Islam Book midterm Flashcards
How does the author regard his “return to Islam”?
“Not a repudiation of Christianity, but as a deepening of his faith through a return to his cultural and spiritual roots.”
What does the Arabic word Islam mean? (two answers)
Submission or surrender
The three letter root from which the word Islam is derived also means …
s/l/m - peace, soundness, safety
What is a Muslim?
- A person who professes Islam.
- A Muslim is either one who is born to a Muslim family and is thus a member of the Muslim community by birthright, or one who accepts Islam by repeating before two Muslim witnesses the shahadah.
A person who is not born a Muslim may accept Islam by …
Repeating before two Muslim witnesses the shahadah.
What other ceremony is required?
None
Long before Islam, what two religious communities existed in Arabia?
Judaism and Christianity
What was the city of Makkah (Mecca), where Muhammad was born?
A caravan station
What Arabs accepted ethical monotheism of Judaism and Christianity?
A group of Makkan Arabs known as Hadiths
Before Islam, what three goddesses (daughters of Allah) did Arabs worship?
Al-at, al-Uzza, Manat
Name of mountain where Muhammad spent time in seclusion in a cave:
Mount Hira
In Madinah, what Jewish practices did Muhammad adopt, and later abandon (name two)
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Jewish prayer customs
In struggle against Makkah, the Battle of ___ was the first Muslim victory.
Badr
The battle at _____ was a defeat, and Muhammad was _______.
Uhud, badly injured
What element of Muhammad’s farewell pilgrimage speech would be challenged in modern society?
the misogynistic view towards women. (Not stated explicitly in the text, but read the speech and you’ll see what I mean)
For Muslims, with whom did the history of prophecy begin?
Adam
Satan is also called ________ in Islam.
Iblis (originally of the jinn but was placed in the company of angels for his assiduous worship of God)
According to the Quran, the sin of Adam and Eve was ______ alone.
theirs alone (no original sin)
According to Islamic tradition, how many prophets did God send after Adam?
124,000
How many prophets does the Quran mention by name?
25
What is the Islamic word for prophet (it is an Arabic term)?
Nabi
Who are the five “prophets of power” in Islam?
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad
Which prophet occupies more space in the Quran than all others, even Muhammad?
Moses
Prophets who followed Abraham were his sons through ____ and ____.
Ishmael &Isaac
What does the Quran categorically deny about Jesus?
his divinity & divine sonship
The Quran portrays Jesus foretelling the coming of Muhammad by the name ___.
Ahmad
The Quran is both the primary source of moral and religious guidance as well as the
______, _____, and _____ constitution of the Muslim community.
legal, political, social
In modern times what is the most widely accepted edition of the Quran?
The Royal Egyptian edition
What is the Arabic word which means “one” and refers to the oneness of God?
Ahad
On judgment day, ___ will intercede with God on behalf of those who recite it.
The Qur’an
What is the long period of pre-Islamic Arab history called? (Arabic and English)
the age of jahiliyah (foolishness/ignorance)
What is the first of the five pillars of Islam? (Arabic term and meaning)
The Shahadah - the testimony or witness that, “there is no god except God and that Muhammad is the messenger of God”
What is its second declaration?
The affirmation that Muhammad is god’s prophet/messenger, thus, committing to live by the law that he revealed.
What is the second of the five pillars of Islam? (Arabic term and meaning)
salat - the ritual of obligatory prayers.
Prayer must be preceded by ________. What are two terms for this?
ritual washing. wudu =
partial washing, or ghusl = entire body.
What is a rakah? What is al-fatihah?
rakah = cycles or units of spoken and enacted prayer. al-fatihah = “The Opening” the first surah of the Qur’an
What is the Arabic term for and Islamic meeting house (English “mosque”)
masjid (place of prostration in prayer) or jami (the gatherer)
What is the third pillar of Islam? (Arabic term and English meaning) What is the percentage of this religious tax?
zakat - obligatory welfare tax. 2.5%.
What is the fourth pillar of Islam?
The fast of Ramadan
What is the three day festival at the end of Ramadan called?
id al-fitr (breaking of the fast, children recieve gifts, brightly colored clothes).
What is the fifth (most public and popular) pillar of Islam?
The Hajj
Hajj takes place in the _______ (number) month of the Islamic calendar
12th
How many days does the id al-adha last?
4
On his way from Arafat to Mina, what was Abraham commanded?
to sacrifice his son, Ishmael (dont be confused and think it is supposed to be Isaac… the Muslim belief is that it was Ishmael!!!)
What may be regarded as a sixth fundamental obligation of Muslims?
Jihad (striving or struggling against evil).
Who became the first caliph (khalifah) after the death of Muhammad?
Abu Bakr
Who did the Hashimites expect might be chosen as caliph?
Ali
After the death of Muhammad, what were the wars of apostasy called?
Riddah
What biblical king does the Quran refer to as a khalifah?
David
Whom did Abu Bakr appoint as his successor and second caliph?
Umar
When were Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, and Persia “conquered and incorporated into the Islamic state”? “
During Umar’s reign
Who became the third caliph? And how long did he rule?
