ISLAM Flashcards
Ishmael
First born son of Abraham, founder of Islam
Mother was Hagar, slave of Sarah
Fled with Hagar to Arabia
Makkah founded where spring appeared to Hagar
Ishmael was offered as a sacrifice by Abraham to prove faith to God, not Isaac (Sarah’s son)
muslim vs. Muslim
muslim means those who submit to god vs Muslim which means followers of Islam
Muhammad
570-632 CE, prophet of Islam, illiterate, but remembered words given from gods intermediary, Angel Gabriel
Revelations
Messenger of God
Night of Power
610 CE
Muhammads first revelation
Cave outside of Mekkah
Risalah
Message of God as revealed to Prophet Muhammed
Muhammed recieved revelations for 22 years
Remembered words and taught them to followers who later compiled them to form the Qur’an
Recitation supposed to be somber to reflect God’s dissappointment at humans
Jahiliyya
Time of ignorance before Islam
Why did God begin to give these messages to Muhammad?
Response to 7th century Arabia, always at war, gap between rich and poor, no care for women or children, polytheism
GODS MESSAGE TO MUHAMMAD
Humans need to care for earth
Called for social justice for poor women and children
Condemned Polytheism (shirk)
Condemned materialism and greed
Summoned people to jihad, to live based on religious belief not tribal loyalty
Expanded womens rights
Claimed ka’bah was built by Abraham ans Ishmael as a tribute but had been taken over by tribes (ka’bah was Adams original place of worship)
Shirk
Polytheism (sin)
Umma
Global community under God
“Mission statement” of Qur’an
Mission of Islam is to reform society and combat oppression and corruption to establish a just moral order in the world as an embodiment of Gods commandments
Key terms: Reform society Combat oppression and corruption Establish just moral order Follow gods commandments
Early Makkhans
Made profits from polytheistic pilgrimages
Persecuted Muslims to get them to denounce their faith
After 10 yrs of this, Muslims fled to Medina
Significance of 622 CE
Arrival of Muhammad to Medinah, beggining of the Islamic calendar
NIGHT JOURNEY
Muhammad flown on mystical steed to Jerusalem to meet with god at temple mount
Guidance to fix prayer times
THIS IS WHAT MADE JERUSALEM HOLY TO MUSLIMS
DOME OF THE ROCK BUILT OVER WHERE ABRAHAMS SACRIFICE AND MUHAMMADS NIGHT JOURNEY WERE
Caliph
Leader of worship and administrator of shariah for the Ummah
Not divine and can be dismissed
Biggest division in Islam= issue of succession, sunni followed popularly chosen leader, Abu Bakr BUT shia followed descendents of Muhammed, beginning with Ali
Sunni
Follwed Abu Bakr as Caliph
Shia
MINORITY, believed caliph should be inherited, wanted muhammads cousin ali to take over
Ali passed over 3x and when chosen was assassinated
Husayn (Ali’s son) rose up but was slaughtered at Karbala
Jizya
Tax paid by protected minority (non-muslims)
Why did so many Africans convert to Islam
Saw it as a way to reject european imposed christianity and embrace racial equality
Gods prohpets
God communicates through prophets amd scriptures hegives them including
-Abrahams scrolls
-Moses torah
-Davids psalms
-Jesus original gospel
Divine knowledge revealed in native language of each prophet in Islam
Believe Jesus was prophet and messiah foretold by Jewish scripture, but not son of God
Muslims believe Muhammed is last prophet
Muhammed didnt have new message but just reminded ppl of same message god transmitted thru previous prophets, Quran calls for respect of all prophets and revealed scriptures
NONE OF THE PROPHETS ARE SEEN AS DIVINE BC THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
The Qur’an
“The recitation”
Literal and eternal word of god transmitted through muhammad
Guide for mankind to let gods will be known
Final reminder
Original teachings lost and or corrupted over time
The original monotheism
Has 114 suras (chapters) written poetically, organized longest to shortest
Shpuld always be studied in Arabic
Recitation has healing, soothing effect, should only be recited in purified state, somber when reading
Begin to memorize as children so it can shape their lives
Sura
Chapters of the Qur’an
Hafiz
Those who memorize the Qur’an
Qari
Someone who recites Qur’an formally and methodically
Alim
Someone who has studied scriptures extensively
The SUNNAH
Sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad
Second source of Islam
His life is perfect model of how to practice
Following actions allows muslims to fulfill obligations to god and enter Paradise
Sayings and deeds recorded in the HADITH
Based on memories of Muhammads close companions
6 authentic collections of the Hadith
GOD
God is all knowing and responsible for creation. ONENESS OF ALLAH
Only one absolute reality, essence of life is unity
Unity permeates thoughts and actions
God has no physical form
The source of all life
99 names of god attributes of one being
Science arts and politics should be approached from a religious context
Actions and thoughts should spring from the divine
NO CHOSEN PEOPLE all part of a global family
IBADAH
Devotion to god, obedience, submission, the reson for human existence
Perspective of Genesis
Creation sign of compassion
God made Adam and Hawwa (Eve) from same soul, cut in two
Gave in to Satan (iblis) temptation BUT REPENTED AND WERE FORGIVEN
God allowed them to multiply so they could demonstrate their potential to resist future temptation
