Islam Beliefs Flashcards
Tawhid
Belief in the “oneness” of God - basic Muslim belief
Prophethood (risalah)
Messengers of God - beginning with Adam and ending with Muhammad
Halal (permitted)
Actions or things which are forbidden within Islam, such as eating permitted foods
Haram (forbidden)
Any actions or things which are forbidden within Islam, such as eating forbidden foods
Jihad
Meaning “to strive” - two forms of Jihad:
- Greater Jihad - the daily struggle and inner spiritual striving to live as a Muslim
- Lesser Jihad - physical struggle or “holy war” in defence of Islam
Mosque (masjid)
A “place of prostration” for Muslims - communal place of worship for a Muslim community
Shari’ah (straight path)
A way of life - Muslims believe that God has set out a clear path for how Muslims should live.
Shariah Law is the set of moral + religious beliefs which put the principles set out by the Qu’ran and Hadith into practice
Ummah
Means “community” - refers to worldwide community of Muslims who share a common religious identity
Islam worldwide
- Estimated 1.6 billion Muslims today - this makes Islam 2nd largest religion + fastest growing religion in the world
- Originates from the Middle East
- Middle East and North Africa - 93% of people in this region are Muslims
- Nearly ⅔ of the world’s Muslims live in Asia-Pacific region (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia)
Islam in Britain
- In Britain there are nearly 3 million Muslims - 4.5% of population
- Until mid-20th century very few Muslims lived in UK - in 1950s many Muslims came to the UK for work opportunities after WW2
- 2011 census - Britain has one of the most diverse Muslim communities in the world
- In Britain 95% of Muslims are Sunnis and 5% are Shi’a
Sources of authority in Islam
- Islam teaches that there is a divine law sent by Allah to guide humans in the right way to live
- This law is set out by the Qu’ran - perfect communication from Allah to humans
The Qu’ran - word of God
- Most important source of authority in Islam
- Complete book of guidance for all - revealed by Allah to Muhammad through Angel Jibril over a period of 23 years
- Written down in Arabic by his followers + compiled into one book after Muhammad’s death
Sunnah - way of the prophet
- Prophet Muhammad is an inspiration to all Muslims, so they try to imitate the way he lived
- Sunnah is the second most important source of authority for Muslims
- Describes the customs, practices and traditions of Muhammad
- Teaches perfect path or model of how Muslims should live
Hadith - sayings of the prophet Muhammad
- Muslims love and respect the words of Muhammad, because he was such an outstanding character
- Had deep devotion to God, with enormous wisdom, kindness and compassion
- Hadith is a book which contains his sayings, as recorded by his family and companions
- Different collections of these sayings, each accepted by different Muslim groups
Shari’ah law: moral and religious rules that Muslims must follow
- Shari’ah law sets out the moral and religious rules that Muslims must follow
- Puts into practice the principles set out by the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the Hadith
- By following Shari’ah law Muslims can know that they are obeying the will of Allah
- Shari’ah lays down laws about what is halal & haram
- It deals with many everyday topics, including food, clothing, crime, money, sex and relationships
Hadith quote
‘I have left among you that which if you hold fast to, then you would never go astray, clear things, the
book of God and the Sunnah of his prophet.’
Sunni and Shi’a: who are they?
- Sunnis form the majority of Muslims in the world today (87-90%)
- Remaining 10–13% of Muslims are from the Shi’a community
- Sunnis and Shi’as have coexisted for centuries, living peaceably side by side, often worshipping together in the same mosques, sometimes inter- marrying.
Why did the Sunni and Shi’a split?
- After the death of Muhammad a dispute arose over who should lead the Muslim community
- Abu Bakr (close friend of Muhammad) was chosen
- After his death Umar became the leader, then Uthman and then Ali
- This four leaders became known as the Rightly Guided Khalifahs and Sunni Muslims believed them to be God’s appointed leaders
- Some Muslims believed that Ali (cousin/son-in-law of Muhammad) should have been first Khalifah as they believe he was chosen by Muhammad
- When Ali was murdered they separated themselves and called themselves the Shi’a (House of Ali)
Imam
- Sunni Islam - imam = leader of local mosque chosen by Muslim community to worship
- Shi’a Islam - only twelve Imams and they were seen as holy figures - they are also divinely appointed members of Muhammad’s descendants
Six Articles of Faith
Sunnis’ understanding of God. Can be found in Hadith where Muhammad says, “You must believe in Allah, his angels, his holy books, his messengers, in the Last Day and in fate.”
- Allah (God): the unity and oneness of God is called Tawhid- monotheism
- Malaikah (angels): God created angels to interact with human lives, bringing his divine message.
- Holy books: God has revealed his word to humans in the Qur’an, outlining the correct way to live life.
- Risalah (prophethood): God has spoken through numerous prophets including Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus). However, Muhammad is the greatest prophet – the seal
-
Akhirah (the afterlife): Belief in the final judgement - this life is a preparation for the eternal
life that follows. -
Al-Qadr (God’s predestination): God is responsible for everything and has set out a divine
destiny for all things.
