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VCU Religions > Islam > Flashcards

Islam Flashcards

1
Q

What is the symbol of Islam?

A

star and crescent

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2
Q

What is the historical background of the star/crescent symbol?

A

actually not Muslim in origin - rather, it was a polytheistic icon adopted during the spread of Islam, and it was the insignia of the Ottoman Empire

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3
Q

Who is a Muslim?

A

“one who commits himself/herself to Islam”

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4
Q

What does Islam mean?

A

comes from roots of words “to accept,” “to submit,” “to commit oneself” ==> means “submission” or “surrender”

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5
Q

What is the basic belief of Islam?

A

one God, Allah (same God worshipped by the Jews and Christians); Muhammad is a prophet of Allah; people have just one life to live and how you live determines your existence in the afterlife

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6
Q

When and where did Islam begin?

A

the Arabian desert (Saudi Arabia - 1000 miles away from where the Israelites took root and Jesus taught the Gospel) in the 7th century CE (relatively modern compared to Christianity and Judaism)

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7
Q

What is the pre-Islamic religion characterized by?

A

animism

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8
Q

Prior to Islam what was the center of spirituality/major stop in caravan trade routes?

A

Mecca

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9
Q

What is henotheism?

A

the belief that there is one God among the many (i.e. does not totally deny the gods of other religions, but refuses to worship them)

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10
Q

What is a djinn?

A

genie; seen as desert spirits composed of fire

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11
Q

What was the first mosque?

A

Kaaba, built by Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ishmael

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12
Q

What does Kaaba mean and what is the Kaaba?

A

“Black stone” - meteoric stone said to have fallen from heaven during the time of Adam and Eve, given to them by an angel and placed in the eastern corner of the structure

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13
Q

What was the Kaaba like before Islam?

A

it was venerated by the animistic and tribal populations; then there was a struggle over control/source of profit and pride (Quraysh clan controlled)

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14
Q

What is the holy mosque built around the Kaaba in Mecca?

A

Al-Masjid al-Haram

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15
Q

Who did Abraham take on as a concubine?

A

Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian handmaiden

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16
Q

What was the name of the son that Hagar bore to Abraham?

A

Ishmael

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17
Q

What happened to Ishmael when he was 14?

A

he was cast out with his mother by Abraham (NOTE: according to the Qur’an, Ishmael was cast out when he was a baby)

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18
Q

After he was cast out, what happened to Ishmael?

A

Ishmael and Hagar traveled in the wilderness, nearly dying, eventually finding a well; Ishmael thrived and begat 12 sons whose influence spread all over the region - the inhabitants of Arabia were all thought to be descendants of Ishmael and his sons (Muhammad is traced to Ishmael)

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19
Q

What was Muhammad’s tribe?

A

Quaraysh

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20
Q

What was Muhammad’s clan?

A

Hashim

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21
Q

What were Muhammad’s parents like?

A

father died before his birth; mother died when he was very young

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22
Q

Who raised Muhammad?

A

his grandfather and uncle (Abu Talib)

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23
Q

Who did Muhammad marry?

A

Khadija (wealthy widow who was 40 - Muhammad was 25)

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24
Q

Who visits Muhammad in a vision at age 40?

A

the archangel Gabriel

25
Q

What does Gabriel tell Muhammad?

A

there is only one god, Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger

26
Q

When Muhammad questions his own sanity and thinks he is possessed (after hearing from Gabriel), who reassures him?

A

Khadija and her Christian cousin

27
Q

Was Muhammad’s initial preaching successful?

A

No; he preached in Mecca to ill reception for 10 years

28
Q

What happens in 619?

A

it is a year of sorrow for Muhammad - his uncle Abu Talib and wife Khadija die

29
Q

What does Muhammad do in 622?

A

beings hijra (migration) to Yathrib (Mecca)

30
Q

What is the significance of 622?

A

first day of Muslim year

31
Q

What is the Battle of Badr (624)?

A

raid on caravan, key Islamic victory even though they were outnumbered (in this same year Muhammad learns from Allah that prayer should be facing Mecca, not Jerusalem)

32
Q

What is the Battle of Uhud (625)?

A

Meccan victory; Muhammad is wounded

33
Q

What ends the fighting?

