Lesson video

Hello, my young scholars of religion.

My name is Miss.

Marks and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

Today we're going to be doing all about the foundations of faith within Sunni Islam, often known as the Articles of Faith.

We're going to get quite philosophical and theological.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of the lesson today, you'll be able to explain what the six articles of faith are, their importance and the influence they may have on a Muslim.

So let's start with our key terms then.

Angels, beings of light delivering God's messages and watching over humans, Akhirah, beliefs about life after death in Islam.

Risalah, belief in Prophets as Allah's messengers.

Sunni Islam, a branch of Islam and Tawhid, a belief in Allah's oneness and unity.

So today's lesson is going to have three sections, the six articles of Faith, the importance and influence of the six articles, and which article could be the most important? So let's start with our first section.

The six Articles of Faith, Meryem and Iqbal are Muslims. And here they explain what being a Muslim means to them.

Meryem says, "Being a Muslim means that I believe in Allah as the one God I know about Allah through the Holy Quran, which is my guide for life." And Iqbal says, "Being a Muslim means that I follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad who was chosen by Allah to show us how to live.

I hope to spend eternity in paradise in the afterlife through doing this." And we can see lots of important beliefs that Meryem and Iqbal have here, can't we? When Meryem and Iqbal are Sunni Muslims and the term Sunni Islam comes from Arabic, Sunni Islam.

Sunni comes from the term Sunna, meaning tradition of the Prophet Muhammad.

And Islam comes through a word Aslama, meaning submitting to God.

And you might know the word Salam, that means peace.

So Sunni Islam is one branch of Islam.

Sunni Muslims follow their interpretation of the traditions and teachings of Islam as passed down from the Prophet Muhammad and his successors.

And within Sunni Islam, there are six key beliefs known as the Six Articles of Faith.

Muslims in other branches of Islam, such as Shia Muslims will also believe these things but may not call them the Six Articles of Faith.

So these things will still be there for them, but they might not have them organised in that way as the six Articles of faith.

So these six articles are the unity of God, tawhid, Prophethood, Risalah, life After Death, Akhirah Angels, malaikah, holy books, kutub and predestination al-Qadr.

So let's understand a bit more what this is then.

We've got the six articles of Faith are these key beliefs within Sunni Islam.

The six articles of faith are the unity of God or tawhid.

So the oneness of God, there is only one God, that one God is complete.

Nothing compares to that God, that God is completely unique.

Angels or malaikah who are beings made of light.

Angels who record people's deeds ready for judgement day.

Angels who were around humans at all times.

And angels who also have been involved in the revelations of different holy books like the Quran.

Then we have Holy Books as an important belief here, known as Kutub.

And these have been revealed to Prophets.

Not every Prophet had a Holy Book, but some of them did.

And those holy books are important, especially within the six articles of faith of Sunni Islam.

Prophethood, Risalah.

So Prophets are God's messengers.

Prophets have revelations given to them from God so that humans can understand more about God and understand more about the religion.

Life after death or Akhirah.

This involves not only resurrection when everyone's resurrected, ready to be judged, but also judgement day and then things that happen after that whether people go to Heaven or hell.

And finally predestination al-Qadr, which comes from a word that means power.

So the idea is that God's will is supreme, God is all powerful.

Nothing happens without it being the will of God.

So let's do a quick check, which three of the following are part of the six articles of faith? holy Books, imamate, Prophethood, and tawhid, which three are in the six articles of Faith? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, holy Books, Prophethood and tawhid.

the Imamate is something in the Shia set of important beliefs, not within the Sunni ones.

So how were the six articles of faith agreed on then? Well, they were agreed on using different sources of authority in Islam, and two of these sources are the Holy Quran which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and then collections of Hadith, which are narrations relating to the life of the Prophet Muhammad, things that he said and did.

So let's look at one of these sources now, the source of authority being the Quran and see what it says about these different beliefs.

And in Surah four, which is chapter four, it says.

"Oh you who believe, believe in God and his messenger and the book he sent down to his messenger and the book he sent down before, whoever rejects God, his angels, his books, his messages on the last day have strayed far in error." So how many of those six articles of faith, those six key beliefs are mentioned in this passage? Read it again, pause the video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done did you spot we have God, Messenger, book, angels, and last day.

