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Self, Death & Afterlife
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AQA Religious Studies - Islam - Self, Death & Afterlife - Full in depth notes according to the specification, including quotes, key thinkers and everything needed to achieve an A*.
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Self, Death and Afterlife1. The purpose of life
• Ibadah - Worship, Faith, Action, Realisation- any and all act of obedience to Allah
• This life is temporary - the afterlife is eternal - life is divided into these two sections
• Following 5 pillars - Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj
• Dunya is the arabic word for this temporal world - Akirah is the afterworld -
• All muslims believe in Akhirah - they are not aiming for this, they are aiming for Al Jannah
• Since this life is so short in comparison, it is clear the afterlife is more important - Dunya is only
important for preparation for the next life
• Preparation in this life includes the sanctity of life (this life is still important) and strong relation-
ship with God - worship
• Only in this life can a Muslim affect what will ensue in the next
• Day of Judgement (Yawmuddin) - all actions will be judged and weighed up
• Paradise = Al Jannah, Hell = Al Jahannam
• At death two angels - Munkar and Nakir visit the person and record their deeds ready for day of
judgement - niyyah is taken into account
• The angels ask questions such as “who is your God” - mourners at the graveside encourage the
deceased person to give suitable answers - mourners also recite Kalimah (verses of the Quran)
• This life could be more important for the reason that it determines the afterlife - all people earn
and are responsible for their own salvation - answerable for themselves - free will
• Muslims believe that until the day of judgement the angel of death Azra’il takes the dead (souls)
to Barzakh where they wait
• On the day of judgement most Muslims believe there will be a complete physical resurrection
• Day of judgement “stars will scatter, mountains will crumble, oceans will boil, the dead will be
raised”
• “It is the day when one soul shall be powerless to plead for another” Surah 82:19
• Akhirah affects everything they do and every decision made by Muslims - it shapes how Muslims
live their whole lives
2. Al-Qadr
• Al-Qadr = predestination - the idea that God knows or determines everything that will happen in
the universe
• Sunni view - all things are predestined by Allah - he has foreknowledge of all things
• They believe that 120 days after conception the foetus receives its soul (nafs), an
angel then records their sex, their lifetimes earnings and whether they will enter
paradise or be sent to hell
• The angels continue to record everything about their life until they are read out on
the day of judgement
• God has already determined everything that will happen, everything is written in a
‘book of decrees’ - “only what God has decreed will happen to us. He is our mas-
ter; let the believers put their trust in God” Surah 9:52
• Shiah view - Bada - states that God has not set a definite course for human history - God may al-
ter the course as is seen to be fit
• Twelvers along with other Shia sects reject predestination
• Many believe God knows everything that’s going to happen but does not decide
what is going to happen - not predestined
• It is really only partial free will - Allah knows everything and has the power to
change it if he wills
• Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari - “The meaning of bada is… that God has not fixed a
definite and final form for the course of human history”
• Mutazili view - there is no predestination because there is free will
• Humans determine what happens in the world rather than Allah because he gave
us free will
• Each person is judged on their own actions on the day of judgement - the fate is
determined by Allah - divine justice
• Ashari view - tries to find a middle way between believing in free will and predestination
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