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What are the foundations of faith for Sunni and Shia Muslims?

The six beliefs of Sunni Islam and the five roots of Usul ad-Din of Shia Islam, and how they shape Muslim faith.

A focused answer on the six beliefs of Sunni Islam and the five roots of Usul ad-Din of Shia Islam for OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625), covering each foundation of faith and the difference between the two traditions, with sources of wisdom and authority.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.814 min answerUpdated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What this dot point is asking
The six beliefs of Sunni Islam
The five roots of Usul ad-Din (Shia Islam)
The Sunni-Shia difference
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What this dot point is asking

OCR wants you to explain the six beliefs of Sunni Islam and the five roots of Usul ad-Din of Shia Islam: the foundations of faith that the two main traditions of Islam set out. Knowing both, and how they differ, is essential, because the philosophy and ethics paper can be taken from a Sunni or Shia perspective. The topic feeds the evaluation question on how important the Sunni-Shia differences are, so you need the content, the contrast, and the sources.

The six beliefs of Sunni Islam

Key fact

Sunni Muslims, about 85 to 90 per cent of Muslims, base their faith on six beliefs:

Tawhid: the oneness of Allah. There is one God, with no partner (the foundation of all the rest).
Malaikah: angels. Beings created from light who serve and obey Allah and act as his messengers (such as Jibril, who brought the Qur'an).
Kutub: the holy books. The scriptures Allah revealed, including the Qur'an (the final, perfect revelation), the Tawrat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms) and the Injil (Gospel).
Nubuwwah / Risalah: the prophets. The messengers Allah sent, from Adam to Muhammad, the final prophet ("Seal of the Prophets").
Yawm ad-Din: the Day of Judgement. All people will be raised and judged by Allah and sent to Paradise or Hell.
Al-Qadr: predestination. Allah knows and has decreed all that happens, while humans remain responsible for their choices.

These beliefs run through the Qur'an and shape everything a Sunni Muslim does. Several are explored in their own right in this module (Tawhid, the prophets and books, angels and predestination, and the afterlife).

The five roots of Usul ad-Din (Shia Islam)

The roots show what makes Shia Islam distinct: it adds Adl as its own root (emphasising God's justice) and includes Imamah (the special, God-given authority of the Imams), which Sunni Islam does not hold in the same way.

The Sunni-Shia difference

This shared foundation but real difference is exactly what the evaluation question probes: whether the unity of Islam outweighs the historic and theological split.

Model answer: a 15-mark "Discuss this statement" question

A worked walkthrough of "'The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims are not very important.' Discuss this statement."

step Read the statement and plan both sides

Plan a paragraph supporting the statement, a paragraph opposing it, and a justified conclusion. Note the terms you will use (Sunni, Shia, Imamah, Usul ad-Din) for the SPaG marks.

step Argue in support of the statement

Sunni and Shia Muslims share the same God (Tawhid), the same Prophet, the same Qur'an, the same Day of Judgement and the same Five Pillars. The vast majority of Islamic belief and practice is common to both, so the unity of the faith matters far more than the differences.

step Argue against the statement

The split over leadership after the Prophet is deep: Shia Islam holds Imamah (the divine authority of the Imams from Ali's line) and makes Adl a separate root, and these shape Shia identity and practice (the reverence for Ali, the commemoration of Ashura). Historically the divide has caused real conflict, so the differences are significant.

step Reach a justified conclusion

Weigh the sides. A strong conclusion argues, for example, that the shared foundations are far larger than the differences, so Sunni and Shia are clearly one faith, but the differences over leadership and authority are real and important to those who hold them. A judgement that engages both sides reaches the top band.

Try this

Q1. Name the six beliefs of Sunni Islam. [Knowledge recall]

Cue. Tawhid (oneness of Allah), Malaikah (angels), Kutub (holy books), Nubuwwah/Risalah (prophets), Yawm ad-Din (Day of Judgement) and Al-Qadr (predestination).

Q2. Explain what is distinctive about the Shia five roots compared with the Sunni six beliefs. [Short explanation]

Cue. Shia Islam makes Adl (the justice of God) a separate root and includes Imamah (the rightful leadership of the Imams from the Prophet's family), reflecting the dispute over who should lead Islam after Muhammad.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

OCR J625 20182 marksGive two of the six beliefs of Sunni Islam.

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This is the 2-mark AO1 question, 1 mark per point. Give two distinct beliefs from the six, for example belief in the oneness of Allah (Tawhid) and belief in angels (Malaikah). Other acceptable answers include belief in the holy books (Kutub), the prophets (Nubuwwah/Risalah), the Day of Judgement (Yawm ad-Din) and predestination (Al-Qadr). Markers want two separate beliefs, so do not repeat the same one.

OCR J625 20216 marksExplain the five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shia Islam. Refer to sources of wisdom and authority in your answer.

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This is the 6-mark extended AO1 question. Explain the five roots: Tawhid (the oneness of Allah), Adl or Adalah (the justice of God), Nubuwwah (prophethood), Imamah (the leadership of the rightful Imams descended from the Prophet's family) and Mi'ad (the resurrection and Day of Judgement). Develop how they shape Shia faith, especially Adl and Imamah, which set Shia Islam apart. Anchor in sources: the Qur'an's stress on Allah's oneness and justice, and the Shia belief that Ali and his descendants were the divinely appointed leaders. The top band rewards developed points with accurate sources.

OCR J625 202315 marks"The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims are not very important." Discuss this statement. In your answer you should: refer to religious teachings and sources of wisdom and authority; give reasoned arguments to support this statement; give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view; reach a justified conclusion.

Show worked answer →

This is the 15-mark AO2 evaluation question. Argue both sides. Arguments for the statement: Sunni and Shia Muslims share the same core beliefs (Tawhid, the prophets, the Qur'an, judgement) and the same Five Pillars, so the unity of Islam matters more than the differences. Arguments against: the split over leadership after the Prophet (Imamah and the role of the Imams), and the inclusion of Adl as a root of faith, are significant and shape Shia practice (such as the importance of Ali and Ashura), so the differences are real and historically deep. Use specialist terms (Sunni, Shia, Imamah, Usul ad-Din). A justified conclusion weighs shared foundations against genuine differences of belief and authority.

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Sources & how we know this

OCR GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies (Full Course) J625 specification — OCR (2016)