Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Religious Studies B · Paper 2, Question 1 · Islam Harlington School · SumHclass grade

Muslim Beliefs

Eight topics, one summit. The divergent views set side by side, the key ideas connected, and the (d) evaluated the Level-4 way, everything for the top of the mark scheme, in one place.

The
big
question

What do Muslims believe about Allah, prophethood and the Last Day, and where exactly do Sunni and Shi’a part?

01

The divergent views explorer

Every (d) in this unit turns on the divergent views: set side by side, exactly as the examiner wants. Pick a topic, then tap a position to see what it claims. The Grade 9 move and the 7-minute discussion question travel with each topic.

Tap a circle, or use Tab and Enter, to explore each position.

The thread that ties it together

Grade 9 is not more content: it is three habits applied to every topic. Spot them and every (d) in this unit opens the same way.

Divergent views, side by side

Never one view at a time. Set them against each other: where they agree, and the exact point they part. That comparison IS the analysis.

The (d) regulation

Chain each point (claim → because → this means → therefore), steelman the other side, weigh BOTH arguments, a strength AND a limit, then justify the conclusion.

Textbook-first accuracy

A correctly named source beats a vague paraphrase. One learned line from each source, placed precisely, is worth more than a paragraph of drift.

02

Eight topics, one summit

Each panel is a topic’s key idea: the connective explanation that links the key words into one argument. Learn the chain, not the list.

Topic 1 · I01

Six beliefs

What must a Muslim believe, and why do Sunnis and Shi’as express it differently?
TAWHIDBelief in Allah, the one God everything else depends on, deny it (shirk) and Islam itself collapses.
RISALAHOne box, three beliefs: angels carry Allah’s message, holy books record it, messengers deliver it to people.
AKIRAHThe last things: the Last Day and life after death. The point every other belief is building towards.
THE LOGICGod, then how God’s word reaches humanity, then where humanity ends: six beliefs form one continuous arc.
Topic 2 · I02

Five roots

What are the five roots of Shi’a faith, and where do they part from the Sunnis?
THE SPLITMuhammad died with no successor named; some backed Ali (his cousin/son-in-law), others elected caliphs. Islam’s first split.
KARBALAAli’s son Husayn and his followers were massacred at Karbala, the wound Shi’as still mourn every year at Ashura.
THE IMAMSAli’s followers became Shi’a, holding that chosen descendants, the Imams, alone inherit authority to interpret the Qur’an.
THE HIDDEN IMAMMost Shi’as (Twelvers) believe the twelfth Imam did not die but is hidden and will return to bring justice.
Topic 3 · I03

Nature of Allah

What is Allah like, and which characteristic sits at the centre?
ONEIf there is only one God, he alone made everything, so he is the Creator, and worship belongs to him alone.
ALL-POWERFULIf he created everything, he must have complete power over it, omnipotence, and with it omniscience of all that happens.
EVERYWHEREThe one Creator is present throughout the universe he made (immanence) yet also beyond it (transcendence), both at once.
THE WORST SINBecause there is only one, associating anything else with him, shirk, is the gravest error a Muslim can commit.
Topic 4 · I04

Risalah

What is a prophet in Islam, and why did they keep coming?
THE PATTERNEach prophet brought Islam in its perfect form, Adam, Ibrahim, Musa, Dawud, Isa, the same message, restarted.
THE PROBLEMEvery time, humans ignored, forgot or distorted the message, so Allah had to send another prophet to correct it.
THE BREAKMuhammad received the Qur’an preserved word-for-word, incapable of distortion, so no more prophets are needed.
THE SEALThat is why Muhammad is the “Seal of the prophets” (Surah 33:40). He closes the line of prophecy for good.
Topic 5 · I05

Holy books

Why do Muslims honour the earlier books yet trust only the Qur’an completely?
DICTATIONMuhammad could not read or write, so the Qur’an came as dictation he learned by heart and recited (Surah 96:1).
MEMORISEDFollowers memorised it and secretaries wrote each piece down at once, every part cross-checked against his recitation.
ONE VERSIONThe caliph Uthman made a single authorised copy and destroyed all rival versions: 114 surahs, 77,639 words fixed for good.
UNCHANGEDEvery copy printed since is identical to that one, “an earthly copy of a heavenly original”, unlike the earlier books.
Topic 6 · I06

