Meaning of Iman and the Articles of Faith for Primary 1

Iman (Faith)

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. explain the meaning of ‘Iman’;
2. mention the six Articles of faith;
3. mention the first thirty-three (33) Beautiful Names of Allah and His Attributes;
4. memorise the first thirty-three (33) Beautiful Names of Allah and His Attributes.

Meaning of Iman

Iman means faith or belief in Allah and all that He has revealed.

It is a strong belief in the heart, spoken by the tongue, and shown through good actions. Having Iman means trusting in Allah and following His guidance.

Memory Verse

The Qur’an teaches us about Iman. A very important verse about faith is from Surah Al-Baqarah:

Surah Al-Baqarah (2):285

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers. [They say], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.”

The Six Articles of Faith

The Articles of Faith are the six main things a Muslim must believe in. These beliefs are the foundation of Iman.

The six Articles of Faith are:

1. Belief in Allah: This means believing that Allah is the One and Only God, the Creator of everything. He has no partner and nothing is like Him.

2. Belief in Angels: This means believing that Allah created angels from light. Angels are servants of Allah who obey all His commands. They do not eat, drink, or sleep.

3. Belief in Messengers: This means believing that Allah sent many prophets and messengers to guide people. They taught people to worship Allah alone. Some of them are Prophet Adam, Prophet Nuh, Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa, Prophet Isa, and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

4. Belief in Scriptures: This means believing that Allah sent holy books to His messengers. These books contain Allah’s words and guidance for mankind. Examples include the Tawrat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms), Injil (Gospel), and the Holy Qur’an.

5. Belief in the Last Day: This means believing that one day, the world will end, and everyone will be brought back to life. On that day, Allah will judge everyone for their deeds, and people will go to Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell).

6. Belief in Qadr (Pre-destination): This means believing that Allah knows everything that will happen, and He has planned everything. Both good and bad things happen by Allah’s will, and we should trust in His wisdom.

The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah (Asmaul Husna)

Allah has many beautiful names, and each name tells us something wonderful about Him. Knowing these names helps us to understand Allah better and to love Him more.

The first thirty-three Beautiful Names of Allah are:

1. الله (Allah): The One True God

2. الرحمن (Ar-Rahman): The Most Merciful (to all creation)

3. الرحيم (Ar-Rahim): The Especially Merciful (to believers)

4. الملك (Al-Malik): The Absolute King, The Sovereign

5. القدوس (Al-Quddus): The Most Holy, The Pure One

6. السلام (As-Salam): The Source of Peace, The Giver of Peace

7. المؤمن (Al-Mu’min): The Giver of Security, The Granter of Safety

8. المهيمن (Al-Muhaymin): The Overseer, The Protector

9. العزيز (Al-Aziz): The All-Mighty, The Invincible

10. الجبار (Al-Jabbar): The Compeller, The Restorer

11. المتكبر (Al-Mutakabbir): The Supreme, The Majestic

12. الخالق (Al-Khaliq): The Creator

13. البارئ (Al-Bari’): The Evolver, The Maker

14. المصور (Al-Musawwir): The Fashioner of Forms, The Shaper

15. الغفار (Al-Ghaffar): The All-Forgiving

16. القهار (Al-Qahhar): The Irresistible, The Dominant

17. الوهاب (Al-Wahhab): The Bestower, The Giver of All

18. الرزاق (Ar-Razzaq): The Provider, The Sustainer

19. الفتاح (Al-Fattah): The Opener, The Judge

20. العليم (Al-Alim): The All-Knowing

21. القابض (Al-Qabid): The Withholder, The Restrainer

22. الباسط (Al-Basit): The Extender, The Enlarger

23. الخافض (Al-Khafid): The Abaser, The Humbler

24. الرافع (Ar-Rafi’): The Exalter, The Elevator

25. المعز (Al-Mu’izz): The Bestower of Honour

26. المذل (Al-Muzill): The Humiliator, The Dishonourer

27. السميع (As-Sami’): The All-Hearing

28. البصير (Al-Basir): The All-Seeing

29. الحكم (Al-Hakam): The Judge, The Arbitrator

30. العدل (Al-Adl): The Just, The Equitable

31. اللطيف (Al-Latif): The Subtle One, The Most Kind

32. الخبير (Al-Khabir): The All-Aware, The All-Knowing

33. الحليم (Al-Halim): The Forbearing, The Clement

Practising the Beautiful Names of Allah

Learning and memorising the Beautiful Names of Allah is a good way to remember His greatness. This practice helps children to connect with Allah and understand His attributes.

The procedure for practising these names involves the following steps:

1. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of each name.
2. Repeat each name slowly, trying to say it correctly.
3. Say the English meaning after each Arabic name.
4. Practice saying the names in order, one by one.
5. Try to remember at least five names each day until all thirty-three are known.
6. Ask an adult or teacher to help with pronunciation and meaning if needed.