Islam: Beliefs And Teachings Flashcards
What are Malaikah?
Angels created to interact with human lives, bringing his divine message
What is risalah?
Prophethood , Adam ,Nuh, Ibrahim, musa, isa
‘We have already sent messengers’
What is akhirah?
The afterlife, judgement day
What is Al-Qadr?
Gods predestination, god Is responsible for everything and set out a divine destiny, doesn’t take away human free will
What are the 5 roots of Islam in shia Muslims?
Tawhid (oneness of God)
Imamat (leadership)
Qayamat ( resurrection)
Adalah (justice of god)
Nubuwwah (prophethood)
What are the six articles of faith in Sunni Islam?
Belief in prophethood
Belief in god
Belief in gods divine plan
Belief in afterlife
Belief in angels
Belief in holy books
What does it say it the quaran showing Tawhid?
He is god, one, god the eternal refuge
What do Muslims believe about Muhammad ?
He was the seal of all prophets, brought the Quran
What does immanent mean?
God is always close by
What does transcendent mean?
God is beyond all things
What is a Muslims are Christian different view on Jesus?
In Islam god had no children and he is the child of no one so Jesus is not the son of God
What is shirk?
Someone worshipping something else other then god, no pictures can represent him
What is revelation?
God has made known his special truth to humans
What is fitrah?
Being born with an instinctive need for God, naturally spirituality that links us to our creator
What is Taqwa?
Desire for a personal connection with God, awareness of god
Who are the hanifs?
Rejected idol worship , believed in one god, some believe Muhammad’s grandfather was a hanif so this is how Muhammad learnt to stay alone in the desert fasting
Who is Adam?
father of the human race according to Quran
he is the diversity of the earth, formed from soil all over, confessed for his sin of eating from tree, and became first prophet, he built the first kaba in Makkah
Who is Ibrahim?
he is the hanif, he had inner knowledge that there is really only one true god, he was seen as the greatest of the prophets before Isa (jesus)
What do Muslims remember when they go on Hajj?
remember the distress of Hajar as she ran between the hills to find water. They also remember how god instructed Ibrahim to sacrifice Ishma’il
Who is Musa?
remembered as one of the most significant prophets, teachings of Ibrahim had been forgotten and his book lost so a new prophet had to be sent, Musa lead the isralities out of slavery and into the promise land
Who is Dawud?
Isreals greatest king, made jerusalem a holy place for muslims,
Who is Isa?
Jesus, he is a prophet and a successor to Moses, he was a giver, preformed miracles, but reject trinity as god is one not three, wasnt killed by crucifiction as God wouldnt allow a prophet to die by evil men
‘they did not kill him. not did they crucify him’
what makes muhammad so important?
seal of all prophets, who we should be following
What is the night of power?
praying in a cave and angel jibril appeared and ordered him to recite the words that had appeared before him, they remembers this on the 27th day of ramadan, one of the holiest days of the muslim year
What does Hijrah mark?
the migration of muhammad from makkah to yathrib, its the start of the muslim calendar
what are angels?
heavenly, immortal beings, gods first creation, angels made out of light humans were made of clay, gods servants, no free will, sin free,
what is the nature of angels?
they are invisible but can exist everywhere, they are never far away, no physical bodies, have wings and are male
Who is angel Jibril?
angel of revelation, archangel who is responsible for revealing the qur’an to muhammad
Who is the angel Mika’il?
archangel responsible for keeping the devil out of heaven and protecting faithful worshippers
Who is the angel Israfil?
archangel who will blow the trumpet on judgement day to announce resurrection of all from the dead
Who is azrail?
angel that takes souls at death
Who are raqib and atid?
angels referred to as ‘noble recorders’ on each shoulder noting down bad and good deeds
Who are Mukar and Nakir?
2 terrifying angels who will question each person after death testing their faith
what is gods perfect revelation?
qur’an is direct and perfect, sunni says it always existed and is with god in heaven.
What are the other holy books that were not written down or preserved so are now corrupted?
Sahifah (scrolls of ibrahim)
tawrat(torah) - revelation given to musa
Zabur (Pslam) - given to david
Injil (gospel) teaching given to Isa
What is the Hadith?
the sayings of Muhammad, considered a living qur’an
what is Akhirah and its purpose?
our life continues after death, our earthly life is just a preparation for eternal life.
