Outline the principal beliefs of Islam and demonstrate how sacred texts and writings provide a record of the beliefs of Islam

What this dot point is asking

NESA wants you to outline the principal beliefs of Islam and show how its sacred texts and writings record and communicate those beliefs. Treat Islam accurately and respectfully, name the central articles of faith, and connect each to where it is recorded. This is the principal beliefs and sacred texts component of the Islam depth study, examined in both Studies of Religion I and II.

The answer

Tawhid: the oneness of God

The foundation of Islam is tawhid, the absolute oneness and unity of God (Allah). God is one, without partner or equal, the creator and sustainer of all that exists. Tawhid shapes every other belief and is the heart of the Islamic understanding of reality.

The articles of faith

Islamic belief is commonly summarised in the articles of faith:

• Belief in God (Allah). One, transcendent, merciful and just.
• Belief in the angels. Created beings who serve God, including the angel Jibril (Gabriel) who conveyed revelation.
• Belief in the sacred books. The scriptures revealed by God, culminating in the Qur'an.
• Belief in the prophets (rusul). A line of prophets from Adam through Ibrahim, Musa and Isa to Muhammad, the final prophet (the seal of the prophets).
• Belief in the Day of Judgement (Akhirah). The resurrection and judgement of all, leading to paradise or punishment.
• Belief in divine decree (al-Qadr). God's knowledge and will over all that occurs.

Submission to God

The word Islam means submission to God, and a Muslim is one who submits. Belief is expressed in practice through the Five Pillars (the declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage), which enact submission to the one God.

How sacred texts record these beliefs

• The Qur'an. Muslims believe the Qur'an is the literal word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jibril over some twenty-three years. It is the supreme source of belief, law and guidance, and its affirmation of tawhid, the prophets and the Day of Judgement records the central beliefs of Islam.
• The Sunnah and hadith. The example of the Prophet (the Sunnah), recorded in the hadith, the reports of his words and actions, is the second source. It shows how the beliefs and commands of the Qur'an are to be understood and lived.

Together the Qur'an and the Sunnah preserve and transmit Islamic belief and provide the authoritative basis for practice and law.

How the texts record and transmit belief

The relationship between the two sources is the key to a strong answer. The Qur'an is regarded as immutable and complete, the direct speech of God, so it is the supreme record of belief: its opening chapter, the Fatihah, and verses such as the declaration of God's oneness in Surah al-Ikhlas state tawhid in concentrated form. The Sunnah does not add to the Qur'an but shows how it is to be understood and lived: where the Qur'an commands prayer, the Sunnah records how the Prophet prayed, turning belief into practice. The hadith were carefully collected and graded for reliability (sahih, hasan, da'if) by scholars such as al-Bukhari and Muslim, which is why Muslims treat the Sunnah as an authoritative second source rather than mere tradition. For the exam, the discriminator is showing this division of labour: the Qur'an records the articles of faith directly, while the Sunnah anchors and applies them, so the two together form a complete record that has shaped Islamic belief, law (sharia) and daily life for fourteen centuries.