The Edexcel IGCSE Islam - Beliefs and Values notes were compiled in line with the specification, consulting textbooks, websites, and primary sources of authority. These notes take the form of bullet points, PEEL paragraphs and quotes to best equip you to answer the questions in the exam.
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EDEXCEL IGCSE – REVISION
NOTES
PAPER 1 – BELIEFS AND VALUES
,Contents – Beliefs and Values
Section 1 – The Universe, Creation and the Place of Human Beings
Origins of the Universe......................................................................................................................3
Relationship of human beings to other creatures..............................................................................4
1.2 - Human Nature and the Human Condition.....................................................................................6
Nature and Condition of Human Body...............................................................................................6
---.......................................................................................................................................................6
1.3 Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance and Sin.............................................................................................8
Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance............................................................................................................8
---.......................................................................................................................................................8
1.4 – Free Will, Determinism and Predestination................................................................................10
Religious and non-religious beliefs about free will, whether God decides fate -.............................10
1.5 – Ultimate Reality..........................................................................................................................12
Nature and character of God...........................................................................................................12
---.....................................................................................................................................................12
1.7 – The Problem of Evil and Suffering...............................................................................................20
2.1 – Death and Life After Death.........................................................................................................23
Death and Life After Death..............................................................................................................23
2.2 – Meaning and Purpose of Life......................................................................................................25
2.3 - Sanctity of Life, Abortion and Euthanasia....................................................................................26
Sanctity of Life-................................................................................................................................26
Divorce and Remarriage:.................................................................................................................36
Conflict and War..............................................................................................................................44
3.2 - Peace, Reconciliation and Forgiveness........................................................................................49
Peace:..............................................................................................................................................49
3.3 - Bullying........................................................................................................................................52
Bullying:...........................................................................................................................................52
3.4 - Sin and Crime...............................................................................................................................54
Sin and crime:..................................................................................................................................54
3.5 - Punishment..................................................................................................................................57
Punishment :....................................................................................................................................57
Capital Punishment:.........................................................................................................................60
4.1 - Human Rights..............................................................................................................................63
Human Rights:.................................................................................................................................63
, Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities:............................................................................................66
4.3 - The Multi-ethnic Society and Racial Harmony.............................................................................70
Multi-Ethnic Societies......................................................................................................................70
4.4 - The Multi-Faith Society and Interfaith Relationships...................................................................72
4.5 - Relationships Between Rich and Poor.........................................................................................74
Relationships Between Rich and Poor:............................................................................................74
1.1 – The Universe and the Place of Human Beings
---
Origins of the Universe
--
Differing views for the origins of the universe -
Islamic beliefs about the origins of the universe
Muslims believe that God created the Earth in 6 days. Quran 7:54 states,' Your lord is God, who created
the heavens and the Earth in 6 days.'
When God created the universe, the heavens and Earth were one and God split them into two gaseous
and smoke-like forms: 'Are the believers not aware that the heavens and the Earth used to be joined
together and that We ripped them apart...'
---
Non-religious beliefs for the origins of the universe
The Big Bang Theory is the leading explanation of how the universe began. It suggests that 13.8 billion
years ago, all matter was compressed into an incredibly small, hot and dense collection of mass. A
massive expansion of the space took place, but it cooled down over time, correlating with the universe's
decreasing rate of expansion. The matter that had been flung all ways became stars grouped into millions
of galaxies.
~ Evidence that supports the Big Bang includes the Redshift; light from galaxies far away proves that the
universe is expanding. If the universe is expanding, then something must have initiated that expansion. If
all the galaxies move away uniformly, then it suggests that they started at the same point.
Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about the place of human beings on Earth -
Islamic beliefs of the place and purpose of human beings on Earth
Muslims believe that God created the world and gave humans the responsibility of taking care of the
planet. Quran 6:165 states, 'It is He who has made you successors on the earth.' The role of humans
as stewards is to protect the environment and take care of the world for God and for future
generations - striving to maintain harmony and balance for the world that God created. Muslims
believe that we will be held answerable to God on how well we fulfilled this role.
God made humans vicegerents of the Earth. Quran 2:30 states,' I am going to place a successive
human authority on earth.' This verse delegates a duty of care for the Earth, limited resources and
its inhabitants upon humans. We must execute that duty to the best of our ability without causing
corruption on the Earth and giving Muslims a sense of appreciation towards the creation of Earth by
God.
---
Non-religious view of the place of human beings on Earth
,Humanists believe that there is no afterlife and that the only duty that humans have on Earth is to
the world - not to a supernatural force such as God. Humanists are concerned with the human
welfare and happiness, with the belief in our current existent existence as being the one and only
life, whilst this World is the one that we have. They believe that people should make the most of
their lives whilst on Earth, providing support to others to live fulfilling lives. --
Ways we can take care of the Earth -
Reducing food and water wastes
Muslims can take care of the Earth by reducing the resources that we use to consume; this means
eating everything on your plate. It is written within Hadith that the Prophet would use his fingers to
scrape the plate and lick the residue food off his fingers. The reason for such was to not leave any
food for the devil, and because we do not know which portion of the food has the blessing of Allah.