Our mortal lives are a test, we have been given free will to choose, we will be held responsible
what are signs of the end of the world?
apperances of Mahdi, his returns showing the second coming of Isa, false messiah will also try to deceive the people, abundance of earthquakes, spreading of killing, society will be full of terrible corruption and chaos
How are people judged?
if someone had the intention to do a good deed but was unable to carry it out this is a good deed
if they carry out a good deed this is counted as 10
if a person intends a bad deed but did not do it then they are counted as a good deed
if they carry out a bad deed this is one bad deed
what is barzakh?
waiting until the sound of the final trumpet is heard
what is Janna?
heaven, happiness, heaven is a reward for living a good life
What is Jahannam?
state of torment and suffering, physical pain and separated from God
what is Al-Qadr? (gods divine plan)
god is responsible for all things that happen, god had a master plan, everything that happens is predestined
‘he knows what is within the heavens and earth’
Can good come out of suffering?
suffering, pain, disease and disaster are part of the will of God, we need to feel bad to know good
What is free will?
we can do as we please and are held accountable for our decisions on Judgement day, life is all a test.
‘he may let him taste part’
What is Ibadah?
worship, actions speak louder than words,
What is shahdah?
declaration of faith, no god but god and muhammad his prophet
what is salah?
5 prayers a day
what is zakah?
2.5% given to poor
what is sawm?
fasting during the month of ramadan
What is Hajj?
pilgrimage to Makkah
What is Niyyah: intention?
right intention to worship God, need to dedicate time to god even when you are not in the right mood, god will judge the desire to speak to him
What is the declaration of faith?
‘god witnesses that there is no deity except him’
What is a statement of faith?
shahadah announced in the adhan, in each of the five daily prayers, 5 words whispered into a new borns ear and they are the last words a dying muslim hears, muslim soilders have these words on their lips as they go into battle
Who are famous muslim converts?
Muhammad Ali, Janet Jackson, Mike Tyson
What is preparation for prayer?
wudu: washing, wash specific parts of the body, hands, mouth, nose, face, arms ,head,feet in particular order, this is an outwards sign of the inner cleanliness needed to face God
What is Qibla?
stand, bow and prostrate themselves (kneeling to their face to the ground), facing Makkah
Whats the rak’ahs?
sequence of movements, following a set pattern.
stand quietly, reciting prayers from qur’an
bow low with hands on knees
prostrate on the floor, submission to god
kneel with feet folded under body
stand reciting peace be upon you and gods blessing
What are the aims of prayer?
constant reminder of the presence of god
to show submission
to cleanse corruption
unite muslims
bring peace
remove sin
What is Jumu’ah (congregational prayers)?
Friday is where muslims come together in the mosque for jumu’ah prayers, muslim men are expected to gather for the friday midday zuhr prayers and woman attend community prayers but traditionally pray at home
What is Du’a (personal) prayer?
salah prayers are a duty 5 times a day, people who love god will choose to find time to make a personal connection to god, spontaneous opportunities to spent time with god
what is the night journey?
both Qur’an and Hadith contain prophet muhammads night journey
worken from his sleep and taken by a winged horse, taken to jerusalem, god reveals that muslims must pray continuously 50 times a day, moses said this was too much and says it can be 5 times
What are Khalifahs? (stewards)
we are stewards or trustees of the world, we do not own it but we are looking after it for god and future generations, so we should not view our possessions as our own, they are loan from god
What is sadaqah giving from the heart?
voluntary given, done out of compassion and is a gift of time, helping others or a donation to charity
What is fasting?
self-control, deliberate control of the body
When should people fast?
beginning of Ramadan is marked by apperance of new moon, signalling start of the new month, shawwal is the start of the celebrations,
who should go on Hajj?
those who have enough money to
are physically and mentally fit enough to carry out this
what is the importance of Makkah?
prophet ibrahmin was commanded by God in a dream to sacrifice his only son
ibrahim overcame a test when the devil appeared, trying to trick him into denying gods word
ibrahims wife searched for water in the desert
an angel appeared to show her the zamzam well
ibrahim built the Kaba
prophet muhammad was born
muhammad recieved the first revelation from god
prophet muhammad returned before his death to reclaim the city for god
Whats entering a state of Ihram?
purity, clothing is put away and white garnments are put on, leave faces uncovered if wanted as no man will stare lustfully at a woman on Hajj
What happens at Hajj?
