RS14: The Six Articles and Five Roots

☪️ The Six Articles and Five Roots

📋 The Six Articles of Faith (Sunni)

1. Tawhid — the oneness of God
2. Mala'ikah — belief in angels
3. Kutub — belief in the holy books (Qur'an, Torah, Psalms, Gospel)
4. Rusul — belief in the prophets (from Adam to Muhammad)
5. Akhirah — belief in life after death
6. Qadr — belief in predestination (God's decree)

📋 The Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (Shi'a)

1. Tawhid — the oneness of God
2. Risalah — prophethood (the prophets from Adam to Muhammad)
3. Nubuwwah — the prophets and the special role of Muhammad as the final prophet
4. Imamate — belief that God appointed twelve Imams to guide the Muslim community after Muhammad
5. Qiyamah — the Day of Judgement and life after death

❓ Practice Questions

✅ Answers

1. 1) The Imamate — Shi'a Muslims believe God appointed twelve Imams to guide the Muslim community after Muhammad's death. These Imams are infallible and divinely chosen. Sunni Muslims do not accept the Imamate and believe leadership should be determined by the community. 2) Structure of belief — Sunni Islam organises core beliefs into the Six Articles of Faith (including angels and holy books as separate articles), while Shi'a Islam organises them into the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din (combining prophethood into one root and adding the Imamate as a distinct root).
2. The division originated after Muhammad's death in 632 CE over who should lead the Muslim community. Sunni Muslims believed the leader should be chosen by the community (Abu Bakr was selected). Shi'a Muslims believed leadership should pass through Muhammad's family (Ali, his cousin and son-in-law). Over centuries, this political division developed into theological differences, with Shi'a Islam developing the doctrine of the Imamate and distinct beliefs about religious authority.

🎯 Exam Tips

• Always refer to specific sources of authority (scripture, sacred texts, religious leaders)
• Explain contrasting beliefs — different views within and between traditions
• Use key terminology precisely (e.g. tawhid, atonement, sanctity of life)
• For 12-mark evaluation questions, consider both sides before reaching a justified conclusion
• Link beliefs to their impact on individuals, communities and society
• Acknowledge diversity — no religious tradition has a single, uniform view

📝 Exam Technique

⚠️ Common Errors

✍️ Model Answer

📊 AO Deep Dive

📖 Detailed Notes: The Six Articles and Five Roots

💡 Sunni Six Articles of Faith

Sunni Muslims follow the Six Articles of Faith (Arkan al-Iman), which are the core beliefs that define what a Sunni Muslim must accept. The Six Articles are: 1) Belief in Allah (tawhid) — the oneness and supremacy of God; 2) Belief in angels (mala’ikah) — created beings who carry out Allah’s commands; 3) Belief in the holy books (kutub) — the Qur’an as the final and complete revelation, along with the Tawrat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms) and Injil (Gospel) as earlier revelations; 4) Belief in the prophets (rusul) — from Adam through to Muhammad as the final prophet (khatam al-anbiya); 5) Belief in the Day of Judgement (yawm al-din) — when all people will be judged and held accountable for their actions; 6) Belief in predestination (al-qadr) — that Allah has knowledge of all things that will happen, though humans have free will to choose. These six beliefs are derived from the Qur’an and the Hadith, particularly the Hadith of Jibril, in which the Angel Jibril asked the Prophet about the meaning of faith.

The Six Articles provide the theological framework for Sunni Islam. They are interconnected: belief in Allah is the foundation, belief in angels and prophets explains how Allah communicates with humanity, belief in the holy books provides guidance, belief in the Day of Judgement motivates moral behaviour, and belief in predestination acknowledges Allah’s supreme knowledge while maintaining human responsibility. The Sunni understanding of predestination is nuanced: most Sunni scholars believe that Allah has foreknowledge of all events but that humans have free will to choose between right and wrong. The Ash’ari school, the dominant Sunni theological tradition, describes this as ‘acquisition’ (kasb) — humans freely acquire the actions that Allah has willed they would perform.

