◄UNIT 3: THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTUNIT 5: THE PILLARS OF FAITH IN ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS►

UNIT 4: THE PILLARS OF FAITH IN ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

  • UNIT 4: THE PILLARS OF FAITH IN ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

    Key Unit competence: Explain the fundamental elements of faith in 

    Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

    Introductory Activity

    1. Basing on your experience and using research identify religions 
    found in your community and come up with their fundamental 
    teachings and practices.

    2. Explain what you know about Judaism.

    3. Compare the fundamental teachings of Christianity and Islam, 
    and come up with similarities and differences. 

    4. What do you think was the religion of Jesus, what did they believe 

    in?

    The concept of Abrahamic religions refers to three religions: Judaism, 

    Christianity and Islam. These religions are very closely related in their 
    origins and their Holy Scripture. They also have similar beliefs about morals 
    and ethics. They do differ, however, in important aspects of their beliefs. 
    Historically, relations among these faith groups reflect both conflict and 
    cooperation. They all originate from the personality and faith of Abraham 
    which is a pure monotheism. They are like children of a single parent, capable 
    of reaching understandings and living in peace together despite difference in 

    some aspects of faith and practice. 

    4.1. Jewish Faith and Torah

    4.1. Learning activitiy :

    Using various resources discuss the Jewish religion and its key teachings.

    Judaism is the theistic religion of Jews, which means that they believe in the 
    existence of supreme God who is transcendent. Judaism is a monotheistic 
    religion and Jews consider Abraham as their ancestor. Jewish faith is based 

    on Torah (The first five books of Moses).

    Torah is a Hebrew term which means “Instruction”, “Teaching” or “Law”. The 
    word Torah has a range of meaning. It can most specifically mean the first 
    five books (Pentateuch or Five books of Moses) of the 24 books of the 

    Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).

    Torah consists of the origin of Jewish peoplehood: their call into being by 
    God, their trial and tribulations, and covenant with their God, which involves 
    following a way of life embodied in a set of moral and religious obligations 

    and civil laws.

    The Torah starts from the beginning of God’s creating the world through the 
    beginning of the people of Israel, their descent into Egypt, and the giving 
    of the Torah at biblical Mount of Sinai. It ends with the death of Moses, just 

    before the people of Israel cross to the promised land of Canaan.

    The first five books of Moses are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and 

    Deuteronomy.

    Genesis

    The book of Genesis is the first book of the Torah. It is divisible into two 
    parts, primeval history (Chapters 1-11) which is the story of the first years of 

    the world’s existence, and the Ancestral history (Chapters 12-50).

    The primeval history (Chapters 1-11) sets out the author’s (or authors’) 
    concepts of the nature of the deity and of humankind’s relationship with its 
    maker: God creates a world which is good and fit for mankind, but when 
    man corrupts it with sin God decides to destroy his creation, saving only the 

    righteous Noah to re-establish the relationship between man and God.

    The Ancestral history (Chapters 12-50) tells of the prehistory of Israel, God’s 
    chosen people. At God’s command Noah’s descendant Abraham journeys 
    from his home into the God-given land of Canaan, where he dwells as a 
    sojourner, as does his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Jacob’s name is 
    changed to Israel, and through the agency of his son Joseph, the children of 
    Israel descend into Egypt, 70 people in all with their households, and God 
    promises them a future of greatness. Genesis ends with Israel in Egypt, 

    ready for the coming of Moses and the Exodus.

    Exodus

    The book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah, immediately following 
    Genesis. The book tells how the ancient Israelites left slavery in Egypt through 
    the strength of Yahweh, the God who has chosen Israel as his people. God 

    used the prophet Moses to rescue his people Israel as their leader.

    Leviticus

    The book of Leviticus begins with instructions to the Israelites on how to use 
    the Tabernacle, which they had just built (Leviticus 1-10), This is followed 
    by rules of clean and unclean (Leviticus 11-15), which includes the laws of 
    slaughter and animals permissible to eat, the Day of atonement (Leviticus 
    16), and various moral and ritual laws sometimes called the holiness Code 
    (Leviticus 17-26). Leviticus 26 provides a detailed list of rewards for following 
    God’s commandments and a detailed list of punishments for not following 
    them. Leviticus 17 establishes sacrifices at the Tabernacles as an everlasting 
    ordinance, but this ordinance is altered in later books with the Temple being 
    the only place sacrifices are allowed.

    Numbers

    The book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah. The name of the book 

    comes from the two censuses taken of the Israelites.

    Numbers begins at Mount Sinai, where the Israelites have received their 
    laws and covenant from God and God has taken up residence among them 
    in the sanctuary. The task before them is to take possession of the Promised 
    Land, Canaan. The people are counted and preparations are made for 
    resuming their march. The Israelites begin the journey, but they murmur at 
    the hardships along the way, and about the authority of Moses and Aaron 

    and God destroys many of them.

