The Six Beliefs and the Five Roots (1RB0)

Beliefs, and then what?

In this specification a school studies two Areas of Study, with a different religion in each. Where Islam is studied in Religion, Peace and Conflict, these beliefs are the foundation of a paper that goes on to ask about war, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation. That changes what you need from them. Naming the beliefs is the start. The marks come from using one as evidence for how a Muslim should act. This module does both, in that order.

Two frameworks, side by side

Sunni Muslims commonly learn the Six Beliefs of Islam, set out in the collection the spec references as Kitab al-iman 1:4. Shi'a Muslims learn the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din, the roots or foundations of religion, with Tawhid expressed in Surah 112.

Match each belief to what it means

Roots are not pillars

One mix-up costs marks in every Islam question, so fix it now. The Five Pillars (Shahadah, Salah, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj) are a Sunni framework of practice: things Muslims do. The Five Roots of Usul ad-Din are a Shi'a framework of belief. The Shi'a framework of practice is the Ten Obligatory Acts. So Salah is a pillar, never a root, and Imamah is a root, never a pillar. Name the tradition and the framework every time you use one in an answer.

Which are correct?

Select the TWO correct statements about the two frameworks.

• Tawhid appears in both frameworks
• The Five Roots are foundations of religion, not a complete list of Shi'a belief
• The Five Roots and the Five Pillars are two names for the same list
• Shi'a Muslims do not believe in angels, since angels are not one of the Five Roots

What the belief leads to

This is the move the Peace and Conflict paper rewards. Each belief supports an attitude a Muslim might take when there is conflict:

Match each belief to the attitude it supports

Which sentence scores?

A question asks whether a Muslim should ever forgive an enemy. Which sentence uses a belief as evidence, the way this paper rewards?

• Because Muslims believe in Akhirah, that they will answer for their actions at judgement, many argue that revenge is not theirs to take
• Muslims believe in Akhirah, which is one of the Six Beliefs of Islam
• I think forgiving your enemy is the right thing to do
• Religious people usually believe in being kind to others

Six Beliefs, Five Roots

The Sunni framework is the Six Beliefs; the Shi'a framework of belief is the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din. Both begin with _____. The root meaning divine justice is _____, and the root about the leadership of the imams is _____. The Five Pillars are a framework of _____, not of belief. In this paper, a belief earns marks when it is used as _____ for how a Muslim should act.

Build the answer

An evaluation question states: "Muslims should always work for peace." You must argue both sides and reach a judgement. Work through it.

• You start with the side that agrees. What is the strongest way to open?
• Now the other side. What makes a genuine counter-argument rather than a weak one?
• You reach the judgement. What does a strong conclusion do?

Belief into action

Explain how TWO Muslim beliefs might shape a Muslim's attitude to conflict. Use one belief from the Six Beliefs and one from the Five Roots.

• Name each belief in Arabic and say which framework and tradition it belongs to
• Explain what each belief actually teaches, in a sentence
• Draw the consequence: what attitude to conflict does it support, and why
• Refer to a source of authority by name for at least one of them
• Do not confuse a root with a pillar, and do not imply that a belief missing from one framework is not held at all