Islam

Question 1

Who is the founding prophet of Islam?

When and where was he born?

Answer 1

Muhammad was born in Mecca (a town in modern-day Saudi Arabia) around 570 A.C.E.

Question 2

Who was Muhammad’s first wife?

Answer 2

A wealthy widow 15 years his senior named Khadija

• According to Muslim tradition, was the first to believe Muhammad was a prophet
• Marriage lasted for 25 years

Question 3

What is the literal meaning of “Allah”?

Answer 3

“The God”

(Specifically the god, not a god)

Question 4

What is the first half of the shahadah in Arabic?

Answer 4

“La ilaha illa ‘llah” (There is no god but Allah)

This phrase is uttered and heard by Muslims extremely often; its centrality to Muslim life cannot be overstated.

Question 5

What was the hijra?

Answer 5

The migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.C.E., which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar

Question 6

What is the Qur’an?

Answer 6

The central text of Islam

• Literal meaning: “recitation”
• Revealed to Muhammad over the course of 23 years by the voice of the archangel Gabriel

Question 7

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

Answer 7

1. Profession of the shahadah: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.”
2. Canonical prayer (salah): The Muslim must pray, facing Mecca, five times a day.
3. Alms-giving (zakat): Giving a portion of one’s earnings to the poor.
4. Fasting (sawm) during the month of Ramadan.
5. Pilgrimage (hajj): Once in his or her lifetime, every Muslim must journey to the Ka’ba in Mecca.

Question 8

What is Ramadan?

Answer 8

A holy month during which Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset

• They are also expected to follow the teachings of Islam more closely during this time
• Ramadan is determined by a lunar calendar, so it moves back about 11 days each calendar year

Question 9

How many Muslims are there in the world?

Answer 9

Around 1.5 billion, making it the world’s second-largest religion after Christianity

Question 10

What is the Islamic belief regarding human nature?

Answer 10

• In the Islamic creation story, Allah forgives the sins of Adam and Eve even as he punishes them with mortal life
• Therefore, all humans are born into a natural state of submission to Allah, and are inherently good, though they have the capacity for evil
• This is an important contrast with the Christian doctrine of original sin

Question 11

What is the literal meaning of the word “Islam”?

Answer 11

“Islam” derives from the word “salam,” meaning “peace” or “surrender.”

Question 12

Summarize the Islamic belief regarding Abraham and his sons.

Answer 12

• Abraham had a son named Ishmael by his second wife, Hagar
• His first wife, Sarah, then bore Abraham a son named Isaac
• Sarah forced Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael
• Ishmael went to the place that would later become Mecca
• The descendants of Ishmael later became Muslims, while the descendants of Isaac became the Jews

Question 13

What are the Six Articles of Faith?

Answer 13

Six items of faith that must be affirmed by any true Muslim, according to the Hadith of Gabriel:

1. Belief in Allah
2. Belief in His Angels
3. Belief in His Books, especially the Koran
4. Belief in all Messengers sent by Allah
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment and the afterlife
6. Belief in Destiny (fate)

Note: Shia Muslims reject the sixth article.

Question 14

What percentage of Muslims are Sunnis?

Answer 14

80-90%

Question 15

What are the major differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims?

Answer 15

• The major controversy centers on the true successor of Muhammad
• Sunnis believe that a caliph (head of state) should be elected by the whole community
• Shi’ites assert that only Allah himself can choose a leader, and that Muhammad’s only rightful successors are his descendants
• Sunni and Shia Muslims also accept different sets of hadith

Question 16

Summarize Muslim views on the afterlife.

Answer 16

• After death, the body remains in the grave, awaiting Judgment
• On Judgment Day, Allah will recreate the bodies of the dead, and all humans will be judged by their deeds
• Those whom Allah deems good will be sent to eternal paradise
• Those deemed bad will suffer eternal hell
• Warriors who die in the service of Allah will be immediately sent to paradise
• Enemies of Islam will be immediately sent to hell

Question 17

What is the Ka’ba?

Answer 17

The physical center of Islam, located in Mecca

• A roughly cubical stone structure supposedly built by Abraham and his son Ishmael
• Muhammad rededicated it to Allah in the 6th century A.C.E.
• During daily prayer, Muslims face the Ka’ba
• All Muslims must visit it once in their lives

Question 18

Summarize Islamic views on Jesus Christ.

Answer 18

Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was a true prophet, and they accept his virgin birth

• But they assert that the message transmitted through Jesus was incomplete and became corrupted over time
• The Qur’an is God’s completion of that message

Question 19

What is Eid al-Fitr?

Answer 19

A three-day Muslim festival celebrating the end of Ramadan

Question 20

What is Eid al-Adha?

Answer 20

A Muslim festival celebrating the end of the hajj season, during which families that can afford it sacrifice an animal to Allah and share the meat with friends and neighbors

Question 21

What is Sufism?

Answer 21

A mystical approach to Islam

• Emphasis on the love between man and God
• Famous for love poetry and for the “whirling dervishes,” members of a Turkish Sufi sect who use spinning to aid meditation

Question 22

What is a Hadith?

Answer 22

A report regarding the statements or actions of Muhammad

• Hadith are not the word of God himself, like the Qur’an, but are regarded as important sources of Muslim moral guidance and commentary on religious law
• There are many collections of Hadith, and Sunnis and Shi’ites disagree about which Hadith are authentic

Question 23

Which major modern Muslim countries are Shia?

Answer 23

Shias make up the majority of the population in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain

• Shias are also the largest religious group in Lebanon (35%)
• Large shia minorities exist throughout the Middle East and Asia in countries like Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Syria, Pakistan, and India
• Although Shias make up a minority in Pakistan and India, the Pakistani and Indian Shia populations are great (over 16 million Shias each)

Question 24

Which major modern Muslim countries are Sunni?

Answer 24

Sunnis are a majority in most Muslim countries in Africa, Asia, and the rest of the Arab World

• Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, and Ethiopia all have Sunni populations of more than 20 million
• Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh all have Sunni populations of well over 120 million
• Russia and China have Sunni populations of over 15 million
• Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, and Uzbekistan all have Sunni populations of 16 million or (much) more