Islam Flashcards
caliph
from the Arabic khalifah (“one who represents or acts on behalf od another”). The caliph was the prophet’s successor as the head of the muslim community; the position became institutionalized in the form of the caliohate, which lasted from 632 to 1924
dhikr
“Remembering” God’s name; chanted in Sufi devotional exercises, sometimes while devotees dance in a circle
dhimmis, Ahl Al-Kutab
“Protected people”: non Muslim religiious minorities (specifically the Jews and Christians, as “People of the Book”) accorded tolerated status in Islamic society
Fathah
the short opening surah of the Qur’an, recited at least 17 times every day
fatwa
a ruling issued by a traditional religio-legal authority
fiqh
Jurisprudence, or the theoretical principles underpinning the specific regulations contained in the shari’ah
hadith
the body of texts reporting muhammad’s words and example, taken by muslims as a foundation for conduct and doctrine; a hadith is an individual unit of literature
hajj
the annual pilgrimage to mecca
halal
ritually acceptable; most often used in the context of the slaughter of animals for meat, but also refers generally to Muslim dietary regulations
haram
“Forbidden” used especially in reference to actions; similar in its connotations to “tabboo”
hijab
a women’s veil or head covering
hijrah
the prophet’s migration from mecca to establish a community in medina in 622 CE. In dates, the abbreviation AH stands for “year of the hijrah” (the starting point of the islamic dating system)
‘Id al-Fitr
the holiday celebrating the end of the Ramadan fast; the festival traditionally begins following the sighting of the new moon
ijma’
the consensus of religio-legal scholars; one of the two secondary principles used in jurisprudence; some legal schools give it more weight than others
ijtihad
personal reasoning applied to the development of legal opinions
imamis “twelvers”
shi’is who recognize 12 imams as legitimate heirs to the prophet’s authority; the last, in occulation since 874, is expected to return some day as the Mahdi
Isma’ilis “Seveners”
shi’is who recognize only seven imams; named after the last of them, isma’il whose lineage continues to the present in the agha khan
jihad
struggle in defence of faith; some jihads are military, waged in response to threats to the community’s security or welfare; others are spiritual, waged to improve moral conduct in society
kufr
rejecting belief; implies lack of gratitude for God’s grace
Mahdi
The shi’i twelf imam, understood in his role as the “rightly guided one” who will emerge from hiding at some unspecified future date to restore righteousness and order to the world
mi’raj
the prophet’s miraculous journey to heaven
mu’adhdhin
the person who calls people to prayer
qiblah
the direction of prayer, marked in mosques by a niche inside the wall nearest mecca
Ramadan
the month throughout which muslims fast during daylight hours
sadaqah
alms given voluntarily, in addition to the required zakat
salat
the prescirbed daily prayers, said five times during the day
shahadah
the muslim profession of faith in God as the only god, and in Muhammad as God’s prophet
shari’ah
the specific regulations of Islamic law (jurisprudence, or theoretical discussion of the law, is fiqh)
shari’ah meant to regulate human behavior–not just law
range of human behaviors from required to forbidden
shaykh
the arabic term for a senior master, especially in sufism
shi’a
from the Arabic meaning “party”: Muslims who trace succession to the Prophet’s authority through the line of Imams descended from ‘Ali: the smaller of the two main divisions of Islam, accounting for about 1/6 of all muslims today: “Shi’i” is the adjective form
sunnah
the “life-example” of Muhammad’s words and deeds, based mainly on the hadith literature; the primary source of guidance for Muslims
Sunni
muslims who trace succession to the prophet’s authority through the caliphate, which lasted until the twentieth century; the larger of the two main divisions of Islam, accounting for about 5/6 of all muslims today
surah
a chapter of the Qur’an: there are 11+ in all, arranged mainly in decreasing order of the length, except the first (Fatihah)
tafsir
commentary on the Qur’an
Based on one of three authoritative sources: The Qur’an itself, Hadith, and opinions of prophet’s companions and their successors
taqlid
following the ijtihad or legal opinion of a particular jurist
ummah
the muslim community
zakat
the prescribed welfare tax; 2.5 percent of each Muslim’s accumulated wealth, collected by central treasuries in earlier times ut now donated to charities independently of state governments
jahiliyyah
the ignorance time before islam, polytheistic, time of revenge of politics, the kaba had many idols and images of many religions
Qur’an
nearly as long as the new testament
Muslims believe it contains the eternal word fo god, always recited in arabic,
Five pillars of islam
Shahadah: profession of faith Salat: prayer Zakat: alms (charity) Ramadan Hajj
ayat
verses of the qu’ran
sunni schools of law
hanafi, maliki, shafr’i, hanbali
shia schools of law
jafari
ibn sina
980-1037 from buhara in central asia–refered to as second teacher after Aristotle
Physician philosopher astronomer
extremley influential
al ghazali
1058-1111 from Iran
Mystical understanding of God
“incoherence of philosophers” denies idea of using causality to prove existence of god
Averroes
12th century port of Spain
wrote response to “incoherence of incoherence” argues that al gazhali misintreprets aristotle
says philosophy to understand god for elite religion is to understand god for uneducated masses
sufism
mystical religion
3rd largest sect of islam
strong emphasis on repetitive ritual know god
ecstatic state to communicate w god
Abu Bakr
who Sunnis believed should succeed muhamad
