Islam : Beliefs and teachings Flashcards
How many traditions does the sunni part of Islam have ?
Six - Called iman
Tawhid
Beliefs about angles of Allah
Beliefs about the books of Allah
Beliefs about the messenger of Allah - the rasul
Akhirah and the day of judgement
Al ‘ Qadr ( Predestination )
What is Usul ad - din ?
Five principles of the Shi’a tradition of Islam
Belief in oneness and unity of Allah : Al - Tawhid
Belief in divine justice - Al - Adl
Belief in prophethood : Al - Nubuwah
Belief in imams : Al - Imamah
Belief in the day of Resurrection : Al - Ma’ad
What three traditions do Sunni’s and Shi’as believe in ?
Oneness of Allah
Prophethood
Day of judgement
Why are the core beliefs so important to muslims ?
Through them they are able to understand all that Allah wants them to know about him
Through this they are then able to worship Allah by relying on his words sent through the prophets
Gives Muslims a sense of their own place before Allah and an understanding of life after death
Why is Tahwid important to Muslims
It is the belief that Allah is the One God , he alone created the earth and he alone sustains it
What are the key beliefs about Allah which Muslims believe ?
He is infinite - As The one God he is without beginning or end , he was not created and nor can be destroyed
He is omnipotent and omniscient - Allah created the whole universe , controls everything in it and will one day bring the world to an end. He sees all creation
He is merciful and benevolent - He helps human by sending messengers in the form of the prophets to help people understand how to live a life following his will
He is Transcendent but also immanent
He is fair and just - Muslims believe that this life is a test for what will happen to them after death
How do Muslims believe they should run their lives ?
They give their hole lives completely to the will of Allah , seeking to become his servant and living in obedience to his command.
What does Tawhid allow Muslims to do ?
Enables the believer to understand that everything they have is by the will of Allah ; they are completely dependent upon him.
What is it called when Muslims place something above Allah ?
idolatry and it is considered the ultimate sin. ( Shirk ) so polytheistic religions they believe commit shirk
What do Muslims believe about Christianity when it comes to Tawhid ?
They believe that ( Farther , son and holy ) is wrong seeing God as three people
Why do some Sunnis believe that shia’as muslims don’t truly believe in tawhid ?
This is because Shi’a muslims believe in the 12 imams who have special characteristics and are often seen as semi - divine
Define Caliph
Successor to Muhammed
Define the Imam
Successor of Muhammed ( In the Shi’a tradition )
Define infallible
Without error
Define occultation
The Shi’a belief that the twelfth imam is still living but hidden , waiting to reappears he will come as a messiah to bring justice , peace and co - existence at the end of the world.
What signs do Shi’a Muslims believe they will see before the twelfth Imam is sent back ?
Second coming of Jesus
What is the Imamate ?
Imamate is chosen by Allah , another revelation of his supremacy and authority
Define predestination
The Belief that all events have been willed by Allah
The Shia belief in divine justice
Shia Muslims believe that
There is an objective frame work
Allah is perfect and always acts in a way that is right
Humans are able to sue their reasoning to work out what is the right way to act out
Humans should use there free will to act in the right way
At the day of judgement Allah will judge people according to this moral framework
Allah will send the righteous to Heaven and the wicked to hell
There is no predestination
What do Sunni Muslims believe about divine justice ?
They argue there is no objective right or wrong . Everything Allah does is right simply because he does it.
They believe in predestination
Define Risalah
Communication between Allah and man in the form of books , angles and prophets
Who was the first prophet ?
Adam “ The seal of the prophets”
Define Khalifa
Someone who acts for Allah on Earth
Define Iblis
Satan
Define Al - Jannah
Paradise
Kutub
Allah provided instructions for all the prophets. It was recorded in written form
The Tawrat ( Torah ) of musa contains Allah’s revelation to Moses
The Zabur ( Pslams ) of Dawud contains Allah’s revelation to David
The Injil ( Gospel ) of isa contains Allah’s revelation to Jesus
The suhuf-i-Ibrhami ( Scrolls of Abraham ) contains Allah’s revelation to Abraham
Sunni beliefs about the Qur’an ?
The Qur’an has always been in existence
Not always in written form
Eternal like Allah
What is the Shia belief about the Qur’an
Not eternal
Created by Allah
Can be added to by the Imams , who can interpret the message
What sources do scholars use to see how Muslims should behave ?
The Sunna prophet Which contains records on what Muhammed did
The Hadith prophet which contains what Allah said
How does the Sunna prophet and Hadith prophet help Muslims ?
Help them lead a life like Allah
What do some Muslims believe about the use of the Prophet extracts ?
They believe that because it is not the exact word of God they should not use it , only the Qur;an should be followed
Define Nur
Divine light
Angels In Muslim culture ?
They are not beings
They follow the will of Allah
They have no free Will
Praise and adore Allah
Angels are created to help humans and allow communication between Allah and humans
Angels role in the day of judgement ?
They note who has been obedient and who has not.
They welcome the obedient ones into heaven but the ones who are disobedient will be throw into hell
How do Angels perform the will of Allah
Take human form eg the angel Jibra’il appeared in human form in front of Mary , the mother of Isa ( Jesus )
Name the angles motioned in the bible
Jibra’il - The chief angel brought Allahs message to Muhammed
Izra’il - The angel of death responsible for ending a persons life
Israfil - the angel of the last judgement and will blow the trumpet to announce the day of resurrection
Mika’il - The guardian angle
Define honourable scribes
Angels who write down the deeds of human beings , both good and bad
every person is assigned a angle writing down every word waiting for the final judgement
What is Al-qadr
Predestination - Mulims believe that Allah has a plan for everyone and everything
Define sifat
That Allah has unlimited knowledge about everything , things that have not even happened yet.
Muslims believe that he wrote this in the preserved tablet - no change can take place unless Allah wills it
Muslim eschatological beliefs
Jabrties believe that all human actions are determined by Allah and that humans have no free will
Problems with Jabrites belief about Eschatological beliefs ?
If Allah s responsible for all human actions the he is responsible for suffering and evil. Meaning he is not merciful and benevolent
Muztazilities
Human free will means no predestination
On the day of judgement every person will be judged on their actions they had taken on their free will
Each persons fate is decided by Allah’s divine justice , which is absolute so there is no mercy
Muslim belief about life after death ?
Life is preparation for the next
Qur’an is a guide on how Muslims should live their lives
Define Barzakh
The waiting time between an individuals death and the day of judgement
Muslims belief on what happens to the soul during Barzakh ?
Souls experience in Barzakh depends on how they lived their life
Soul given temporary body. The body will be light or dark depending on how obedient they had been to earlier life
The soul will know its final judgement because of the temporary body
Sunni belief about the day of judgement ?
Isa the messiah will appear
Bring true Muslims together
Isa will lead a massive battle until Islam is the only religion left
Shi’te Muslim belief about the day of judgement ?
The twelfth Imam is the messiah not Isa. He will appear
Define Al - Jannah
Heaven
Heaven and hell will be seen on the day of judgement
Name the doors of Al-Jannah
Baab As - sadaqah - An entry for those who have often given to charity
Baab Al - Hajj - For those who have completed the pilgrimage
Baab Al-Iman - for those who constantly work hard for Allah
Define Jahannan
Hell
place for purification and eternal suffering , constant pain
Define martyrdom
Dyeing for their religion
Some people use this to justify terrorism