So we have God, tawhid, messengers, Risalah, the Holy Books, Kutub, angels, malaikah, and the last day resurrection Akhirah.

And not only do we have the Quran to go to as a source of authority for these different beliefs, but also the Hadith.

And in one Hadith there is a story that the Prophet Muhammad was discussing with Angel Jibril what faith is.

And Angel Jibril asked him, well, what is faith? And the Prophet Muhammad said to believe in Allah, his angels, his books, his messengers, the last day and the divine decree both good and bad.

And the term decree means when something's commanded and it has to be done.

So I wonder which one you could link that to.

So which of the six articles of faith are mentioned or linked to in this Hadith then? Pause the video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, we've got here Allah, angels, books, messengers, last day and divine decree.

So divine decree is links to the idea of predestination because it's down to God's will and God's command everything that happens, well done.

Well Lucas and Laura are discussing now how those sources of authority could support a belief in some of the six articles of faith.

And Lucas says, a muslim might believe in the six articles of Faith because in the Quran it says believing God and his messenger and the book he sent down.

And this shows three of the six articles of faith.

And Laura says a Muslim might believe in the six articles of faith because in the Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad said, affirm your faith and Allah, his angels, his books, his messages, and a belief in the resurrection.

This shows five of the six articles of faith.

And what I really like about what Lucas and Laura have done here is they've said the source from where they got their quote from, well done Lucas and Laura.

So let's do another check then, give two sources of authority which may support a Muslim's belief in the six articles of faith.

Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, we've got the Quran and the Hadith, well done.

So time for a practise task to see what we've learnt then.

You're going to describe the foundations of faith in Sunni Islam.

Give one paragraph in response to this question.

So you may write more than one paragraph on this if you had it as a task to do.

And we're just going to do one paragraph and the suggested structure is to give a point, develop it, and then the source.

And there's some sentence here that may help you.

So pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some good work there.

So I asked you to do one paragraph as part of a response to this question, describe the foundations of faith in Sunni Islam.

And your answer may look like this.

The foundations of faith in Sunni Islam are six important key beliefs.

One are the foundations of faith in Sunni Islam is a belief in tawhid.

This means that Muslims belief there's only one God.

Muslims believe this because it says in the Quran, believe in God and his messenger.

And what I've done here is use some key terms and then also said the source where I've got my quotation from.

Well done everyone.

So onto our second section then, the importance and influence of the six articles.

So one way to see the importance of a belief is to see how it influences a believer and it influences when something or someone has the ability to shape or change someone's thoughts, beliefs and actions.

So Lucas and Laura are discussing examples of influence here.

Lucas says, my parents often influence me.

For example, when I discuss my schoolwork with my mom and dad, they encouraged me to try harder and this influences me to do this.

And Laura says, I've been influenced by the life stories of people I've learnt about.

Sometimes people have been incredibly brave in hard times and this inspires and influences me to be braver in life.

So we can see the importance of those connections in the lives of Lucas and Laura because of the influence it has on their actions and attitudes.

So we can see that a belief in the six articles of faith is important to Muslims because of the influence it can have over parts of their life.

And here are some examples.

So for example, a belief in Risalah could be important and significant because it influences a Muslim to follow in the actions of those Prophets.

And the picture I've got here is of the pilgrimage in Mecca where Muslims are following the steps of Hajj, following in the footsteps of the Prophets before, showing the importance of that belief.

Holy books are important and significant for Muslims and we can see this through different actions that they may do.

For example, reading the Holy Quran, which is the image I have here.

So that shows me the importance of it that somebody is taking that action.

So tawhid could influence the life of a Muslim showing its importance and significance if they're willing to give money to charity or give their money for Zakat because it's showing that all provisions come from God.

Everything we have comes from God who is the complete and the one and the only.

Because by giving away money to charity or to Zakat, I'm showing that I'm not worshipping my money, but that Allah is first in my heart because all provisions have come from Allah.