Tawaf: circling the Kaba seven times, can kiss black stone
Walking seven times between two hills of mawah and safa in memory of Hajar, ihrahims wife
drinking from zam zam well
Wukuf: standing before god on plain of arafat
collecting pebbles at muzdalafah
hurling pebbles at the pillars at mina to show rejection of the devil
camping at mina
men shaving heads when hajj is complete
returning to makkah to repeat circling the kaba
what is the climax of the hajj?
most important of all muslim celebrations
everyone takes part even if they have stayed at home
What is the Jihad?
struggle to live according to gods law, directed struggle
striving to serve god
making an effort to live a moral life
actively trying to live in peace
what is greater and lesser jihad?
greater: spiritual challenge, perform 5 pillars, practise path set by muhammad, seek justice, rise above own greed and selfishness
lesser: armed but not aggressive such as holy war
why does muslims respect others beliefs?
‘to you be your religion, and to me mine’
why is holy war allowed?
‘to those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged’
what passage allows lesser jihad?
when god gave permission to his followers to fight muhammads enemies in makkah that wanted to wipe out all muslims
who can declare jihad?
muslim leader who is holy and pure and has whole support from a muslim community.
the crusades?
jihad when muslim fought against christian crusaders
Jihad today?
holy war can only be called against an aggressor that threatens Islam, some Islamic extremists could say the attack on the world trade centre was an act of jihad, however moderate muslims reject this as it was aggressive
The rise of Jihad groups?
Islamic state, use violence in order to create an islamnic state that would rule under shri’ah law
What is Mawlid an-nabi? (the birth of the prophet)
celebreation of the birth of muhammad, joyful processions through streets, chanting stories in praise of his life
What is Laylat-ul-qadr? (night of power)
one of the holiest days in Islam, when qur’an was first revealed to muhammad, last 10 days of the month of ramadan, 27th day
What is laylat-ul-miraj: the night journey?
prophet muhammads miraculous journey on a winged horse to jerusalem and then up to the heavens, tell story to children
What is laylat-ul-bara’at?
night of the full moon, month before ramadan, stay up all night reciting the qur’an
What is Muharram?
first month of the Islamic calender, remembers the hijrah, when muhammad and his followers fled from makkah, sunnis fast on the tenth day of muharram, shi’as observe muharram as the month when prophet muhammads grandson was martyred so they refrain from joyous events in his memory
What is Id-ul-Adha: the festival of sacrifice?
most important event of muslim calenders, greater Id, marks end of annual Hajj and is a chance of all Muslims to worship and celebrate together, for those who have completed Hajj its 5 days of intense worship
What’s Ibrahims commitment to God?
sacrificed his son to show love for God, heard a voice telling him to spare his son and sacrafice a sheep instead but today an animal is spared, meat is shared among family and friends as well as being distributed to the poor.
True sacrifice?
‘their meat will not reach God, nor will their blood, but what reaches him is piety from you
whats preparations for Id-ul-adha
going to a mosque to pray, wearing new clothes, visiting friends and relatives
Breaking the fast ? ‘id-ul-fitr’
3 day celebration end of ramadan, start of the new month of shawwal, well deserevd reward for compleition of fasting, new moon being observed in the sky
what do muslims do while celebrating id’ul’fitr
decorate houses, dress in finest clothes, gather early in mosques, visit family, send cards, give gifts and money to shildren, give to the poor, share delicious meals
What are unusual ways to celebrate id-ul-fitr?
Egypt: fish recipes form the centrepiece of feast
Afghanistan: men gather in parks for egg fights
Turkey: children are given sweets by neighbours
India: women beautify themselves
What is Zakat-ul-fitr: festival tax?
donation given at end of Ramadan, goes to the poor
Sunni Islam: day of fasting?
Fast on day of ashura, prophet muhammad established it as a day of fasting, sarcifices are made for sins of people, thank god
Shi’a Islam: Martyrdom of Husayn?
rembers death of husayn in battle at karbala in 680 CE
triggers a split between sunni and shi’a
shi’as believe Husayn was the rightful successor of Muhammad where Sunni believe it was Ali
How do Shia celebrate Aushra today?
Emotionally charged day, rembering martyrdom of Husayn, blood is often spilled and people cry and wail
How is Ashura celebrated around the world?
Men and women in back clothes marching through the streets slapping their chests and chanting
re-enact the martyrdom
fervent men beat themselves with chains
How is Ashura celebrated in Britain?
fast and pray, gather in large crowds in muslim heavy area, slapping chest and chanting
What are the ten obligatory acts?
salah-prayer, facing kaba, dawn and sunrise, noon and dusk after sunset
sawm-fasting, during ramadan
Hajj- pilgrimage to makkah
Zakah- charity 2.5%
khums- 20 per cent of saving
jihad- struggle for sake of god
encouraging others to do good
discouraging the bad
tawalia- to love the friends of God
rabarra- to hate the evil-doers
