The Edexcel IGCSE Religious Studies - Islam 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 2 – RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES
,Contents – Religious Communities
1.1 - Religious Texts..........................................................................................................................3
The Quran, and its authority and importance in Islam, and its use by Muslims -..............................3
1 .1 - The Sunnah, Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and Shariah Law.....................................................5
Other sources of authority -..............................................................................................................5
1.1 - Sources of Authority.................................................................................................................8
Role and importance of Imam in Sunni and Shi'ah Islam -.................................................................8
1.2 - Founders and Leaders.............................................................................................................10
The life and teaching of the Prophet Mohammed -.........................................................................10
......................................................................................................................................................13
2.1 - Festivals and Celebrations.......................................................................................................14
Meaning and importance of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha -................................................................14
2.2 - Places of Pilgrimage................................................................................................................16
The practice and significance of Hajj -.............................................................................................16
The significance of Makkah and Madinah for Muslims -..................................................................17
3.1 - The Mosque............................................................................................................................18
Importance and aspects of the Mosque -........................................................................................18
Purpose, uses and importance of Mosques -...................................................................................20
Mosques in different communities -................................................................................................21
3.2 - Forms of Worship....................................................................................................................22
Prayer and worship -........................................................................................................................22
Purpose, uses and importance of Mosques -...................................................................................23
Mosques in different communities -................................................................................................24
Practices of ceremonies associated with birth -..............................................................................25
Practices of ceremonies associated with marriage -........................................................................25
.........................................................................................................................................................27
Practices of ceremonies associated with death -.............................................................................27
,1.1 - Religious Texts
---
The Quran, and its authority and importance in Islam, and its use by Muslims
-
The Quran:
The Quran is known as the Umm-Al-Khatib. This means that it is the mother of all books. It
contains a word-for-word revelation of God that was given to the Prophet Muhammed through
Angel Jibril. It was written in Arabic and has never been altered. The Quran has been memorised
by many Hafiz; they are the guardians of the Quran.
6 Truths in the Quran
The essence of God
The essence of His names and attributes
God's work
The essence of human beings: their nature and purpose
The 'straight path' and the reward for following it in this world and the hereafter
The 'crooked path' and the consequences of following it in this world and the hereafter
--
Quran's authority/importance in Islam
Source of Guidance -
The Quran instructs Muslims how to lead their lives and reap the rewards for such in this life and
the hereafter.
The way in which this is achieved is to follow the straight path, as opposed to the crooked
path
~ ' And we sent down the Quran that which is healing and mercy to those who believe. '
Direct and final revelation of God -
Since no revelation has come after it, and it was the direct word of God, it means that the Quran is
the direct words of the God and a portal of submission to God.
This allows Muslims to follow the words of the Quran in a manner that allows them to live
their lives like an individual devout to their God.
~ ' I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the sunnah, and if you follow
a these, you will never go astray
,Uses of the Quran by Muslims
There are many ways the Quran is used by Muslims
In their daily lives
Quran is a fundamental part of Salah (prayer) - particularly Surah-Al-Fatihah
A 1/30th portion (Juz) is recited on each day of Ramadan
Used in sermons during Friday prayer (Jummah)
Read by Muslims to devout themselves to God
In the interpretation and creation of Shariah Law
Principle source of authority used to form Islamic Law (Shariah)
Consulted by the Ulema to strive for consensus in forming Ijma
Rites of Passage
7 days after birth, the naming ceremony (Aqiqah) is held; passages from the Quran are
read at this ceremony
The Bismillah celebration takes place at age 4 where the child recites the 'Bismillah' verses
to mark the start of their child's Islamic education
At weddings, passages from the Quran are read and vows are made referencing the Quran
The Quran is recited when someone is ill; the words impart peace, faith and healing
When someone dies, the Quran is read through the night by family and friends, also being
recited during the burial of the dead
Art
Since the depiction of Prophets in image form and depicting living creatures like God is
shirk, Islamic art is reproduced by Words of the Quran
~ This is done through calligraphy and is found in many places: Khabah, Mosques, and in the
homes of Muslims
--
Respecting the Quran
There are many ways that the Quran is respected by Muslims
Recited in the correct way
It is read with soul, heart, mind, tongue and body (Tilawah) and it is recited with correct
intonation and pronunciation (Tajwid)
Recited with Wudu/showering
Individuals must conduct ablution when they urinate, defecate, sleep, bleed or flatulate.