And finally, a belief in predestination is important and significant for Muslims. And we can see this by them choosing to pray and asking Allah to do the right thing and to accept Allah's will, especially when things are difficult.

So let's do another check.

True or false, a belief in Prophethood could influence a Muslim to take a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, that's true, but why? Because taking a pilgrimage to Mecca is following the examples of Prophets in Islam such as Muhammad.

Risalah is a belief that God has sent Prophets in the past to show an example for how to behave.

Well done.

So let's explore the importance of the six articles a little more.

Laura's asking Iqbal, how does a belief in the six articles of faith influence you Iqbal? And he says, "The six articles of faith influence me to believe in Allah and others' messengers and follow their example.

A belief in Risalah influences me to pray in the way the Prophet Muhammad did.

And belief in Akhirah makes me feel hopeful about the afterlife because I believe that I can do the right actions in order to go to spend eternity in paradise." So this shows the importance of these beliefs for Iqbal's life.

And Lucas is asking Meryem, how does a belief in the six articles of faith influence you Meryem? And Meryem says, "A belief in the oneness of God tawhid influences me to want to worship only Allah.

To me this means not putting anything else above Allah in my life.

By giving my zakat, charity tax each year, I know I'm not putting money and wealth above God in my heart.

Everything I have is thanks to Allah's provision." So we can see how important and significant that belief in tawhid is through the actions of Meryem there.

So we can see the importance and significance of each of these six beliefs by having might influence a Muslim.

For example, the unity of God or tawhid is gonna influence a Muslim to not worship other gods.

A belief in angels or malaikah might make a Muslim feel protected because they know that angels are with them and around them.

A belief in Holy books or Kutub might influence a Muslim to read the Quran.

A belief in Prophethood or Risalah might influence a Muslim to follow the example of the Prophets, a belief in life after death or akhirah might influence a Muslim to feel hopeful about life after death, perhaps to feel comforted if a loved one has passed on and a belief in predestination might influence a Muslim to trust in God's will in hard times, to know that no matter what is happening, it's part of God's will.

So Meryem and Iqbal have shown us there's often more than one way that beliefs can influence believers and therefore show us their importance.

So let's together give one way a belief in Prophethood, Risalah, might influence a Muslim.

I think going on a pilgrimage to Mecca, that shows how important that belief in Prophethood is because it's influencing someone to do that action.

So over to you now, give another way that a belief in Prophethood, Risalah, might influence and Muslim, pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, I've got here praying each day the way that the Muhammad prayed.

So time for another practise task to see what we've learnt then.

Then explain why the foundations of faith are important to Sunni Muslims. You're going to write one paragraph as part of an answer to this question and here is a suggested structure, a point, develop, source, and then importance in the question we've got why the foundations of faith are important to Sunni Muslims. And we've thought of lots of different reasons why they're important in this lesson so far.

And the structure is to have a point.

You could say the foundations of faith are important to Sunni Muslims because, you could develop this by using the phrase this means.

Then you can cite a source it's supported by.

You can name the source, state what it says, which shows you can link it to the belief.

And then remember to bring in the importance and the importance of this belief is because your question is explain why the foundations of faith are important to Sunni Muslims. Pause the video and have a go.

We'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some really good work there.

So I asked you to do part of a response to this question to explain why the foundations of faith of Sunni Islam are important to a Muslim.

And your response might be similar to this.

The foundations of faith in Sunni Islam are important to Muslims because they can influence a Muslim to read and follow the Quran.

This means Sunni Muslims are reading the Quran as a holy book, which is one of the six articles of faith.

This is supported by the Hadith, when the Prophet Muhammad said to believe in Allah, his angels, his books was part of what faith was.

This is important because it influences Muslims to read the Quran and follow its teachings.

Well done.

So on to our third section then, which article could be the most important? So all of the six articles of faith are important to Muslims, but which one could we argue is the most important? We've got the unity of God, tawhid, Prophethood, Risalah, life after death, Akhirah, angels, malaikah, holy Books, Kutub and Predestination, al-Qadr or the supremacy of God's will.

Which of those would you argue is the most important to a Muslim? Pause video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, let's hear from Lucas, Laura and Sam when they're discussing here what they think the most important article of faith could be to a Muslim.