    Deuteronomy

    The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Torah. Chapters 1-30 of 
    the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to the Israelites by 

    Moses on the plains of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land.

    The final four chapters (31-34) contain the song of Moses, Blessing of 
    Moses and narratives recounting the passing of the mantle of leadership 

    from Moses to Joshua and finally, the death of Moses on Mount Nebo.

    4.1. Application activity: 

    1. Define the following terms: Judaism and Torah.

    2. List the five books of the Law. And summurize major teaching

    3. Explain how laws can help you to live peacefully in your community

    4.2. Christian faith

    4.2. Learning activitiy :

    Using various resources, discuss the meaning of the term christianity and 

    its fundamental faith.

    Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and 
    teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Its adherents, known as christians, believe 
    that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Saviour of all people. His 
    coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, called the Old 

    Testament in christianity, and chronicled (recorded) in the New Testament.

    Christians believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who died 
    because of people’s sins. All christian denominations believe that Christ 
    is the word of God incarnated. They confess that He came to save them 
    through his death and resurrection. He rose from the dead and appeared to 
    the apostles who became the witnesses of what they saw (Acts 2:32). The 

    Christian faith came from the apostles who had followed Jesus Christ.

    The word of God about Christ was written in the Holy Scriptures. Thus, 

    Christians also believe in the written Scriptures to nourish their faith.

    The creed summarises the Christian faith and its main points include:

    Belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit

    The death, descent into hell, resurrection and ascension of Christ

    The holiness of the Church and the communion of the Saints

    Christ’s second coming, the Day of Judgment, and Salvation of the Faithful.

    Like Jews, Christians have no fundamental reason to live in disunity with one 
    another. After all the one they believe in is One! Salvation is universal for all 

    who believe and confess the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    We note that the name Christians was first used at Antioch and it means the 

    Disciples of Christ, the ones who believe and imitate Christ (Acts 11:25-26)

    4.2. Application activity: 

    1. What does the term Christianity mean?
    2. Briefly explain the beliefs of christians.
    3. How christian beliefs can help you to live in harmony in your 

    society? 

    4.3. Six pillars of Islamic faith

    4.3. Learning activitiy :

    Using various resources identify the pillars of Islamic faith.

    Islam is a theistic religion. The word Islam means submission under Allah’s 
    laws. Muhammad, the prophet of Allah started receiving the content of the 
    Quran from 610 up to 632. Officially Islam was founded in 622. Muhammad 

    was born at Mecca probably in 570. He went in Medina by exile.

    Iman, this term literally means faith or belief. In Islamic theology it denotes a 
    believer’s faith in the metaphysical aspects of Islam. Its most simple definition 
    is the belief in the six articles of faith known as arkan al iman. The term iman

    has been described in both Quran and hadith.

    Quran (Koran) is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe 
    to be a revelation from God (Allah). Hadith refers to the record of the words, 
    actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. According 
    to the Quran, “iman” must be accompanied by righteous deeds and the two 

    together are necessary for entry into Paradise.

    The six pillars of faith: Faith (iman) breaks down into six pillars:

    1. Belief in the existence and oneness of God (Allah). Believing in 
    Allah above all else is the first and most important. It is not only belief 
    in Allah alone but in the way He is described through the Quran and 

    the hadith (Sayings) of Prophet Muhammad.

    2. Belief in the existence of Angles. The second pillar of Iman is the 
    belief in Allah’s angels. The angels are messengers of Allah. They 
    are not His children as some may think. They were created from light 
    and were created before humans, for the purpose of worshipping 
    Allah. They can also appear in the shape of a man if so ordered 
    to so. Some of the angels’ names, which we know of, are Jibra’il, 
    Mika’il, Israfil, and Malik. They have many jobs such as guardians, 

    gatekeepers, and Trumpeters.

    3. Beliefs in the existence of the books of which God is the author: 
    the Quran (revealed to Muhammad), the Gospel (revealed to Jesus), 
    the Torah (revealed to Moses), and Psalms to David. Muslims are to 

    believe in all of these books and not just the Quran alone.

    4. Belief in the existence of all prophets: Muhammad being the last 
    of them, Jesus the penultimate (second from the last, Muhammad), 

    and Moses sent before them.

    5. Belief in the existence of the Day of Judgment: in that day, 
    humanity will be divided into two groups: that of paradise and that of 

    hell. These groups are themselves composed of subgroups.

    6. Belief in the existence God’s predestination, whether it involves 
    good or bad or pre-ordainment. What this means is that everything 
    in our lives is already written. It is our duty to know that whatever 
    Allah wills will occur. Also He is creator of everything including our 
    deeds. Allah knows our past, present, and the future. Our lives are 

    set, but that does not mean that we strive any less toward perfection.

