Islam Flashcards
Describe the Hajj:
- The last of the five pillars of Islam.
- A week long pilgrimage to Mecca (largest pilgrimage in the world, 3 million+)
- Every Muslim adherent must perform the Hajj, at least once in their lifetime.
What are the 3 purpose’s of the Hajj?
- Submitting to Allah
- Unifying the community (Umma)
- Cleansing oneself
Describe Ihram:
- When a Pilgrim arrives in the holy city of Mecca, they all start by bathing and performing cleansing rituals.
- They all dress in seamless white robes that are kept on for the whole pilgrimage.
What are the beliefs of Ihram?
*Tawid: Belief in the oneness of God.
-Clothing: Ihram clothing is worn by everyone, regardless of sunni/shia divides, race, wealth or status.
So they are all considered alike when they do the Hajj
-Wearing the Ihram garment symbolises the equality of the Islamic community (Umma).
What is the importance of Ihram to the individual and community?
-Individual: Being in the state of Ihram is a cleansing process that occurs on the Hajj.
> leads to purification and redemption of sins.
-Community: Unites them in a state of total equality under Allah.
Describe Tawaf:
*The circling of the Kaaba (massive stone).
> Walk around 7 times.
> Kiss/ touch the stone if possible. (often not due to crowds) Thus, is fine to point or hold hand up to stone.
-Believed to be built by Abraham
What are the beliefs of Tawaf?
Fate and predestination
-When someone enters the circling, it symbolises them entering a man-made cosmic orbit, they surrender to the fate Allah has laid out for them.
Beliefs of Tawaf quote:
“The sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating”- Sura
What is the importance of Tawaf to the individual and community?
-Individual: Circular movement reinforces that Allah is the central power in life.
-Community: They are all performing the same action.
> Individual becomes part of collective.
Describe Wuquf:
- The prayers at Arafat.
- Adherents spend an entire day on mount Arafat, hoping to be redeemed of their sins.
What are the beliefs of Wuquf?
- Rusul: Belief in the Prophets.
- The prays at Arafat is a crucial part of Muhammad’s pilgrimage.
Beliefs quote in Wuquf?
“If Arafat is missed, then the whole Hajj is missed” – Muhammad
What is the importance of Wuquf to the individual and community?
- Individual: Individual focus on each person’s prayer.
- Community: Prays at Arafat have such intense concentration of spiritual devotion, as there is an enormous communal power of prayer in the one spot.
Describe Jamarat:
*The rite of stoning.
>Where an adherent throws a stone at pillars 3 times in Mina.
>Symbolic of expelling their sins.
What are the beliefs of Jamarat?
- Tawid: Belief in the oneness of God.
- Adherents are attempting to rid themselves of external pressures and solely focus on Allah.
What is the importance of Jamarat to the individual and community?
-Community: By performing Jamarat, each individual can target their own troubles and sins.
> Thus becoming more dedicated to Allah.
Describe Kaaba:
-When a pilgrim has circled the Kaaba 7 times they have completed the Hajj.
Gain the title of:
Hajji = man
Hajjah = woman
What are the beliefs of Kaaba?
- Akhira: Belief in the afterlife
- The Hajj is compulsory and a pillar of faith that they must undertake once to reach Akhira.
Beliefs quote in Kaaba?
“Pilgrimage to the House is a duty unto God for mankind” – Sura
What is the importance of Kaaba to the individual and community?
-Individual and community: They are all completing the Hajj, therefore they are all individually and collectively once step closer to reaching Akhira.
Define the teaching Tawid:
The oneness of Allah
> Respectful (attitude) towards the environment.
Define the teaching Ayat:
Signs that are all proof of God’s creation.
Define the teaching Akhira:
Accountability that our actions determine your afterlife.
Define the teaching Khalifa:
People that carry out (action) the stewardship of the earth.
What are the two sources of Islam?
- The Qur’an
- The Sunna
What is the Qur’an?
*Qur’an: Seen to be direct words of Allah.
> Always the first sacred text used when making ethical decisions.
What is the Sunna?
*Sunna: Words / actions of the Prophet Muhammad.
> Contains instructions of how to be a good Muslim.
Define institutions and organisations?
Up to date advice from Islamic scholars.
What is an example of institutions and organisations?
Khalifa (stewardship): Islamic declaration of Global Climate Change, August 2015, over 20 countries
> Massive or engaging in the care for the environment
> Covers issues such as fossil fuels and recycling
- They look at the sacred texts and interpret them in today’s society to give advice to adherents on how to be environmentally conscious.
What are 2 issues in Islam?
- Climate change
- The treatment of animals
Describe climate change:
- Respect for God’s creation and stewardship of the earth
> Being sustainable with the earth and its provisions - If climate change is slowly destroying the earth, it ultimately means that adherents aren’t caring for the earth properly
What is an example of climate change?
Muslim Seven Year Action Plan on Climate Change
- Run between 2010-2017
- Action plan: Turning Muslim cities into ‘green’ & make pilgrimages sustainable
- Individual can help by: riding a bike to work instead of driving and using fuel
Describe treatment of animals:
Tawid: Respect for God’s creation, to unite in oneness with him.
> Done by treating animals respectfully.
Khalifa (stewardship): As caretakers of the earth, humans have a direct responsibility to preserve animal species and their environment is safe to live in.
What are the positives and negatives of treatment of animals?
- Animal testing for medical purpose can be justified, as it helps to save humans lives.
- Animal testing in the beauty industry cannot as it is only focused on making profit.
- Qur’an and Sunna both outline that animals can be there to benefit humans.
- Killing animals for food is okay, because it provides nutrients
- Killing animals for fun, hunting, shows disrespect.
Give background information on A’isha Bint AbuBakar:
- Born somewhere around 607CE in Mecca to a Muslim family.
- Daughter of Abu Bakar, who was the first rightly guided caliph.
- Married the Prophet Muhammad when she was 7 years old, was one of his 11 wives.
- Very dedicated Muslim: performed all of the 5 pillars of faith and memorised the entire Qur’an.
Contribution: Education and interpretation of the sacred texts
- She spent a lot of time discussing the Qur’an with the prophet.
- Prophet Muhammad gave her valuable insight and wisdom.
- She was able to spread her knowledge in writing.
Impact of Education and interpretation of the sacred texts:
Hadiths and direct education
- Aisha kept the faith alive, Islam became stronger.
> This was because of her Hadiths and direct education
> Able to take this one step further with intimate knowledge about the Prophet Muhammad. E.g. prayers he said, what he ate, not just religious discussions.
Contribution: Traditions and laws: ‘affair of slander’
- She got on the back of a camel with another man, which caused controversy as people thought she had committed adultery.
Impact of Traditions and laws: ‘affair of slander’:
Respect for women
- As she was an amazing scholar, she was able to ^ respect for women and also to bring men to the realisation that women could be educated too.
- Was able to make women realise they were capable of being educated despite what they had been previously told.
Contribution: Spread of the word Muhammad
- After Muhammad’s death in 632, she was one of the main people that kept his word alive.
> She did this through being the source of over 2000 Hadiths.
Impact of Spread of the word Muhammad:
The direction of Islam after the Prophets Death:
People like Aisha carried the message of Muhammad of Islam
> Hence, Islam thrived and became a stronger and more connected religion to adherent’s increased faith