Reduce the consumption of resources that are unnecessary
Something that contributes heavily towards waste is unnecessary purchases. The Quran says,' Take
your adornment.... but not be excessive.' Muslims should not purchase items or acquire goods that
they do not need in their lifestyle and will eventually throw away due to a lack of necessity for such.
Reducing the unnecessary material possessions that one purchases reduces the amount of waste -
thus taking care of the Earth.
Relationship of human beings to other creatures
--
Different views on relationships of human beings to other creatures -
Islamic beliefs (expressed through dominance)
Islam teaches that humans have dominance over other animals because we have stewardship for the
Earth and everything upon it. In the Quran it states,' It is He who has made you successors of the Earth.'
This verse of the Quran teaches that humans have a responsibility over the Earth, and the creatures upon
it.
Islam teaches that although humans have dominance over animals, they hold equal value to Allah. In the
Quran it says,' There is not an animal on Earth...We have omitted from the Book, and they shall be
gathered to their Lord in the end.' Animals have their own relationship with Allah, and it is wrong for us
to mistreat creations of Allah as such contravenes the teachings of the Quran.
---
Non-religious beliefs (expressed through commonality)
Evolutionary theory supports the belief of commonality between all beings. This is the belief that all
creatures are part of the same process of development. In maintaining such a belief, one also believes
that humans and animals are equal in dominance. This means that humans are not superior to animals,
and animals are not superior to humans.
Peter Singer believes that the boundary between humans and animals is completely arbitrary. He
believes that there is no good reason why the principle of utility - where actions should be done in the
interest of the maximum happiness for the maximum amount of people - should not be applied for
animals as well because privileging humans over animals is speciesism.
,Differing beliefs/teachings about animal rights, and how humans should treat animals -
Islamic beliefs
Muslims believe that we should respect animals and not act in a manner that would disturb them.
The Prophet Muhammed respected animals: he had cut off part of his cloak when he was trying to
move, as opposed to disturbing a sleeping cat. He had also instructed a man to return a bird’s eggs
when he saw the mother bird in distress. The Prophet respected animals, and we should follow in his
path if we wish to reap the rewards for following the straight path and reap the rewards for such in
this life and the hereafter.
Humans are only permitted to eat meat that has been killed consistent with Shariah law. 'Eat the
lawful and good food that Allah has provided for you.' For meat to be considered halal, it must
undergo ritual slaughtering. This is where the animal is killed 'in the name of God' and a sharp knife
is used to sever the throat, windpipe and blood vessels in the neck. This is done to ensure that
animals feel minimal pain when they're being killed.
---
Non-religious beliefs/teachings
Many countries recognise the five freedoms of animals established by the World Organisation for
Animal Health. These five freedoms are: freedom from hunger, malnutrition and thirst; freedom
from fear and distress; freedom from heat, stress or physical discomfort; freedom from pain, injury
and disease; freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour. These animal rights ensure that
there are sufficient protections for the safety of animals and ensure they are not treated in an
inhumane manner.
Humanists advocate for the removal of religious exemption for animal welfare and farming laws.
Currently, the law allows slaughterhouses to kill animals without pre-stunning in order for it to be
kosher and halal (due to religious rituals of killing not permitting such.) They advocate for the
mandating of pre-stunning in order to prevent animals from being subject to unnecessary pain and
suffering - despite the practice of producing halal and kosher meat being seen as more ethical.
,1.2 - Human Nature and the Human Condition
---
Nature and Condition of Human Body
---
Religious and non-religious beliefs about the nature and condition of the human body -
Islamic beliefs about the nature and character of the human body
Muslims believe that Allah made our body from the Earth. The Quran states,' We created man from
sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape.' Humans hold the belief that we were created from
soil and dust, and that our physical bodies were made from clay. The word 'Adam' means soil and
the word 'Eve' means living.
Muslims also believe that we do not embody the form of God; we are unable to imagine the form
that God takes for that would be an act of shirk. The Quran states,' Do the disbelievers do not realize
that the heavens and earth were one mass and We split them apart?' It is through this verse that we
understand that God created apes and humans in their own image, and that evolution remains solely
a theory.
Muslims believe that humans have an immortal and immaterial soul called the Ruh. This
distinguishes us from animals as it provides us with consciousness, self-awareness, and free will. Due
to this, we have Fitrah (which is the innate awareness of God and morality). Due to this Fitrah, our
Qalb (the heart and the centre of worship which houses our faculties for self-control and self-
discipline) is at constant conflict with our nafs (which is our seat for passions and desires that must
be trained through living the right way.) The constant conflict between our Qalb and Nafs is like a
wild horse that needs to be tamed. Successfully doing so keeps us on the straight path and allows us
to reap the rewards for doing such in this life and the hereafter.
