Islam: Beliefs and teachings overview - AQA GCSE Religious Studies A
An overview of the Islam Beliefs and teachings unit for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062), covering the six articles, the five roots, the nature of Allah, prophethood, angels and the afterlife.
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This unit, Islam: Beliefs and teachings, is one of the two Islam sections examined on Paper 1 of AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062). It sets out the core Muslim beliefs about Allah, prophets, angels and the afterlife, and the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam.
What the unit covers
- The six articles and five roots: the foundations of Sunni and Shia belief, with Tawhid as central.
- The nature of Allah: Tawhid, omnipotence, beneficence, mercy, justice (Adalat), transcendence and immanence.
- Prophethood and holy books: Risalah, key prophets such as Adam, Ibrahim and Muhammad, and the Qur'an, Tawrat, Zabur, Injil and scrolls of Ibrahim.
- Angels and predestination: Malaikah such as Jibril and Mika'il, and al-Qadr with human accountability.
- Akhirah, the afterlife: the Day of Judgement, resurrection, Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (Hell).
How it is assessed
This is one section of Paper 1, which examines the beliefs and practices of two religions. Questions test knowledge and explanation of Muslim beliefs and end with a 12 mark evaluation question referring to Islam.
How to study it
Learn the six articles and five roots as lists, master key Arabic terms (Tawhid, Risalah, Akhirah), and know the main Sunni and Shia differences. Pair each belief with a short Qur'anic reference and practise the 12 mark evaluation structure.
For the official specification
AQA publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA past papers.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) specification — AQA (2016)