They must shower if they engaged in sexual intercourse.
Read with protection
Individuals say,' I seek the protection of God from Satan, the Cursed one,' followed by
Bismillah before reciting the Quran
Respecting it when it is / is not in use
It is kept on the highest shelf or a special room.
It is covered from dust
It is kept on a Kursi (stand) when read
Speaking, eating, drinking, and noise is not permitted when it is read
,1 .1 - The Sunnah, Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and Shariah Law
---
Other sources of authority -
Sunnah:
The Sunnah is the name for the practices, customs, and traditions of the Prophet Muhammed
(pbuh). It is derived from the following:
Hadith h - the saying and reporting of the Prophet's lives, there are 6 collections with the most
know n and corroborated deeds being known as Mutwir
Sirah - this is the biography of the Prophet and contains information of his life gathered by early
scholar s
These sources of authority give insight into the type of Muslim the Prophet was.
Detailed information about specific situations in Human's lives and dilemmas were not
mentioned in the Quran, therefore we rely on the guidance of the Prophet
--
Importance of Sunnah:
The Sunnah allows for the interpretation of the Quran -
There are ambiguous verses in the Quran that hold importance since wrongly interpreting them
would mean that we deviate from the straight path and cannot reap the rewards for following
such in this life or the hereafter. The Prophet is one of the first people to go after the Mutashabih
(verses of the Quran which have an unknown definite meaning.) The Quran states,' no one should
be reminded but the people of Understanding.' Not following the words/actions of the Prophet
means that we may possible incorrectly interpret the Quran - causing us to not follow the straight
path and reap the rewards for such in this life and the hereafter.
Completes Islam
The Quran leaves many parts of the Quran as undetailed; this includes how to pray, eat, dress, and
perform the 5 pillars of Islam. These rituals are important elements of Islam that have to be done
correctly for Muslims and the Prophet carried these out correctly, therefore we should follow the
actions of the Prophet. One of the 6 truths of the Quran is to stay on the straight path and reap
the rewards for such in this life and the hereafter. This allows Muslims to devout themselves to
God. In the Final Sermon, the Prophet said,' I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my
example, the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray.'
,Shariah:
Since there are 80 explicit rules approximately in the Quran, other sources of authority are
required by Muslims in order to follow the straight path. These are known as secondary or derived
sources: Sunnah, Hadith, Customs and practices, Ijma and Qiyyas.
There are 5 categories of Shariah:
1. Fard/Wajib - Compulsory - e.g., 5 daily prayers; it is a sin to commit them
2. Mandub/Mushtahab - Recommended - e.g., Voluntary prayer; rewarded for performing it
3. Mubah - Permissible - e.g., Driving an electric car; environmentally friendly
4. Makruh - Disapproved of - e.g., Divorce; Be a last resort as problems should be settled
5. Haram - Strictly forbidden - e.g., Drinking alcohol; intoxicates people and they act out
--
Importance of Shariah:
Complete set of Islamic Laws -
The Shariah is a full set of shariah law; it is based off the Quran, Sunnah, Hadith, Ijma and Qiyyas.
Therefore, if a Muslim does not abide by Shariah law, it is reasonable that they are rejecting the
rules that a Muslim must abide by. In doing so, they would follow the 'crooked' path and suffer
the consequences for doing such in this life and the hereafter. This means that following Shariah
allows you to follow the 'straight' path and reaping the reward for such in this life and the
hereafter. For this reason, it's important to follow the Shariah.
Jurisprudence regarding extensive matters -
The Quran extends provisions in the Quran accounting to approximately 80 explicit rules.
Therefore the Sunnah, Hadith, and Ijma/Qiyas are used to establish precedent regarding modern
day situations for which we have no understanding. Sunnah and Hadith are used since the Prophet
was a civil and religious leader, therefore he set a legal framework for both religion and practices.