    From the above pillars, the first five are mentioned together in the Quran and 
    by Muhammad, while including a corollary of belief in Allah, the good and 
    evil of fate ordained by God, has referred to all six together in the following 
    manner in the Hadith of Gabriel. Iman is that you believe in God and His 
    angels and His books and His Messengers and the Hereafter and the good 

    and evil fate ordained by your God.

    Similarities and differences of Abrahamic Religions

    Abrahamic religions have things in common and have also differences. 
    The following aspects constitute the commonality and uniqueness of each 

    religion:

    • Basic Beliefs and Common Stories 

    Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that God made a covenant, or 
    agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in One God and to worship Him 
    and teach the practice of worship to his children down the generations. God 

    would preserve, protect and multiply the children of Abraham. 

    The Jews believe that the covenant of God with Abraham goes only for 
    their people as one nation, while Christians and Muslims believe that the 
    covenant and message of God goes for all mankind. This covenant became 

    the legacy, or trust, for the children of Abraham to continue.

    According to the scriptures, Abraham was promised that his offspring would 
    become the fathers of great nations. These nations are the people who are 
    now called Jews, Christians, and Muslims. They are called monotheists, 
    meaning people who believe in one God, the Creator of all that is in the 
    universe and on earth. The common core of Abraham’s story is his faith and 
    obedience to the call of God. It is expressed in the Jewish and Christian 

    traditions in a verse of the book of Genesis. 

    Another act of Abraham that belongs to the core story is that God told him 
    in a dream to sacrifice his son. He and his son were prepared to obey this 
    divine command, but God redeemed the sacrifice with a magnificent ram. 
    This miracle meant that God does not require human sacrifice, but only the 
    willingness to obey. The Biblical account says that the son to be sacrificed 
    was Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac, while the Qur’an states that it was the 
    first-born son Ishmael, whose mother was Hagar. The lesson of obedience 

    and strength of faith, however, is the same.

    • God, Prophets, and Revelation

    All of the Abrahamic monotheistic faiths share a belief that God, the Creator, 
    has “spoken” to humankind over time. The word for this divine communication 
    is “revelation”. Adherents of the Abrahamic religions believe that God 
    revealed Himself to certain individuals called prophets over the course of 

    human history. They believe that God communicated five main messages: 

    • The nature and qualities of the one God; 
    • The purpose and nature of the universe created by God; 
    • The need to worship one God; 
    • The purpose of human life and the need to live a righteous life and the 
    news of judgment after death, and reward or punishment in the afterlife;
    • Morals and laws which people are told to follow


    The Abrahamic faiths have in common a belief in angels as God’s messengers 

    to human beings. The angel of revelation is named Gabriel. The human 

    beings chosen by God as bearers of revelation to other human beings are 

    called prophets. Some of them were chosen and inspired to teach people, 

    while the Major Prophets received revelations that have been memorized, 

    recited and written in Holy books or scriptures.

    • The Messiah 

    • Jews believe that Messiah is still awaited and coming at some future 
    time. The Reform tradition does not expect an individual Messiah. 
    Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Some Jews believe 

    that Jesus was a spiritual leader. 

    • Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They also believe that 
    Jesus was the son of God, who came to redeem human beings from 
    sin or wrongdoing, and that he compensated for all human sins with his 
    suffering and death. This salvation, or being saved and given eternal 
    life, is the central teaching of the New Testament (which means promise 

    or pledge, i.e. the salvation through Jesus).

    • Muslims also believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They do not believe 
    that he was the son of God, but a human being. Muslims also believe 
    that God did not allow him to die or be crucified at the hands of human 

    beings. 

    Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus was raised up to God, but 
    Christians believe that Jesus was raised from the dead or resurrected. 
    Muslims believe that Jesus was one of the greatest prophets. Muslims also 
    share the belief with Christians in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ near 

    the end of time. 

    Among adherents of the Abrahamic faiths, only Christians and Muslims 
    believe Jesus as a messenger of God and only Muslims believe that 
    Muhammad was a prophet, a man who was born in Makkah in about the 
    year 570 AD. They believe that he received the final revelation from God 
    through the holy book called the Quran. Historically, Muhammad was not 
    accepted as a prophet by Christians and Jews. Similarly, Jews do not accept 

    Christian or Muslim beliefs about Jesus.

    • The Monotheistic Concept of God and the Afterlife 

    All three Abrahamic faiths share many ideas about the nature of God. He is 
    the Creator of the Universe. The monotheistic tradition of God includes the 
    idea of a covenant, or promise, of God. The covenant is a trust placed upon 
    human beings to believe in God, to worship only Him and not to worship 
    any other gods. The scriptures describe God’s characteristics or attributes, 
    such as justice, mercy, and power over all of Creation. The scriptures of 
    the Abrahamic faiths also describe the promise of God to judge all human 
    beings on the Judgment Day, after they have died, and to reward or punish 
    them according to God’s justice. All of the faiths believe that God requires 
    human beings to show mercy to others, to do good deeds such as helping 

    others, and that He will reward those who have faith and do well in this world. 

