Islam Flashcards
Quraysh:
tribe or a dozen clans/ these clans lived as merchants above average on the social scale
Ka’bah
holiest piece of architecture/ believed to be the site of Adam’s own original worship, holiest site in Islam
^^Meteorite fell in this place to mark how holy it is and become a place of pilgrimage
Hadith:
verbally transmitted record of the words of Muhammed
Sunnah:
reports of the prophet’s sayings and exemplary actions, along with pre-Islamic practices he approved of
What did Gabriel insist that Muhammad do when they met?
Gabriel came to him and insisted that Muhammad recite; but Muhammad couldn’t read (wasn’t literate)
Define Quran.
means reading or recitation
Define the Hijra and its relevance to the Islamic calendar.
migration/ first year in the Islamic era: 622 CE migration from Mecca to Medina—take the common era year and subtract from it 622
Define Muhammad’s Farewell Sermon.
you must know that a Muslim is a brother of a Muslim, and that all Muslim are all part of the same brotherhood (eliminated class distinctions, racist ideology of the time
Night of Ascension:
height of his trials, ascended through the heavens to the furthest limits of the cosmos and therefore into the proximity of the divine; meets former prophets, teachers on his journey (saw paradise and also hell, and received great blessings)
Difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Shiites: insisted that the leader must come from Muhammad’s family, and argued for Muhammad’s cousin who had married Muhammad’s daughter (caliph)
Sunni Muslims accept an early convert to Islam, particularly the one who had worked closely with Muhammad during the difficult years in Mecca could be the new leader (imam)
Define Hafiz/Hafiza.
(men vs. women): guardian of the Quran, individual who has memorized the Quran
Define the 5 Pillars.
(basic spiritual practices that must be fulfilled, specified by theologians after the death of the prophet): Shahada (Profession of faith), Salat (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage)
How is Islam and Christianity similar regarding the afterlife?
before these faiths, the afterlife was regarded as a place where there is neither reward or punishment, but the Quran emphasizes that there will be a paradise after death (after some time in the grave) and that everyone will need to account for what they have done in their life
Quran says end of the world will be cataclysmic: very obvious and accompanied by earthquakes and earthly instability
Eid al-fidr.
marks the end of the month of fasting, celebrated with gift-giving and charity