An example is that alcohol was created in the time of the Prophet and was forbidden since it was
an intoxicant and harmed the body. Therefore, drugs is impermissible as it is an intoxicant and
harms the body.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
,Ulema:
The Ulema is a body of Muslim scholar that are recognised as having specialist knowledge of Islam
law and theology. There are numerous Ulema councils in Muslim countries.
--
Role and Importance of the Ulema:
Interpreting Sources of Authority -
One role of the Ulema is to use primary and secondary sources of authority to rule on new matters
in our ever-changing world. This is because there are happenings in modern-day society that did
not happen in the time of the Prophet. This means that we cannot determine if something is
permissible or forbidden in Islam using the Sunnah or Hadith as the Prophet did not carry out or
speak regarding those actions. They make sure this is sound through using ijma and qiyas. An
example is weed. Weed was not existent in the time of the Prophet, and this means that the
Prophet could not establish rulings regarding it. We therefore strive towards a knowledgeable
entity to determine this.
Simplifying and issuing guidance those without knowledge -
Modern-day Muslims are very occupied in this life, rather than having the time and ability to
spend time on preparing extensively for the life in the hereafter. This therefore means that we
require an entity in order to provide accurate rulings in a way that Muslims over the world can
understand. Not every Muslim understands Arabic, nor can they read it. Therefore, the Ulema can
explain the true meaning and context of the verse to Muslims. This allows Muslims to follow the
straight path and reap the reward for such in this life, as well as the hereafter, hence why the role
of the Ulema is important.
Ijma and Qiyyas
Ijma - Consensus
This is the consensus of the Ulema; this is because each scholar uses Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)
to come to a determination on matters.
The entire Ulema must agree for this element to be achieved.
Qiyyas - Analogy
The use of analogy from previous rulings can be used to determine right from wrong. The Ulema
uses the underlying principles of previous rulings to determine on matters that necessitate
certification of a ruling.
An example is the prohibition of alcohol was established in the time of the Prophet. This
was established in the Quran a ruling was created by the Ulema stipulating that the
standing taken is due to alcohol being an intoxicant. Using this rule, the Ulema determined
that drugs are prohibited. The principle that intoxicants are not allowed by Islamic law was
adapted to this new situation, so that Muslims could stay faithful to Allah.
, 1.1 - Sources of Authority
---
Role and importance of Imam in Sunni and Shi'ah Islam -
Imam in Sunni Islam:
The meaning of Imam is 'in the front.' The Imam in Sunni Islam has no special training or
hereditary ordination. They were not given the role at birth. The Imam is often a family man so
they can advise on a range of problems that the ummah may face. They are chosen by the
community, often due to their piety, Quranic knowledge and ability to recite the Quran properly.
--
Role and Importance of the Imam in Sunni Islam
Role -
Teaching the community
They teach Islam to people of all ages: particularly children who need to learn the Quran in
Islam. They can hold study circles and Quran classes.
Perform special ceremonies
They can do Islamic marriages (Nikkah and Weddings); carry out the Akhikah
They can deliver sermons (khutbah) before Friday prayer
They can read the Quran during mourning periods, and lead funeral prayers
Teaching the community
They teach Islam to people of all ages: particularly children who need to learn the Quran in
Islam. They can hold study circles and Quran classes.
Lead prayer
They can lead the 5 daily prayer
They can lead Jummah Salah, Eid prayer and Taraweh during Ramadan
Offer advice
Since Imams tend to be Hafiz, they can use their Quranic knowledge to give individuals
advice so that they can be strong in their Iman (faith.)
Visit schools, hospitals, prisoners
Imams will often be responsible for proselytization and evangelizing people
They will preach and attempt to heal/reform/teach people at different locations
Act as a community leader
As a respected figure, they will solve disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims
They will hold events to bring people together
--
Importance -
They have a lot of knowledge
This is important because they can give advice to community members expeditiously
They can provide individuals with the procedure for certain ceremonies (like funerals,
prayers, marriage)
They can lead the community
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