    The promise of God is for eternal life after death, in a heavenly paradise. 
    Equally, those who do evil will be punished in Hell. The most important thing 
    for human beings, however, is to have faith in God, that He will grant mercy 
    to whomever He will, and forgive their sins or wrongdoing. Another important 
    concept of God is that He is not from the world, but He is present, and each 
    human being can approach God and become near to Him, through prayer 

    and other acts of worship.

    • Practices of Worship 

    Belief in the need to worship God is common to all religions. The most basic 
    form of worship is prayer. Each tradition prescribes specific words and 
    requirements for prayer, which takes place at appointed day. Public prayer 
    in houses of worship is common to all three faiths: Jews on Saturday, for 

    Christians on Sunday, and for Muslims on Friday. 

    All Abrahamic faiths recognize the personal, private prayer of each believer. 
    Prayers that mark the times in the day and the cycle of the year are among 
    the most important signs of obedience to God. Such rituals are also the 
    source of scientific efforts to achieve accurate timekeeping and calendars. 
    The prayer also implies fasting in these three religions and performing 

    pilgrimage to Holy lands. 

    • Celebrations 

    Each of the Abrahamic faiths has a few major celebrations during the year. 
    Both Judaism and Islam follow a lunar calendar for the timing of these 
    celebrations, and some Christian feast days are also influenced by the lunar 

    calendar. Some of these celebrations are: 

    • Judaism: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, 
    Chanukkah, Purim; these celebrations recall events in the dramatic 

    history of the Jewish people. 

    • Christianity: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Good Friday, Easter, and 
    Pentecost; these are only a few of the celebrations that commemorate 

    events in the life of Jesus.

    • Islam: Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr; Hajj and Eid al-Adha; Ramadan is a 
    month of fasting commanded in the Qur’an, and the feast day that ends 
    it is Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha and the Hajj (the ritual journey to Makkah) 

    commemorate events in the life of Abraham and his family

    Sharing food and other gifts with family, neighbours, and needy people are 
    common ways to celebrate, and attending special worship services are part 

    of these celebrations.

    • Leadership 

    Individuals and the community participate in worship and follow ethical, 
    practical and religious laws. Leaders especially trained in knowledge of the 
    faith and care for the community and its members play roles in guiding the 

    faithful. 

    • In Judaism, leaders are called Rabbis, and they receive rigorous 

    training in the scriptures and other Judaic writings. 

    • In Christianity, priests and pastors serve as part of a church hierarchy,or 
    ranks of authorities. Only trained, ordained, or initiated priests can fulfil 

    certain sacred functions of worship for the lay, or ordinary people.

    • In Islam a prayer leader is called an imam“one who stands in front” of 
    the lines of worshippers. Leaders who offer advice on how to practice 

    Islam, on the law, and other kinds of guidance.

     Moral and ethical principles and laws

    Christianity, Islam and Judaism share a set of morals and values. The 
    most basic set of moral and ethical values in the Biblical tradition is the Ten 
    Commandments, which was part of the revelation taught by Moses, and 
    are revered by Jews and Christians as they appear in the Torah and the 
    Old Testament. This part of the belief system is an important reason why 
    Muslims are taught to respect Jews and Christians as fellow “People of the 
    Book.” The Qur’an includes all of the Ten Commandments – many of them 

    stated in a similar way, with the exception of the Sabbath (day of rest). 

    The Qur’an also states that its revelation came to confirm the right message 
    that the earlier prophets brought. Much of this message is the central religious 
    concept of one God, and the basic commandments to honour parents, help 
    the poor, respect neighbours, not to steal, kill, envy, or lie, and so on. Some of 
    these commandments also form the basis of civil and criminal law in secular 
    governments, and they form the basis for the concept of human rights. The 
    fact that they share values, beliefs and ethics, make them to easily interact 

    and allow many kinds of interactions possible.

    4.3. Application activity: 

    1. What does the term Islam mean?

    2. Define the following concepts:

    a. Quran

    b. Hadith

    3. Identify the islamic six pillars of faith

    4.4. End unit assessment
    1. Define the following terms: Judaism, Torah
    2. List the five books of the Law.
    3. Explain how laws can help you to live peacefully in your community.
    4. Briefly explain the beliefs of christians.
    5. How christian beliefs can help you to live in harmonious life in 
    your society? 
    6. What does the term Islam mean?
    7. Define the following concepts:
    a. Quran
    b. Hadith

    8. Discuss the Islamic six pillas of faith.

    ◄UNIT 3: THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTUNIT 5: THE PILLARS OF FAITH IN ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS►