The Nature of Allah and Core Muslim Beliefs
The Foundation of Islamic Belief
Islam is built on a framework of core beliefs that shape everything a Muslim thinks, says and does. These beliefs differ slightly between the two main branches of Islam, Sunni and Shi’a. Both share fundamental convictions about Allah, but they organise and present those convictions in distinct frameworks you need to know.
The split between Sunni and Shi’a Islam originates in a dispute over succession after the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632 CE. The majority chose Abu Bakr as the first Caliph (successor), forming the Sunni tradition. A minority held that Muhammad had designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib as his rightful heir, forming the Shi’a tradition. This dispute over authority produced two different but overlapping systems of belief.
The Six Beliefs of Sunni Islam
Sunni Muslims articulate their core beliefs through the Six Beliefs of Islam (also called the Six Articles of Faith). These come from the Qur’an and from the Kitab al-iman (Book of Faith), where the Prophet Muhammad described the pillars of belief. A hadith recorded in Kitab al-iman 1:4 records that faith requires belief in “Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and al-Qadr.”
1. Tawhid — Oneness of Allah. The absolute, undivided unity of God. Surah 112 declares Allah is One, eternal and absolute, with no offspring and no equal.
2. Malaikah — Angels. Spiritual beings created from divine light who obey Allah perfectly, delivering revelation, recording deeds and carrying out His commands.
3. Kutub — Holy Books. Allah revealed scriptures to various prophets, including the Tawrat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), the Injil (Gospel) and, finally and completely, the Qur’an.
4. Risalah — Prophets. Allah sent prophets to every nation. Muhammad is the final prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, with no prophets to follow.
5. Yawm al-Din — Day of Judgement. At the end of time all people will be resurrected and judged by Allah on the basis of their beliefs and deeds.
6. Al-Qadr — Predestination. Allah has knowledge of all things, past, present and future. Everything that happens is within His knowledge and will.
The Six Beliefs of Sunni Islam — Allah, Angels, Books, Prophets, Day of Judgement, Predestination — are drawn from Kitab al-iman 1:4. This hadith text is the named source your exam expects you to cite for the Six Beliefs.
The Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Shi’a Islam)
Shi’a Muslims organise core belief around the Usul ad-Din — the Five Roots or Principles of Religion. While the Six Beliefs and the Five Roots share much common ground, they differ in two significant ways: the Shi’a framework replaces al-Qadr (predestination) with Adl (Divine Justice), and adds Imamah (divinely guided leadership) as a distinctive pillar of faith.
1. Tawhid — The oneness of Allah. Shared with Sunni belief.
2. Adl (Adalat) — Divine Justice. Allah is perfectly just; He does not and cannot act unjustly. This is an active attribute: Allah’s justice is a guarantor of moral order. This replaces al-Qadr as a named Root because Shi’a scholars, concerned about predestination undermining human accountability, prefer to emphasise justice.
3. Nubuwwah — Prophethood. Allah sent messengers to guide humanity. Muhammad is the final prophet.
4. Imamah — Leadership. After Muhammad, the community should be led by a line of divinely appointed Imams from the family of the Prophet (Ahl-ul-Bayt). The Imam is believed to be sinless and divinely guided. Twelver Shi’a Muslims believe in twelve such Imams; Sevener (Ismaili) Shi’a follow the first seven.
5. Mi’ad — Resurrection and the Day of Judgement. All people will be raised and judged. Mi’ad is essentially equivalent to Yawm al-Din in Sunni belief.
Twelver Shi’a Muslims (Ithna’ashariyya) are the majority of Shi’a, dominant in Iran, Iraq and parts of Lebanon. They recognise twelve Imams, the last of whom (Muhammad al-Mahdi) is believed to have gone into divine occultation and will return at the end of time.
Sevener (Ismaili) Shi’a Muslims follow the first seven Imams. They accept Ismail ibn Jafar as the seventh Imam rather than his younger brother Musa al-Kazim, whom Twelvers follow. The Aga Khan is the current hereditary leader of the Nizari Ismaili community, the largest surviving Ismaili branch.
Tawhid — The Oneness of Allah
Tawhid is the single most important belief in Islam. It holds that Allah is absolutely One — undivided, unique, without partners, children or equals. Surah 112 (Al-Ikhlas) is the foundational Qur’anic text: it teaches that Allah is One, eternal and self-sufficient, was not born and has no offspring, and nothing is comparable to Him. Muslims recite this surah daily; it summarises the whole of Tawhid in four verses.
The opposite of Tawhid is Shirk (associating anything with Allah). Shirk is described in the Qur’an as the one sin Allah will not forgive if a person dies without repenting of it. This explains why Islamic art traditionally avoids depictions of Allah or the Prophet, using calligraphy and geometric patterns instead.
The Nature and Qualities of Allah
Muslims believe Allah possesses qualities revealed throughout the Qur’an. Key divine attributes include:
- Omnipotence (all-powerful): Allah created the universe from nothing and sustains all life. Nothing is beyond His power.
- Beneficence: Allah is supremely good and generous. His generosity extends to all creation.
- Mercy (Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim): These two divine names both translate as “merciful” but are distinct. Ar-Rahman refers to Allah’s universal, boundless mercy that extends to all creation; Ar-Rahim refers to His particular and ongoing mercy towards believers. Every surah of the Qur’an (except one) opens with the phrase Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim (“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”).
- Transcendence: Allah is beyond and above the physical world; He is not limited by time or space.
- Immanence: At the same time, Allah is intimately close to His creation. The Qur’an states He is “closer to them than their jugular vein” (Surah 50:16).
Surah 16:35–36 is the Edexcel-named anchor for Allah’s oneness and prophethood: it declares that Allah sent a messenger to every nation, commanding: “Worship Allah and avoid false gods.” This verse links Tawhid to Risalah and underpins both the first and fourth articles of Sunni belief. In Shi’a Islam, Adalat (justice) is treated as a distinct Root of Religion, reflecting Shi’a theological emphasis on human moral accountability.
Comparing Muslim belief in Tawhid with Christian belief about the nature of God is a rich area for 12-mark Evaluate answers.
- Islam: God is absolutely one and indivisible. Any suggestion of a Trinity is rejected as Shirk. Allah has no son.
- Christianity: God is one being in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Trinity). Christians affirm monotheism but understand God’s nature as Trinitarian. Catholics ground this in the Nicene Creed and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
- Judaism: Like Islam, Judaism insists on the absolute unity of God (the Shema: “The Lord our God, the Lord is One” — Deuteronomy 6:4) and strongly rejects any Trinitarian formula.