Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies key terms

The Devil in Islamic belief, a jinn who disobeys Allah and tempts humans away from obedience.

The prophet Abraham, honoured in Islam for his belief in one God and obedience to Allah; father of Isaac and Ishma’il.

The waiting period a Muslim woman observes after divorce or widowhood before marrying again.

Worship of an image, object or anything other than God.

The Muslim festival of sacrifice, remembering Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah.

The Muslim festival of fast-breaking which marks the end of Ramadan.

The meal with which Muslims break their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Failure to see things as they really are, rather than simply a lack of factual knowledge.

The sacred state pilgrims enter before performing Hajj; the word also refers to the simple garments worn by male pilgrims.

The statement ‘There is only one God’, which opens the Guru Granth Sahib.

The teaching in Genesis 1:26–27 that humanity is created in God’s image. Rabbi Sacks interprets this as a basis for equal dignity and moral freedom, not physical resemblance to God.

Latin for ‘image of God’: the belief that humans are made in God's image and therefore have special dignity and value.

A Muslim who leads congregational prayer; the term can also refer to a religious or community leader.

The Shi’a belief in the authority of divinely appointed imams from the Prophet Muhammad’s family to guide the Muslim community.

God's nearness to and activity within creation.

Present and active within the world and its beings.

The belief that the soul continues to exist after the physical body dies.

The Buddhist teaching that everything changes and nothing lasts forever; also called anicca.

The Christian belief that God became human in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human.

Worship carried out by a person alone, such as private prayer, Bible reading or meditation.

The belief that scripture is without error.

Baptism of a baby or young child, with parents and godparents making promises to support the child’s Christian upbringing.

The killing of a baby after birth.

Prayer expressed in a believer’s own words rather than using an established text; it may be spontaneous.

Worship with a less fixed order, allowing spontaneous prayer and other contributions from worshippers.

The belief that God, through the Holy Spirit, guided the human writers of the Bible.

Prayer asking God to help other people.

Communication and discussion between people of different religions to develop understanding while recognising their differences.