Led by Al-Ghazālī Simulacrum
About this course
One of the five religions a learner may study for OCR GCSE Religious Studies, which requires two religions at the level of Beliefs and Teachings and Practices. This module covers Islam in both halves, Sunni and Shi'a.
Your host is the Al-Ghazālī Simulacrum, abstracted from the scholar whose Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn welded together the outer practice and the inner meaning of Islam. He is well suited to the exam, which like his great book asks for both: what Muslims believe, how they live it, and why the one flows into the other.
Everything is traced back to Tawhid — the absolute oneness of Allah — and the Sunni and Shi'a positions are given side by side, with terms in their Arabic forms, as the examination expects.
Led by Al-Ghazālī Simulacrum
The question
What do Muslims believe about Allah, the prophets, the books, and the life to come — in both the Sunni and Shi'a traditions? You will study Tawhid and the nature of Allah, the six articles of faith and the five roots of Usul ad-Din, prophethood from Adam to Muhammad, the books of revelation and the Qur'an, the angels, predestination and free will, and life after death (Akhirah) — each tied to its Qur'anic sources.
Outcome
You can explain Islamic beliefs and support them from the Qur'an, accounting for both Sunni and Shi'a positions and the divergence over justice and the Imamate.
Sub-units
Led by Al-Ghazālī Simulacrum
The question
How is submission to Allah lived day by day and year by year? You will study the Five Pillars and the Shi'a Ten Obligatory Acts, public and private worship (Salat, wudu, du'a), the pilgrimage of Hajj, the almsgiving of Zakat and Khums, the Ramadan fast of Sawm, the major festivals, and the two meanings of Jihad — the Greater inner struggle and the Lesser.
Outcome
You can explain Islamic practices and their inner meaning, distinguish Sunni from Shi'a observance, and explain Jihad correctly with the Greater struggle given precedence over the Lesser.
Sub-units