Core Ethical Teachings Flashcards
what are the ulama
Muslim legal scholars and academics trained in Islamic Law. Their machinations and decisions become Shari’a. ulama are recognised as being most knowledgeable in matters of religious law
what does islam mean (and to muslims)
Complete and total submission to the will of Allah. For a Muslim, that submission leads to salvation. Every good deed is an act of obedience . In Islam, all acts of obedience are fundamentally ‘acts of worship’ (ibadat).
what is umma
the entire muslim community
what is fiqh
The scholarly interpretation and human understanding and process of establishing of Shari’a. (Jurisprudence)
where is shari’ia derived from and what is it
The moral and legal code of Islam based on the teachings of the prophet as well as other Islamic sources. Shari’a is comprehensive and embraces all human activities.
what does ijma mean and when is it used, how is a decision made
Consensus among the ulama his process is used when a teaching is not sufficiently dealt with in the Qur’an or Hadith. This consensus becomes Shari’a.
The ulama reach a consensus through applying old teachings to new situations and their agreements become authorised as Islamic law or Shari’ah.
what is qiyas (process)
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Qiyas is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur’an and applied to decisions over time. They find a point of similarity in one situation which casts reasonable light on another. Through this, they arrive at appropriate rulings that were not made explicit in the Qur’ an and Sunna.
what is haraam
Unlawful or forbidden actions. I.e. eating pork, drinking alcohol, adultery, murder - opposite to Halal
It is also applied to relationships and behaviour, or any aspects of life that is prohibited under Islamic law.
what is halal
Partaking in something that is lawful or acceptable
Halal has the wider meaning of actions that are permissible under Islamic law and applies to many aspects of life and behaviour.
what do the ulama do
when society is presented with a situation that is not addressed in the quran or the hadith then the ulama through ijma use qiyas to determine whether this situation is lawful( halal), unlawful (haraam) or undecided (makruh)
what is the organisation of islamic jurisprudence
The Qur’an
The Sunnah and Hadith
Ijma: Consensus among religious leaders
Qiyas: Comparison with teachings from the Qur’an or Hadith
what is the quote from the hadith that is reflective of how ijma allows Islamic teachings to be flexible to contemporary teaching
“My people will never agree together on an error”
what does shari’a law cover
Shari’a law regulates all human actions towards people and Allah. It covers morals and manners, family relationships and social and political issues and deals with the deep spiritual concerns of faith and formal ethical duties covered in the Five Pillars.
how is shari’a determined if the issue is not stated in the quran, hadith or sunnah
Where the Qur’an, Hadith and Sunna are ambiguous or society is presented with an issue or situation not covered in the Qur’an or Hadith, Shari’a is derived from ijma: consensus among the Ulama and qiyas: comparisons
what is an example of fiqh/jurispudence
For example, in terms of drug use, although there is no verse in the Quran that specifically forbids drinking alcohol, wine is, as made evident in Sura 2:219. Wine is prohibited in Islam because it can cause intoxication and lead to loss of self-control. Therefore, through the process of Qiyas, Muslim scholars have declared drugs to be prohibited.
