History of Islam Flashcards

1
Q

What is pre Islamic Arabia know as?

A

Jahilliya- a period of ignorance

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2
Q

Political and social background

A
Families in clans in tribes
Each tribe has a leader called a shaykh
They deal with clan elders
People had loyalty to their clan/tribe
Raids of other tribes
Tribes offered protection
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3
Q

Moral background?

A

Infanticide was common especially girls
Raids on other tribes was accepted
In cities: crime gambling drinking poverty prostitution

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4
Q

What did pagans think?

A
Nomads and pagans
Had idols that represent different spirits or gods
Tribes had special idols
Allah was a god
3 daughters of allah- Al-hat, Al uzza, Manat
Pilgrimage to Mecca to worship idols
360 idols in ka’ba in Mecca
Polytheism
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5
Q

Religious background?

A
Pagans
Nomads
Judaism
Zoroastrianism
Christianity
Hanif
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6
Q

Zoroastrian beliefs?

A

Ahura Mazda is god
Gave birth to twin spirits- Angra Mainya and Spenta Mainya
Good and bad spirits to represent our choices

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7
Q

Where was Judaism in Arabia?

A

Medina

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8
Q

Christian beliefs?

A

Different schools of thought about the nature of Jesus

Was he fully human, fully divine or a mixture?

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9
Q

What is a hanif?

A

Believed in one god

Had a strict code of conduct

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10
Q

Variations in the nature of Jesus?

A

Monophysite- one nature, simultaneously human and divine

Nestorian- his human and divine natures were individually distinct from each other

Docetist/ Gnostics- he only appeared to be human but was really spiritual

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11
Q

What did Muhammad think of jahiliyya?

A

Didn’t like polytheism or the gambling, poverty, drinking etc

Started meditating more in the hills outside Mecca

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12
Q

The night of power

A

Cave Hira, mount Nur

Angel Jibril
Only one God and one message
People have distorted the message and need to get back on the straight path
Muhammad is the seal of the prophets and there will be no more after him

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13
Q

What did he do with the first revelation?

A

He didn’t know if it was real so went to Khadijah and her cousin Waraqa
They convinced him and he began to preach in Mecca
Khadija wrote them down for him

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14
Q

What did he preach?

A
Monotheism
Slavery is wrong
Gambling drinking etc all wrong
Women are equal
Regular prayer times
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15
Q

Who reverted first?

A

Abu Talib- his uncle

Abu Bakr- his best friend

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16
Q

The night journey

A

Muhammad taken on a spiritual journey
Winged beast called a buraq
Went to Jerusalem then to heaven and met other prophets
Prayer negotiated for 5 times a day

17
Q

Why did people dislike Mohammed?

A

Religious grounds
He rejected polytheism

Economic grounds
Challenged the pilgrimage to Mecca which brought money

18
Q

The Hijra

A

Because of people hating muhammed in Mecca they planned to kill him
They went to his home but his cousin Ali took his place in his bed to fool them
Muhammed and Abu Bakr his in a cave and a spider spun a web over the opening to protect them
They then went on to medina

19
Q

What did muhammed do in Medina?

A

He let a camel choose where to build his house so as not to offend anyone
He thought Jews would be easier to convert because of their monotheism

20
Q

How did muhammed convert the people of medina?

A

He let them have their old tribal system with him as an overall leader
He earned the nickname Trustworthy One
Offered protection
Introduced Zakah to support the needy
Changed direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca

21
Q

How to unite medina?

A
He wrote a formal constitution to protect from outside attack
Zakah for the needy
He married tribes together
Offered protection after battles
Established conditions for trade
22
Q

How did he deal with threat from Mecca?

A

He United medina so they stood together against he threat
He carried out raids on camel caravans and trained his followers
He’s a good negotiator

23
Q

How did he convert the whole of Arabia?

A

He married the daughter of the head of a clan and got his followers to do the same
He wrote to powerful people in surrounding empires about islam
The battle of Badr raised his profile
People liked the idea of the ummah

24
Q

What was the Battle of Badr?

A

Probably most influential battle
Initiated by muhammeds order to attack a Quraysh caravan during the sacred month when war was banned
It is argued as the lesser of two evils
300 Muslims vs 1000 meccans
He was successful which convinced people to convert