Foundations · Knowing Allah

Core Beliefs and Human Reason in Islam

Explore foundational beliefs, human reason, and divine control in Islamic teachings.

7 questions · Easy · about 4 minutes

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7 questions, about 4 minutes.

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Show questions and answers Spoilers: every answer and explanation for all 7 questions.

1. What is required when saying the Shahaadatayn?

  • Sincerity and belief in the heart. (correct answer)
  • Words only, even if the heart rejects them.
  • A personal change to their wording.
  • Saying them publicly every time.

Why

The Shahaadatayn must be said sincerely. Merely saying the words while the heart is empty of their meaning is not true testimony.

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2. What are the six fundamentals of sound belief?

  • Belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree. (correct answer)
  • Prayer, fasting, zakah, Hajj, charity, and good manners.
  • Avoiding major sins and learning history.
  • Following customs and respecting elders.

Why

Sound belief is based on six fundamentals: belief in Allah, the angels, the revealed Books, the messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, both good and bad.

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3. Why is reflecting on creation important?

  • It helps a person recognize Allah’s signs, greatness, wisdom, and power. (correct answer)
  • It replaces the need for revelation.
  • It is only for scientific research.
  • It means questioning whether Allah created with purpose.

Why

Reflection on the heavens, earth, and alternation of night and day is praised. Such thinking points to Allah’s greatness, power, wisdom, mercy, and the fact that He did not create in vain.

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4. Who alone controls whether things are made easy or difficult?

  • Allah alone. (correct answer)
  • Any person who is mentioned during hardship.
  • Angels independently.
  • People without Allah’s permission.

Why

Ease and difficulty are in Allah’s hand alone. Ambiguous phrases should be avoided if they may imply that someone besides Allah independently makes hardship easy.

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5. What should be believed about Allah’s perfection?

  • Allah has the utmost perfection and is free of all shortcomings. (correct answer)
  • Allah may have small shortcomings.
  • Perfection applies only to created beings.
  • Allah’s perfection means He is like His creation.

Why

Allah is perfect and far above every shortcoming, defect, flaw, or imperfection. His names and attributes are names and attributes of perfection.

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6. What does fitrah show about Islam?

  • Humans are born with an inherent inclination toward Islam. (correct answer)
  • Humans are born with no inclination toward truth.
  • Islam goes against sound human nature.
  • Religion depends only on culture and parents.

Why

Islam agrees with sound human nature. Every human is born upon fitrah, and deviation from Islam is described as a departure from that sound nature.

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7. When Islam and iman are mentioned together, what is the difference between them?

  • Islam refers to outward words and actions, while iman refers to inward beliefs. (correct answer)
  • Islam is only for Muslims, while iman is for all people.
  • Islam means belief only, while iman means physical actions only.
  • There is no possible difference between them in any usage.

Why

When either word is used by itself, it may refer to the whole religion. But when Islam and iman are mentioned together, Islam refers to outward actions and words, while iman refers to inward actions of the heart.

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A note on these answers

These questions are for learning and self-testing. Explanations are drawn from the sources linked on each question and are not a fatwa. For a ruling on your own circumstances, please consult a qualified scholar.

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