A

Truce of Hudaybiyyah (628)

34
Q

What is the March on Mecca (630)?

A

ends peacefully; Mecca comes under Muslim control, and in the years following, so does the rest of Arabia

35
Q

When does Muhammad die?

A

632 Muhammad dies after a brief illness; buried in Mecca; during his life he unified an entire subcontinent

36
Q

What is Islam sometimes called (with regards to three faiths, one God)?

A

the last jewel in the triple crown

37
Q

True/False: the Qur’an is the word of God.

A

True –> its messages are the authority for all Muslims on God, how God expects people to live, and the eternal destiny of humankind

38
Q

What are the 5 pillars of Islam?

A
  1. Shahadah (profession of faith)
  2. Salat (ritual prayer)
  3. Zakat (alms tax)
  4. Sawm (fasting during Ramadan)
  5. Hajj (pilgrimmage to Mecca)
39
Q

What is the Shahdah?

A

declaration of faith which is spoken every day; “There is no god but God, Muhammad is His Messenger”

40
Q

What is Salat?

A

ritual prayer; Muslims are expected to pray five times daily facing Mecca

41
Q

What is Zakat?

A

alms giving = charity to the community

42
Q

What is Sawm?

A

fasting during the month of Ramadan (Ramadan is the month when Muhammad had his PRE)

43
Q

What is the Hajj?

A

holy pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are expected to take once in the lives

44
Q

What does the Qur’an mean?

A

The Recitation; Gabriel declares to Muhammad “recite,” and the Qur’an is meant to be recited out loud

45
Q

How many suras (chapters) are there in the Qur’an?

A

114

46
Q

How is the Qur’an eventually written down?

A

the Qur’an is revealed without any human errors in perfect Arabic; it is a revelation form Allah through the prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years, and it is eventually written down by prophets after listening to Muhammad

47
Q

What opens every chapter but one in the Qur’an?

A

“In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate”

48
Q

Besides the Qur’an, what other books do Muslims recognize as holy?

A

the Torah, Psalms of the Hebrew Bible, and the Gospels of the New Testament (but not the writings of Paul) –> idea of a Continuum of Revelation

49
Q

What is Sunnah?

A

the custom or tradition of Muhammad; the Prophet’s explanation on how to live a good life – it is supplemental to the Qur’an as a source for the Shari’a (moral code) – part of Hadrith

50
Q

What does Hadith mean?

A

“narrative” or “report”

51
Q

What is the Hadith?

A

consists of the sayings of Muhammad and his Companions passed down and collected in the centuries immediately following his death; different sects have different forms of Hadith

52
Q

What are the major teachings of Islam?

A
  • there is only one God, Allah, who is eternal, all-powerful, and merciful
  • all human beings belong to God and are called to respond in obedience to his will for them; in fact, however, the response of the human community to Allah has largely been a history of disobedience
  • obedience or submission or commitment to Allah’s will determines who goes to Paradise and who doesn’t
53
Q

Eschatology - what happens in the end?

A

when a person dies, the body returns to earth and the soul goes into a state of sleep until resurrection day; on this day, the angel of Allah will sound his trumpet, the earth will split, and the bodies will rejoin their souls; the resurrected are then judged by Allah - those who have been faithful and virtuous will be rewarded, those who have been evil will be punished; all people are judged on the basis of the record of deeds in a book kept for that purpose; Siraat bridge

54
Q

Why was Islam able to spread so successfully?

A

it appeared and developed at exactly the right time in history for expansion - the Arab people were ready for a unifying force, the Byzantine Empire was on the verge of collapse, and the Persian Empire was also vulnerable

55
Q

Who were the caliphs?

A

the successors to Muhammad as leaders of the Islamic community

56
Q

How were caliphs chosen?

A

by election or common consent; in later years the caliphate became hereditary, and the office was more like that of king

57
Q

Why was the caliphate so important?

A

one central unifying office in the history of Islam

58
Q

What are the first four caliphs called?

A

the orthodox or rightly guided caliphs because they were selected form the circle of friends of the Prophet and ruled form Arabia

59
Q

Who were among the first four caliphs?

A

Abu-Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali

VCU Religions (18 decks)

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