Islam Flashcards
Where does Islam start
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad
c. 570-632
- raised by uncle
- worked for and married Kadijah
Ka’ba
shrine; has idols dedicated to different gods
Muhammad pilgrimage
Allah, or God, sends arc-angel Gabriel to talk to Muhammad who then talks to the people
-Kadijah becomes first Muslim
Quran
the divine record, written by God
-Muhammad was illiterate
Islam
“Submission” to the will of God
-Muslim: one who submits
Why people in Mecca do not like Muhammad
- Muhammad preaches against idolatry, many tourists go to city of see Ka’ba
- undermines economic viability of town; Ka’ba brings in a lot of money
- Muhammad and followers begin to experience persecution
Yathrib (Medina)
Outside of Mecca, sends Muhammad message to bring peace back in town and make him a political and religious leader
-becomes known as Medina
Shame/ Honor Culture
if someone causes shame= BIG DEAL
-honor is important
Day of Discrimination
Meccans lose to Muslims with a group almost 3 to 1
-Muslims view it as divine intervention
A Salaam Alaikum
“peace be with you”
- arabic expression used in Islam
- response: “wa alaikum salaam” (and unto you)
Caliph
political and military leader of Muslim community
-after death of Muhammad
Ali
became guided caliph
- Shia- people who supported him (20%)
- Sunni- do NOT support him (80-85%)
Imam
local religious leader
- Shia view this position as a more direct and special connection to God, more authoritative
- Sunni-view position as similar to function of rabbi
Mahdi
Shia wait for Mahdi which is a Messiah like figure
How does Islam spread SO fast?
Imperialism- force of arms
AND
saw itself connected to government (God told you the best way to live, here’s how to create a society)
Muslims divided world into 3 categories:
- Muslims
- People of the Book (Jews and Christians, worshipped the one God)
- when they die, can go to Heaven, status lower though - Infidels (without faith, going to Hell)`
Qu’ran
means “recitation”
- IS the word of God
- Divine Command Ethics: Muslims follow this
- straightforward and simple
Hadi
- the oral tradition
- things that Muhammad and other authorities had said and done during his time, written down
- very authoritative, but not the Quran
5 Pillars
- Prayer (5 set times a day, face Mecca)
- Ramadan (no food, water, marital relations)
- Alms Giving (charity, formal religious tax given to Muslim community based on wealth)
- Creed: there is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger
- The Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
Exceptions to the Pillars
- Prayer: performing surgery at that moment, its ok
- Ramadan: pregnant, child, elderly, health condition
- Alms Giving: poor don’t have to, have to have certain about of money
- The Creed: ?
- . The Hajj: have to have resources
Sharia
The Holy Law of Islam
- not just the laws like the 10 commandments
- encompasses everything about how to live your life
- there are different interpretations based on Muslim community
Country with most Muslims
Indonesia
Ascetic
person who forgoes pleasures of life (fasting, Shia whip selves)
Vedas
1500 BCE, earliest scriptures
a lot of chants that have power to contact the divine
Who has access to the Vedas?
Priestly class, can read them and become very powerful because of it. They kept them to themselves.
- religion stays, but significant shifts
- people start seeking religious truth solely because of it
- people question polytheism, explore religious techniques
Brahman
divine force of the universe
- not a personal being
- power that permeates everything in the universe
- if you know it in this lifetime, you would be beyond suffering and death
Atman
self or soul, will out live body
Upanishads
written primarily as dialogues
How to attain enlightenment
understand brahman is atman and atman is brahman
- principle in upanishads
- to be able to appropriate it, look at other people and see same divinity
Maya
illusion- we perceive world incorrectly
- we don’t see interconnectedness of all being and divinity
- we don’t see connection
Jihad
means “struggle/exertion”
-any believer should struggle to carry out word of God
Two types of Jihad
- Internal struggle: take place inside self, struggle to be person that God wants you to be (overcome any temptation to worship something other than God)
- Armed struggle: lesser struggle, use of violence to defend self/God
What the Quran says about Jihad:
you have the right to defend self- does not refer to use of armed force
2 Justifications of Armed Struggle
- Obligation to extend Islam to entire world
2. Threat of unbelieving world/ rebels
Hadith
lesser authority
-oral tradition of things said/done by prophet
Central theme of Jihad in Hadith:
Justification of faith through combat
Rules in place of offensive/ defensive nature:
mean of fighting age can be killed (women/children/elderly=no, BUT they can be enslaved)
Hijab
“Veil”
- head/body coverings
- reference to veil of God-human beings/ physical barrier between men and women
- reference to rules
What the Quran says about the Hijab:
cover upper torso in front of those who are not husband, sons, sister’s sons, etc.
What the Hadith says about the Hijab:
suggests face/head should be covered
Traditional Islamic Views of Hijab
everything but hands, feet possibly face should be covered; wear loose fitting clothing