Muslims also believe in God as the omnipotent, omni benevolent and omniscient. The Quran states,'
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, ...Master of the Day of Judgement,'
These attributes of Allah distinguish him from man. Muslims believe that God is beyond all things
and is not limited to the physical world.
---
Non-religious beliefs about the nature and character of the human body
Sigmund Freud believed that Humans have an Id, Super-ego and Ego.
The Id is the part of our mind where there is an instinctual drive (particularly sexual) that
requires satisfaction. This is the only innate aspect of our personality.
The Super-ego is the part which contains the 'conscience' that maintains socially acquired
control mechanisms which have been internalized and are usually imparted by authoritative
figures such as our parents.
, The Ego is the conscious self that is created by the interactions between the Id and the
super-ego and has the task of reconciling our conflicting demands with the requirements of
the external reality.
Example: The Id would be craving chocolate; the Super-ego would be the fact you are on a diet and
the Ego would make you eat a small piece of chocolate.
Belief in the soul -
Why do people believe in the soul
Revelation
Upbringing
Hope for an afterlife
Explain aspects of life (conscience) that evolution cannot explain
Free will
Empirical evidence (Near Death Experience/Past Life Regression)
Philosophical arguments (Descartes/Application of Leibniz's Law of Identity'
981 mentions of the Soul in the Quran
---
Why do people not believe in the soul
Lack of scientific evidence for non-material realm of living
Success of reductionism
Upbringing
Atheism
Physicalism -
Why some people believe this world is the only world
Some people believe that the real world is nothing more than the physical world. This is because
there is a lack of scientific evidence for the existence of a non-physical reality, and therefore it is
wrong to believe something without any evidence. Furthermore, they may believe that the laws of
the universe cannot be created. Physicalists believe in an infinite regress where things have been
causing each other in an infinite causation line which is how the universe has been.
Some people believe that the existence of a real world is nothing more than the physical world. This
is because there is a lack of scientific evidence for the existence of a non-physical world, and
therefore in order to believe in a supernatural alternative world, we are required to assume that a
supernatural alternative world exists. This principle is known as Ockham's Razor. Physicalists believe
that the laws of the universe cannot be created; there is an infinite regress where things have been
causing each other in an infinite causation line which is how the universe has been made.
Others believe that the universe came into existence from nothing, and the belief in a supernatural
force is the believe in magic; the possessor of such powers does not exist. They believes that the
existence of mankind can be explained through the scientific theory of Charles Darwin regarding
evolution. This is the idea that human has evolved over time from chimpanzees.
---
Why some people believe this world is not the only world
Muslims believe in the existence of another world due to the premise of belief. There is no evidence
for the existence of God, but the belief in God is done under the premise of belief. It is through this
belief that we are brought even closer to God for we delve into understanding the true meaning of
, being a Muslim. This keeps us on the straight path so we can reap the rewards for such in this life
and the hereafter.
1.3 Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance and Sin
---
Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance
Selfishness: Avoiding donating to charity
Greed - Stealing the Christmas decorations a neighbour put out, so you don't have to buy them
Ignorance - Shouting homophobic abuse at someone
---
Religious and non-religious belief about human selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin, and its role
as a root cause for human wrongdoing -
Islamic beliefs
Muslims believe that humans are born free from sin and have an innate knowledge of what is right
from what is wrong, and an inbuilt awareness of God (Fitrah.) Muslims believe that sin occurs when
humans use their free will to ignore their consciences and the command of God. There are three
reasons for this: 1) It is easy to become selfish in the pursuit of personal pleasure, and the right and
most pleasurable thing isn't always the same; 2) selfishness can lead to greed and we become more
obsessed in gaining material objects at the expense of others; 3) we are ignorant of God's command
and we can easily fall into sin, which is why having a deep understanding of the Quran, Hadith,
Sunnah and Shariah law is important for us.
Muslims believe that evil originates from the fact that this life is a test. Muslims believe that Shaytan
has a purpose of tempting humans to do wrong, instead of right; he refused to bow down to Adam
when ordered by Allah and stated a pledge to do wrong. The Quran states,' I will make things on
Earth seem attractive to them and lead all of them to error.' In order to resist these temptations,
Muslims have to be faithful to Allah by following Islam, knowing the Quran, but also be determined
to avoid selfishness, greed and ignorance.
---
Non-religious beliefs
Many non-Muslims believe that selfishness, greed and ignorance are an innate part of human
nature, and they cannot be removed. It is a natural result of competition for survival and evolution
has made our thinking mechanisms make us act in a manner that makes us strive towards ensuring
we survive. We must compete for resources, and therefore we have to be selfish and greedy to
survive.
Humanists believe that selfishness, greed and ignorance can be overcome by cooperation and acting
in the best interests of the social unit. They believe that, although we are naturally predisposed
towards selfish behaviour, it is possible for us to act in the interests of others, rather than in the
interest of ourselves. According to these humanists, this can happen because we are the happiest
when we overcome our inclination towards these three poisons of society.
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