So Lucas says, "A belief in tawhid must be the most important because that is the one God that Muslims worship." Remember tawhid is a belief that there's only one God and that one God is united and complete.

And if that's the God that Muslims the worshipping , that must be the most important belief.

Laura says yes, but how would Muslims know about tawhid without Kutub, which is the holy Books like the Quran? That is more important 'cause that's how Muslims know about there being one God.

Sam says, okay, but Muslims have these holy books because God has sent Prophets those messages.

So Risalah is more important.

How would a Muslim have the book to read about God if the Prophet hadn't been given that revelation? So Sam thinks Risalah is, has that changed your mind at all? Have you still got the same idea of which could be the most important? Pause the video and have another think and again, talk to the person next to you or you can talk to me.

Who do you think has the most convincing answer here and why? So time for a quick check then, Lucas, Laura, and Sam have shown that there can be a variety of views on what the most important article of faith is for a Muslim.

Let's give one reason why one of the articles of faith could be the most important.

The Holy Books could be the most important article of faith because it's the words of God.

So over to you then, give one reason why one of the articles of faith could be the most important.

Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, we could say Prophethood, Risalah is the most important because the Prophets are examples to Muslims. So we're gonna hear from Meryem and Iqbal again now and they're gonna explain which one they think is the most important belief and why.

And Meryem says, I think a belief in tawhid is the most important.

My belief in one God means I trust the words of the Holy Books and follow the example of God's Prophets.

So for Meryem it really is tawhid that's the most important belief because that is why she believes the words of the Prophets and reads those books.

And Iqbal says, I think a belief in Akhirah is the most important.

My hope for life after death with Allah helps me follow the other teachings in Islam.

So for Iqbal, it's the overall destination of what happens after we die that is the most important belief for him and why he wants to follow the teachings of Islam.

So out of these two, who do you think has the most convincing argument and why? Pause the video and have a think.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, let's do another check.

All Muslims agree on what the most important article of faith is.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false, but why? Well, there's a variety of views on the most important article of faith.

Each article is important for Muslims and one may be more important than another for some Muslims or equally important.

Well done.

So time for a practise task to see what we've learned then.

Here is a full evaluation question using a statement about the six articles of faith.

And the statement is, the most important article of faith is Prophethood or Risalah.

And what you would do with this kind of question is discuss the statement, showing you've considered more than one point of view and you must refer to religion and belief in your answer.

We're going to do one section of this by writing the first paragraph about why some people might support the statement and refer to a source of authority, EG, the Quran.

So the statement again, the most important article of faith is Prophethood or Risalah.

Why might a Muslim say that that is the most important one? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some really good work there.

So I asked you to do one paragraph as part of an answer for this statement.

The most important article of faith is Prophethood or Risalah.

And the full question would be to evaluate this, but we are just doing one paragraph here.

I asked you to write the first paragraph to support the statement and refer to a source of authority.

For example, the Quran.

Your response might look something like this.

Some Muslim may agree with this statement because of their belief in Prophethood, Risalah.

Risalah is the belief that Allah sends Prophets with messages for humans.

Muslims believe this because it says in the Quran, oh who believe, believe in the book and his messenger, the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad as a message to humans.

This is therefore the most important article because this is how humans can learn about Allah and about what to do to get to paradise in the afterlife.

And so here I've used that quote from the Quran, oh you who believe, believe in the book and his messenger, in order to support a belief in Risalah.

But I could also use that quote if the question was about Holy Books Kutub as well, couldn't I? Well done.

So let's summarise everything we've learned today then.

Foundations of Faith, Sunni Islam.

The foundations of faith in Sunni Islam are also known as the six Articles of Faith.

Tawhid, Risalah, angels, the Holy Books, Akhirah, Predestination are the six articles of Faith.

The Koran and Hadith are sources of authority that support these.

The six key beliefs are important to Sunni and Shia Muslims and influence the life of Muslims in many different ways.

And there are arguments as to why different beliefs may be more important than the others.

So well done for your hard work today, and I hope to see you again soon, bye bye.