Islam Beliefs Flashcards
What does Allah mean?
That he is the one and only-nothing else like him
What is the Shahadah?
‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet’
Sunni Muslims:
> after Muhammed died, many Muslims thought only the Qur’an and the Sunnah had the authority to guide the beliefs and behaviour of Muslims
elected Abu Bakr to be thier leader
What is the Sunnah?
Muhammad’s customary practice in his day-to-day living
Shi’a Muslims:
> Muhammed named his cousin Ali as his successor
What are the 6 articles of faith in Sunni Islam?
1)Tawhid-only one Allah
2)angels were created by Allah to bring his divine message
3)Holy books should be respected-especially the Qur’an because it’s a direct revelation from Allah
4)prophets-should be respected esp Muhammed who was the seal of prophets
5)day of judgement and afterlife(akhirah)
6)Al-Qadr predestination-importance of Allah’s will
What are the 5 roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam?
> 5 roots of Usul ad-DIn
1)Tawhid means Allah is one
2)adalat-divine justice Allah is right and just
3)prophethood-Allah spoke thru many prophets
4)12 imams
5)resurrection-muslims will be resurrected and judged by Allah
How many names does Allah have?
99 names
What are angels?
Supernatural beings created by Allah from light
Role of angel Jibril:
> angel of revelation/bringer of good news
revealed Allah’s words in the form of the qur’an to muhammed on the night of power
Role of angel Malak?
> giver of souls
responsible for the deceased away from the body
Role of angel Mika’il?
> giver of rain
friend to humanity, waters the land which provides food for the people
asks Allah for forgiveness of people’s sins
Role of angels munkar and nakir?
> responsible for questioning the souls of the dead
Role of the guardian angels/recorders of deeds?
> protect humans from the harm of evil
each person is assigned 2 matza angels (2 keep watch during day and 2 during night)
record deeds of humans for judgement
Role of angel israfil?
> present on the day of resurrection
will blow a trumpet to announce the day
‘angels have no impact on the life of a muslim’
for:
>angels are messengers of Allah so hv no freewill
>when people obey the qur’an they’re obeying Allah’s words no the angels
>worshipping an angel is a form of tawhid
against:
>mikail provides rain and sustenance+forgiveness
>guardian angels protect humans
>angels record deeds, determining where ppl go on judgement day
Which Islam denomination believes in freewill?
Shi’a
What is adalat?
> the shi’a concept of Allah as just
What is Akhirah?
Life after death
What do muslims believe happens after death?
> soul enters barzakh, taken by angel….
angels question the waiting soul ‘who is your lord’ ‘what was your life like’ ‘who is your prophet’
the answer to these questions determine how the soul experiences barzakh
What is barzakh?
> a state of waiting until judgement day
What is risalah?
> belief that prophets are an important channel of communication between Allah and humans
Why is risalah important?
> all prophets brough the same message showing Allah is unchanging
reassures muslims allah loves them
helps them feel closer to him
guides muslism on how to behave to reach jannah
What did prophet adam do?
> disobeyed Allah and ate the fruit
taught revelations to his sons
taught about the work of ibris
built the ka’aba(1st place of worship)
Why was adam important?
> first man on earth
first prophet in islam
father of humankind
What did prophet ibrahim do?
> rejected polytheism
spread the word of Allah
was ridiculed and to be burnt alive but allah cooled the fire
went to the promised land and had kids
rebuilt the ka’aba with ismael in thanks to Allah
Why was ibrahim important?
> an example that if you’re loyal to Allah you’ll be rewarded-shows Allah is fair
What did muhammed do?
> introduced the religion of islam to southwestern asia
conquered makkah in the name of Allah
received a revelation of the qur’an-night of power, then started preaching which made other leaders angry
stopped people worshipping idols-rejecting polytheism
Why was muhammed important\?
> chosen as the messenger of the word of Allah through divine revelations
his life is an example of how musims should live
What happened on the night of power?
> muhammed went to pray in a cave and heard a voice saying ‘recite’
saw a roll of silk with writing in fiery letters
3 times he was ordered to say it
suddenly he knew what the words said
What is unmah?
> all muslims
What is a revelation?
> a previosly unknown fact that has been dsclosed to others
What is the hadith?
> the sayings of propet muhammed as remembered and accounted by those close to him
What is the Shari’ah?
Islamic law that is based on both the Qur’an and the Sunnah, it explains how to properly obey Allah
What are the four islamic holy books?
> torah(revelations given by musa)
psalms(holy scripture revealed to king david)
gospels(portions of the teachings of jesus)
scrolls of ibrahim(individual revelations received by ibrahim in parable form)
What is the importance of the torah + some problems?
> moses and his brother aaron used the torah to preach the message to children of israel
the current torah may have suffered corruption over the years so could be unreliable
What is the importance of the psalms + some problems?
> considered to have been holy songs of praise
it’s assumed that some current psalms were written later + divinely revealed
What is the importance of the gospels + some problems?
> holy book revealed to jesus
current gospels are believed to be not divinely revealed but documents of jesus’ life
What is the importance of the scrolls of ibrahim+ some problems?
> believed to be the earliest body of scripture
now considered lost + maybe corrupted
What is the role of a prophet?
To communicate messages from Allah and act as a connection between Allah and humans
Who was Muhammed’s successor?
Abu Bakr and he instructed the compilation of the Qur’an
What is the Ka’bah?
The cube-shaped building in the middle of Mecca which is the most sacred site in Islam
Over how many years was the Qur’an revealed to Muhammed?
23 years
What percentage of all Muslims are Sunni?
90%
Who did Sunni Muslims believe was the rightful successor after Muhammed died?
Abu Bakr-Muhammed’s close friend and father-in-law
Who did Shi’a Muslims believe was the rightful successor after Muhammed died?
Ali because he was related by blood to Muhammed
What is the Imamate?
The Shi’a belief that all modern imams should be spiritual descendent of Muhammed
What is the main difference between Sunni and Shi’a Muslisms
Sunni believe Muhammed’s succession finish this
What is the Hadith?
The words and actions of Muhammed as recorded by his followers-they give Muslims advice on how to live today but is not Allah’s word
Who is an Imam?
A Muslim religious figure who leads the communal prayer-in Shi’a is also the line of descendents