Malaikah

What do angels do in Islam, and could there be Islam without them?
MADE OF INTELLECTA hadith of Bukhari: angels are created from intellect without sensuality, no desires or urges to pull them off course.
SO SINLESSWith no free will they cannot disobey, so they are sinless and carry out Allah’s command exactly, every single time.
SO RELIABLEThat reliability is why Allah entrusts them to reveal the Qur’an and to record every human deed without any error.
THE TWISTHumans have both intellect and sensuality, so one who masters his desires can rank even above the sinless angels.
Topic 7 · I07

Al-Qadr

Can predestination (al-Qadr) and human free will both be true?
PREDESTINATIONAl-Qadr: Allah has a master plan and nothing happens without his will (Surah 33:38; 13:42), history unfolds as decreed.
JUDGEMENTYet on the Last Day Allah judges every person and rewards or punishes them for exactly what they chose to do.
THE CLASHYou can only justly punish a free choice, but if everything is predestined, was that choice ever really free?
THE ANSWERSSunnis (al’Ashari): foreknowledge isn’t force. Shi’as (Mu’tazilites): Allah gave free will. Both stay responsible.
Topic 8 · I08

Akhirah

What do Muslims believe happens after death, and where do they differ?
DEATH → BARZAKHThe body stays in the grave and the soul waits in Barzakh, the period between death and the Last Day, until it is time.
THE TRUMPETIsa returns, the angel Israfil sounds the trumpet, and the dead are raised bodily, not just in spirit, to face judgement.
ARAFATAll are gathered on the plain of Arafat near Makkah and judged on a mixture of faith and action, not faith alone.
AL’JANNAH OR JAHANNAMThe righteous enter paradise (the Garden); those who rejected faith are sent to hell (the fire), a real, permanent parting.
03

Your resources

Everything for the unit, in one place: each topic’s lesson, booklet pages and podcast episode, plus the unit-wide booklet editions, schemes of work and the guide.

Teacher setup: links aren't set yet. Open this file, find the LINKS list near the bottom, and paste each SharePoint share link once. Buttons with no link show as "Link not set".
04

How to revise this unit

Use the resources in this order: the same loop as the lessons, so revision feels like coming home.

Bell work first · retrieve before you re-read

Five recall questions from memory, self-scored /5. Then the come-back tracker: the same five at +1 week and +1 month.

Listen along to the episode

One six-minute podcast per topic. Capture the six mind-map branches as it plays. The episode does the exposition so you can do the thinking.

Work the booklet pages

Four pages per topic: the key idea, two source quotes, the divergent views side by side, and the full (d). The Key Idea edition adds the 7-minute discussion.

Write the (d) the Level-4 way

Chain · steelman · weigh both (strength AND limit) · justify. Check yourself against the Level 3-vs-Level 4 models on lessons 3 and 6.

The marks map · (a) (b) (c) · 12 marks
(a) 3 marks · outline three. Three crisp sentences, no development needed.
(b) 4 marks · explain two. Each point + one development.
(c) 5 marks · explain two WITH a named source: one learned line, placed exactly.
The (d) · 12 marks · half the question
What it is · a full evaluation: agree and disagree developed, the non-religious voice engaged where the question invites it.
The grade 9 gap · Level 3 asserts its judgement; Level 4 chains, weighs both sides, and justifies a conclusion that survives the strongest counter.
05

Watch: the whole unit in one go

A full review of Muslim Beliefs: all eight topics as one argument. Best watched before you revise, then again to check recall.

Video not set

Teacher: paste the YouTube link in the VIDEO_URL line near the bottom of this file. The player then appears here automatically.

06

Flashcards · test yourself

Flip a card to check yourself. Switch between key terms (term → meaning) and divergent views (view → what it claims), and filter by topic.

Tap any card to flip ·