Islam Flashcards
Five articles of Islamic faith
Oneness of God
Prophethood
The Book
Final Judgment
Angels and Jinn
(Predestination)
What does “oneness of God” imply?
There is only one God, Allah, who is neither material nor comprehended.
Shahada
“There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God”
By how many attributes is God described in the Quran?
99
How is God glorified?
Saying the Tasbih using a 33-bead string called the Masbaha. (This act is dhikr, meaning remembrance.)
Who is the greatest prophet next to Muhammad, per Islam?
Jesus (but he is not considered the son of God)
Who was the last prophet ever?
Muhammad (“Seal of the Prophets”)
Doctrine of the Book
When Allah sends a prophet, he gives each a book (Moses, Torah; Jesus, Gospels; Muhammad, Quran). The Quran is considered to be the only uncorrupted scripture remaining.
What does Quran mean, and how many sections does it have?
Recitation, and 114 Suras (composed of verses called ayat)
What is heaven called?
Paradise (Furudeis) or “gardens of delight.” The righteous (only Muslims) will go there.
Final Judgment
All will be resurrected and judged by Allah.
What is Hell called?
Jahanna
Classes of humanoids
Humans; angels (righteous heavenly messengers); and Jinn (good, evil, or mischievous spirits)
Predestination
God knows and has ordained all things to come, but people are expected to make righteous choices
“If Allah wills it”
Insh’Allah
Islamic house of worship
Mosque (towers: minarets)
Five Pillars of Islam
Shahada: witness, testimony
Salat: Prayer, 5 times daily
Zakat: 2.5% tithe
Sawm: Ramadan fast
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca
When are the Salat prayers performed?
Morning, noon, afternoon, sunset, night
Prayer call
adhan
Ritual prayer washing
wudu
Prayer callers
muadhdin
Prayer cycle
rakah
Friday
al-Juma; holy day to go to mosque
To whom are the Zakat tithes given?
The Waqf (Islamic Trust)
Free will offerings to the poor
Sadaqa
When does the Hajj take place?
du al-Hajj – the 12th month
Religious prohibitions
Sexual immorality; drinking alcohol; eating pork; gambling
Sacrifice day during the Hajj
Eid al-Adha
End of Ramadan
Eid al-Fitr
Muhammad’s birthday
Milad en-Nabi
Celebration of Moses at Red Sea (Sunni) or three martyrs (Shi’ite)
Ashura
Proportion of Sunni to Shi’ite
84%, 15%
Caliph
Regent of the messenger of Allah
First caliph
Abu Bakr. Appointed by Quraysh tribe. Father-in-law of Muhammad (through Ayisha). Re-unified Arabs after Muhammad’s death. 632-634
Second caliph
Omar. Appointed by Abu Bakr. Father-in-law of Muhammad. Quran compiled during his rule. Greatly expanded Islam to north, east, and west. Assassinated in Medina. (634-656)
Third caliph
Uthman. Member of Umayyad family. Son-in-law of Muhammad. Quran canonized. Assassinated at Medina by Egyptian mob. 644-656
Fourth caliph
Ali. Chosen by men of Medina, not Quraysh. Husband of Muhammad’s daughter Fatima. 656-661
Muawiya
Umayyad noble who challenged Ali’s authority; set up rival capital at Damascus, and orchestrated Ali’s assassination.
Ali’s capital
Kufa (in Iraq)
Hassan and Hussein
Ali’s elder and younger sons. Hussein was Ali’s political successor who carried on the war against Muawiya.
Hussein’s death
Killed in an ambush at Karbala in 680 by Umayyads
Fourth imam
Ali b. Hussein
Fifth imam
Muhammad b. Ali
Sixth imam
Jafar b. Muhammad, or Jafar al-Sadiq. Ruled 702-765 at Medina.
Seveners
Regard Jafar’s son Ismail as his successor. Various Ismaili sects exist through various lineages.
Twelvers
Majority of Shi’ites; they regard Jafar’s son Musa as his successor.
Muhammad b. Hassan
Or al-Mahdi. Young boy who became imam. Went into occultation, meaning that he is still considered the current imam.
Sunni-Shi’ite Schism
Shi’ites renounced the caliphates, saying that Ali should have been Muhammad’s successor from the beginning.
Yazid
Son and successor of Muawiya
Abd al-Malik
Caliph who built the Dome of the Rock
Walid
Caliph who conquered Spain
Abassid Caliphate
Began in 750, ruled from Baghdad
First Abbasid caliph
al-Saffah
Abbasid caliph who established Baghdad
al-Mansur
Fatimid Caliphate
Shi’ite caliphate that ruled from Cairo, starting 969
Mamluke Sultanate
Ruled from Cairo starting 1250
Ottoman Empire
Ruled from Istanbul. Political leaders were sultans, and religious leaders were caliphs. Reached its greatest extent under Suleiman.
Muhammad born
570 AD, at Mecca
Muhammad’s first marriage
595 AD, to Khadija. She was 40, he was 25. They had 2 sons and 4 daughters.
Muhammad’s first revelation
610 AD, at Hira Cave. Known as laylat al-qadr, or night of power.
Muhammad’s year of trials
619 AD. Khadija and his uncle died.
Night Journey
619 AD. Muhammad taken supernaturally from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he met with old prophets and had a vision of the afterlife.
al-Aqsa mosque
Commemorates night journey meeting with prophets at Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock
Commemorates vision of the afterlife at Jerusalem
Muhammad’s second wife
Sawdah
Flight to Yathrib/Medina
622 AD. Called the Hijra. Muhammad acted as a neutral negotiator among feuding factions and became the leader. Other Muslims migrated, and tribes of Medina converted.
Battle of Badr
Mecca-Medina battle. Muslims won.
Battle of Uhud
Mecca-Medina battle. Muslims lost, Muhammad was injured badly.
Muhammad’s third wife
Married Ayisha, the 8-year-old daughter of Abu Bakr, in 623 AD.
Zaynab
Controversial wife of Muhammad; married in 627 AD
Battle of the Trench
627 AD. 900 Qurayza Jews executed
Treaty of Hudaybiya
628 AD. Temporarily ended Mecca-Medina conflict. Allowed Islam to spread further to Arabian tribes through caravan trade.
Conquering of Mecca
630 AD. Muhammad took the city, cleansed the Kaaba, and united Arabia under Islam
Muhammad died
632 AD. Buried in Medina at the house of Ayisha.
Jerusalem conquered by Omar
638 AD
