The nature of Allah
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what Muslims believe about the nature of Allah and some different Muslim perspectives on this.
Key learning points
- In Islam Allah is believed to be omnipotent, beneficent, merciful, fair and just. Surah 46:33 supports this.
- In Islam Allah is believed to be both transcendent and immanent.
- There are different perspectives within Islam on these different attributes of God.
- The justice of God, Adalat, is a key belief in Shia Islam.
Keywords
Adalat - the justice of Allah, from Al-Adl (The Just)
Beneficent - Allah as all loving, generous and kind; one of Allah’s 99 Names
Immanent - Allah is present and active in the world.
Omnipotent - Allah is all powerful.
Transcendenct - Allah is above, beyond, and independent of the world.
Common misconception
That Sunni Muslims do not believe in the justice of Allah (Adalat) because it is not mentioned in the six articles of faith.
Al Adl (the just) is one of the 99 names of Allah and is important to Sunni Muslims as well as Shia but it isn't in the six articles of faith and may be seen as part of a believe in Tawhid - the oneness of God.
Teacher tip
Students can read lists of the other 99 names of Allah in order to learn more about Muslim beliefs about the nature of Allah.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which group of Muslims have the 6 articles of faith?
Q2.Which group of Muslims have the 5 roots of Usul A din?
Q3.Which of the following is in the 6 articles of faith?
Q4.Which one of the following is one of the 5 roots of Usul A din?
Q5.Which of the following are in both the 6 articles of faith and the 5 roots of Usul A din?
Q6.What is the correct definition of Tawhid?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the correct definition.
the justice of Allah, from Al-Adl (The Just)
Allah as all loving, generous and kind; one of Allah’s 99 Names
Allah is present and active in the world.
Allah is all powerful.
Allah is above, beyond, and independent of the world.
Q2.Which statement is true?
Q3.Which quote from the Qur’an shows God’s omnipotence?
Q4.Which quote from the Qur’an shows God’s immanence?
Q5.Which quote from the Qur’an shows God’s transcendence?
Q6.Which of the following is not an influence of a belief in Allah’s beneficence?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The nature of Allah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The nature of Allah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Islam: beliefs unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.