🔍 Shi’a Five Roots of Usul al-Din

Shi’a Muslims follow the Five Roots of Usul al-Din (the Foundations of Religion), which are similar to the Sunni Articles but with one crucial addition. The Five Roots are: 1) Tawhid — the oneness of God; 2) Divine justice (Adl) — Allah is perfectly just and fair; 3) Prophethood (Nubuwwah) — Allah has sent prophets to guide humanity; 4) Leadership (Imamate) — Allah appointed twelve Imams to guide the Muslim community after the Prophet’s death; 5) Resurrection (Ma’ad) — belief in life after death and the Day of Judgement. The key difference from Sunni belief is the inclusion of Imamate as a fundamental article of faith: for Shi’a Muslims, belief in the twelve Imams is not optional but is as central as belief in Allah or the prophets.

The concept of divine justice (Adl) is also more prominent in Shi’a theology than in Sunni. Shi’a scholars argue that since Allah is perfectly just, it would be unjust for Him to predestine some people to heaven and others to hell without their free choice. This leads Shi’a Muslims to place greater emphasis on human free will than some Sunni traditions. The Shi’a position is that Allah knows what will happen (foreknowledge) but does not compel humans to act — people freely choose their actions and are held accountable accordingly. This understanding of divine justice also informs the Shi’a emphasis on standing against oppression and injustice, following the example of Imam Husayn at Karbala.

⚖️ Comparing Sunni and Shi’a Beliefs

Despite the differences between the Six Articles and the Five Roots, the core beliefs of Sunni and Shi’a Islam are largely shared. Both traditions believe in tawhid (the oneness of God), prophethood (including Muhammad as the final prophet), the Qur’an as God’s word, the Day of Judgement and the importance of angels. The key differences are: the Shi’a inclusion of Imamate as a fundamental article of faith (Sunni Muslims respect the Prophet’s companions but do not regard the Imams as divinely appointed); the Shi’a emphasis on divine justice and free will; and the Shi’a inclusion of specific historical events (particularly Karbala) as central to their religious identity.

For GCSE, it is important to understand both the similarities and the differences, and to avoid presenting either tradition as ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’. Both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims are Muslims who share the same Shahadah, the same Qur’an, the same Five Pillars (with Shi’a adding additional practices) and the same basic beliefs. The differences reflect different interpretations of Islamic history and authority rather than fundamentally different religions. In the UK, Sunni and Shi’a communities generally coexist peacefully, though tensions rooted in international conflicts (particularly Saudi-Iranian rivalry) sometimes affect community relations.

📊 Sunni Six Articles vs Shi’a Five Roots

❓ Additional Practice Questions

✅ Additional Answers

1. First, Shi’a Muslims include Imamate as one of the Five Roots of Usul al-Din, believing that Allah appointed twelve Imams to guide the Muslim community after the Prophet’s death. Sunni Muslims do not include Imamate as a separate article of faith; they believe leadership should be determined by the community (shura). Second, Shi’a Muslims include divine justice (Adl) as a root of faith, emphasising that Allah is perfectly just and that humans have free will to choose their actions. Sunni Muslims include predestination (al-qadr) as a separate article, believing that Allah has foreknowledge of all events while humans have limited free will.
2. This statement is an exaggeration. Sunni and Shi’a Muslims share the same core beliefs: tawhid (one God), Muhammad as the final prophet, the Qur’an as God’s word, the Five Pillars and belief in the Day of Judgement. The differences are real but limited: Shi’a Muslims add Imamate and divine justice as foundational beliefs, and they observe additional practices (khums, Ashura). The split originated as a political disagreement about who should lead the Muslim community after the Prophet’s death, not as a fundamental theological divide. A balanced view is that Sunni and Shi’a Islam are different traditions within the same religion, similar to Catholic and Protestant Christianity — they share the same core faith but differ on questions of authority and practice.

📝 Exam Questions by Topic

• AQA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- AQA
• Edexcel Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Edexcel
• OCR Past Papers - Topic Questions -- OCR
• Eduqas Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Eduqas
• CCEA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- CCEA

🎬 Video Resources

• BBC Bitesize - Islam
• Religious Studies YouTube

Comparison Table