Jinn
Jinn possess neither good or evil tendencies
Iblis is regarded as the leader of the jinn
Life after death o Human life on earth is a test and the outcome of this test determines the fate of the person for eternity. o Human life on earth is a test and the outcome of this test determines the fate of the person for eternity. o o o
Muslim's believe in a life after death which is known as "akhirah"
Human beings experience all kinds of situations and states in life
Each individual is called to respond positively to the will of Allah and o o o o o o submit to it
Their choice to do so or to refuse to do so is the key factor in their destiny.
Muslims believe that everything that takes place is the will of Allah
They believe that they have been given free will in order to respond to those things and it is this response that is important.
The first part of life is mortal and temporary
The second part is the eternal life which follows death
The mortal human life is believed to be a test of character

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Given that Allah is all knowing, there is no possibility of feigning good character
Muslim belief holds that each person is entirely responsible for their own actions
Every action and every thought in a person's lifetime is recorded and will be revealed at the time of judgment
This record is kept by the two guardian angels which are assigned to each person
The opportunity to pass the test is limited to a person's earthly life
Muslims believe that Allah has sent witnesses to each generation to show them clearly what is right and wrong and what is expected of them
Therefore there can be no claim of ignorance or uncertainty
Forgiveness is available for all people during the course of their lifetime
Evil actions or intentions can be forgiven by asking Allah for forgiveness
Muslims believe that those who die before the Day of Judgment will have their souls taken by the angel Azra'il to "barzakh" . This is a place of waiting between the moment of death and the Day of Judgment.
The Qur'an provides vivid apocalyptic images of the end of the world
The reward, known as Paradise is described in the Qur'an as a kind of oasis in the desert
For those who fail the test, the punishment is known as jahannam
The Qur'an describes this as a place of fire and hot winds, of torture and torment.
Muslims do not believe that the descriptions of the after-life are intended to be taken literally
The human mind is not capable of fully comprehending the nature of life after
The descriptions in the Qur'an are understood as symbolic representations which help people to have some limited understanding of the nature of the after-life.
Muslim's believe in a life after death which is known as "akhirah"
Human beings experience all kinds of situations and states in life
Each individual is called to respond positively to the will of Allah and submit to it
Their choice to do so or to refuse to do so is the key factor in their destiny.
Muslims believe that everything that takes place is the will of Allah
They believe that they have been given free will in order to respond to those things and it is this response that is important.
The first part of life is mortal and temporary
The second part is the eternal life which follows death
The mortal human life is believed to be a test of character
Given that Allah is all knowing, there is no possibility of feigning good character
Muslim belief holds that each person is entirely responsible for their own actions

o o o o
Every action and every thought in a person's lifetime is recorded and will be revealed at the time of judgment
This record is kept by the two guardian angels which are assigned to each person
The opportunity to pass the test is limited to a person's earthly life
Muslims believe that Allah has sent witnesses to each generation to show them clearly what is right and wrong and what is expected of them o o o o o
Therefore there can be no claim of ignorance or uncertainty
Forgiveness is available for all people during the course of their lifetime
Evil actions or intentions can be forgiven by asking Allah for forgiveness
Muslims believe that those who die before the Day of Judgment will have their souls taken by the angel Azra'il to "barzakh"
This is a place of waiting between the moment of death and the Day of
Judgment.
The Qur'an provides vivid apocalyptic images of the end of the world o o o o o o o
The reward, known as Paradise is described in the Qur'an as a kind of oasis in the desert
For those who fail the test, the punishment is known as jahannam
The Qur'an describes this as a place of fire and hot winds, of torture and torment.
Muslims do not believe that the descriptions of the after-life are o o intended to be taken literally
The human mind is not capable of fully comprehending the nature of life after
The descriptions in the Qur'an are understood as symbolic representations which help people to have some limited understanding of the nature of the after-life.
 Fate/predestination o o o
Muslims understand that Allah is all knowing.
Muslim's also believe that nothing happens by chance or randomly.
It all happens by design, with a purpose and it is Allah the creator who determines what will happen. o o
The idea that all things happen through the plan of Allah is called "Al-
Qadr"
Muslims believe that while our destiny is already known to Allah, it is our free will and our choice which determines it.
Each person is given the freedom to choose and Allah respects this free will absolutely. Muslims are reject any notion of fate.
Fate is not compatible with free will and as such is rejected by Muslim beliefs.