Do not see Hawwa as responsibke for adams downfall
NO ORIGINAL SIN
Everyone is individually accountable and will be judged by own deeds (guilt is pointless, instead to jihad)
Dont believe jesus’ sacrifice redeems humans
TWO MAJOR SINS
Shirk- polytheism or attributing divinity to anything but God
Kufr- lack of belief in God - spectrum from atheism to forgetfulness
Human beings
Completely unlike God and have been endowed with free will and have special status since God breathed life into him
Angels
Nonphysical beings of light who serve God and can only do good because they do not have free will, each with a specific responsibility and god has two personal angels for everyone to keep track of good and bad deeds for day of judgement
Jinn (genies)
Immaterial beings of fire who are invisible to humans but have free will and can choose to act according to god or not good jinn are muslims, bad are unbelievers
Devils
Creatures led by Iblis (satan) who was a jinn
He refused to bow down to Adam as god asked and was cursed to live by temoting adams descendents to follow him
Muslims believe satan has no external power over people, only what they allow him to do when faced with temptation
Humans who follow satan go to hell
YAWM AL DIN
Day of Judgement, at death the body returns to the earth and sleeps until ressurection day when the angel will sound the trumpet the Earth will split and bodies will rejoin souls. The world will be destroyed and human race will be ressurected for Allahs judgement based on a book that records deeds
Faithful rewarded with permanent bliss in paradise and evil suffer in hell
None punished wo being warned by a messenger of god
We will awaken to our true nature and our true tendencies revealed in the afterlife
Purified souls live in different levels of closeness to God
Believers will eventually be lifted to paradise
Humans cannot spiritually judge each otherf
Jannah
Paradise
Jahannam
Hell
Akhirah
Life after death
Conversion
Forced conversion forbidden but Quran requires faithful to tell others of Islam so they can make an informed choice
Wali
Saints, “friends of God”
Model believers to live by
Prayer
There is a friday congregational prayer but to day of rest in islam
Religious obligations
Whole life should be means of worship
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Shahadah Salah Sawm Zakah Hajj
SHAHADAH
Like hakuna matata (statement of faith to no worries)
The statement of faith
“I bear witness that there is no diety except Allah and Muhammad is his servant and messenger”
Inducts into religion, must be releated in the presence of 2 muslims
Repeated in call to prater and prayer
Birth and death
Reaffirms monotheism and faith in god
Iman
Faith in God
SALAH
Ritual prayer Must first do ablutions, remove shoes Face Ka'bah in mecca Paying in clean open space keeps God in mind, reduces likelihood of sinning Pesonal prayers Prayer must be sincere
Du’a
Personal prayer
Niyya
Intention during prayer
Jum’a
Communal prayer
SURAH AL FATIHAH
Opening surah of Quran, recited in all five daily prayers
ZAKAT
TAKAZ backwards like take, people taking your money
Means purity, giving back to communtiy
SUNNIS pay 2.5% usually diring Ramadan
SHIA pay 10% plus 1/5 of wealth to clerics
Reminds them wealth is a gift from god, purifies own wealth
Not charity bc not voluntary
SAWM
Like sawmwhere over the rainbow, there is food
Fasting during Ramadan, refrain from food, drink, sex, smoking from dawn to dusk
Purpose is to reflect on human frailty and dependence on God for survival. Teaches patience, endurance, self restraint, obedience and gratefulness
Also generates extra food for those in need
Builds empathy for poor
Cleansing becuase it birns impurities
Suhoor
Morning meal during ramadan
Iftar
Break-fast, after sun goes down during ramadan
Eid al Fitr
Ends Ramadan, huge feast
HAJJ
Travel to Makkah
Sins forgiven if go
Walk around ka’bah 7 times
Eid al Adha
Eid al Adha
Feast of Sacrifice, commemorates ram that died in place of Ishmael during the HAJJ
The Ka’bah
Abraham and Ishmael built it around a meteor which fell from heaven during time of adam and hawwa
Sharia
Divine law The path to water Covers all aspects of Muslim life Emphasis on right action not belief Some use as basis for judicial system, some use combination
Ibadat
Duties to God
Muamalat
Duties to others
Fard
Religious obligations
Haram
Forbidden Alcohol Blood Swine Predatory Animals Carcasses Suicide Homosexuality but cant treat gays unfairly Incestmants in haram businesses
Halal
Permitted
Makruh
Unacceptable but not a sin
Mandub
Recommended and rewarding but not required
Jihad
Religious struggle
Greater- personal struggle against lower self, resist temptation, greed, evil, sin
Lesser- defensive warfare to protect muslim community, response must be proportional, seek peace
Shi’a
Do not recognize sunni caliphs follow 7 or 12 imams starting w Ali and sons Hasan and Husayn
There is a 12th hidden imam that will return in the final days to restore justice
Only 15% of muslim population
Imams have supreme religious authority
Sufism
Mystical
Goal to become so purified that one can be a perfect mirror for divine attributes
There is nothing except God and nothing else lasts
Dhikr is repetition of Gods name
Wahhabism
Rejects all forms of change in islam
Hadd
Crimes with big punishment
