AQA GCSE Religious Studies A key terms

An angel associated with mercy and Allah’s provision for creation, including rain and nourishment.

Awareness of present experience, such as breathing, bodily sensations or thoughts.

A meditation technique in which a person attends to the sensations of breathing and returns attention to the breath when distracted.

Self-discipline over thoughts, desires and impulses, rather than allowing them to control behaviour.

Jesus’ public work of teaching, healing and serving others.

A quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain communal prayers; eligibility depends on the Jewish tradition.

An extraordinary event understood by believers as an act of God revealing divine power or purpose.

The written collection of oral teachings explaining how Jewish commandments should be applied, compiled by Rabbi Judah Ha’Nasi.

A task given to someone to carry out. In Mark 6:7–13, Jesus sends the Twelve to preach repentance, drive out demons and heal.

A person who carries out the Church’s mission by sharing Christian faith and serving others.

A circumstance that may reduce how blameworthy an offender is, without necessarily making the offence acceptable.

A commandment in Judaism. The plural is mitzvot; Jewish tradition identifies 613 commandments in the Torah.

God’s commandments, which guide Jewish religious practice and ethical conduct.

A Jewish prayer said on waking which thanks God for returning the soul and giving another day of life.

A person trained to carry out Jewish ritual circumcision.

Spiritual liberation from samsara, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

A building where a community of monks lives, worships and follows religious vows.

Being married to one spouse at a time.

Belief in only one God.

The foundational statement of Sikh belief that opens the Guru Granth Sahib and describes the nature of God.

Wrongdoing resulting from human choices, such as murder or theft.

Ethical conduct involving self-discipline and restraint from actions that harm others; also called sila.

A commandment governing how people treat one another, such as not stealing or showing kindness.

A guiding belief about what is right or wrong and how people should behave.

The extent to which a person can fairly be held accountable for their choices and actions.

The twelfth Imam in Twelver Shi’a Islam, believed to remain alive but hidden and destined to return to establish justice.

Spiritual liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth, understood in Sikhism as union with God.