Uthman, 12 years
Of which family “clan” of the Quraysh tribe was this third caliph?
Umayyad
Where and how did the third caliph pass away?
Killed by a mob at his house
Who proclaimed Ali as the fourth caliph of Islam?
The men of Madinah (Medina)
Who was the young widow of the Prophet Muhammad?
Aishah
Where did the Shiah (party of Ali) begin to develop as a distinct movement?
In Kufah
What was the name of the governor of Syria who opposed Ali as caliph?
Muawiyah
What was the group that opposed both Muawiyah and Ali as caliph?
khawarij
How did Ali pass away?
Khawarijite assassin. Dealt with a fatal blow on the head with a poisoned sword
What ruling dynasty is Muawiyah named as the founder of?
Umayyad
As caliph where did Muawiyah move the “capital” of Islam to?
Damascus
Who was the sixth caliph of Islam (son of Muawiyah) and when did he rule?
Yazid.680-683
Who was the son of Ali that opposed the son of Muawiyah?
Hasayn b. ali
How had Hasan, son of Ali, died? Who was suspected?
Poisoned, Muawiyah
Where (near Kufah) did the forces of Yazid battle with the forces of Husayn?
Karbala
What happened to Husayn in this battle?
He was massacred
What does the day of Ashura commemorate?
Day of sorrow and reflection
After the Umayyad dynasty, what group took over in 750, establishing a new dynasty?
Abbasid
What shrine in Jerusalem was built during the Umayyad dynasty rule?
Dome of the Rock
If the Umayyad dynasty was an “Arab state,” where were the Abbasids based?
Iraq and Persia
Who built Baghdad as the capital?
Al Mansur
Which Islamic dynasty ruled from Cairo, starting about when?
Al Muiz, 969
As the caliphate split (into competing caliphs) who proclaimed himself Umayyad caliph of Spain?
Abd Al rahman lll
The invasion of the _____________ brought an end to the Abbasid empire.
Mongol General Hulagu
Like Christianity, Islam is a __________________ religion.
universalist/ missionary
Outside dar al-islam, into what two “spheres” is the world divided? (English & Arabic)
peace/truth (sulh), war (harb)
Who aided the Arab invaders of Spain, seeing them as liberators?
Jews
How long was the history of Arab Spain?
900 years
By 1492, only the Spanish city of _____ remained under Muslim control.
Granda
Who was expelled from Spain in _____? Jews When were the Muslims expelled from Spain?
Jews
1609
How did sub-Saharan Africa become Islamic – conquest or migration?
migration
How much of the Swahili language vocabulary is Arabic?
1/3
In what century did Muslim communities spring up all over China?
13th
About how many Muslims now live in China?
50 Million
What was the dynasty of Muslim rulers in India called?
Mughal dynasty
What local society in India developed as bitter opponents of the Muslims in India?
Sikhs
About how many Muslims live in modern India?
Between 100 and 130 million
In what three countries of southeast asia is Islam the majority religion?
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei
What southeast Asian country is the most populous Islamic country in the world?
Indonesia
Muslims believe all prophets are protected by God from ___ and ____.
Sin and error
Of what three things does the Prophet’s sunna consist?
Of these three, which of the sunna are hadith?
Actions, his tacit consent, and his sayings.
Sayings
A hadith consists of a ______ of transmission
chain
What Muslim jurist was the sixth Shi’ite Imam? ______
Who had been the third Imam in Shi’te understanding?
Jafar al-Sadiq
Husayn b. Ali
The chief judges or legal jurisconsults called ________ issue opinions called fatwas.
Muftis
Shi’i tradition asserts that Muhammad designated ____ as Imam of the Muslim community. Where did Muhammad do this, and during what important occasion?
Ali
Ghadir Khumm, on the way back from Mecca to Medina
Shi’ites who are “Seveners” believe the seventh Imam (as a descendant of Ali) should have been a son of Jafar al-Sadiq’s older son ______, and so they are called _________.
Ismail, Ismailis/ Seveners
In Egypt, these people founded the _____ dynasty, named after Ali’s wife _______.
Fatimid, Fatimah
What city in Egypt did the third caliph of this dynasty found and build?
Cairo
Which caliph in Egypt was a “highly idiosyncratic Fatimid Imam” (c.996-1021).
Hakim
What sect (now found in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel) believed this imam was “divine”?
the Druzes
What famous Muslim warrior overthrew the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt?
Saladin
The Nizari sect of Ismailis are led by a leader known as the ______ ______
Agha Khan
The majority Shi’ites today are Twelver (or Imami) Shi’ites who believe the seventh Imam was rightfully Jafar’s younger son _________.
Musa al-Kazim
The Twelver/Imamis believe that the twelfth Imam was a boy named ___________________.
Muhammad b. al-Hasan ??? also called the Mahdi
[Read these pages on the Twelver/Imamis very carefully, to understand Shi’ism today.]
[Read these pages on the Twelver/Imamis very carefully, to understand Shi’ism today.]
At the last day, the Twelfth Imam is supposed to return to earth with ____.
Jesus
According to Twelver/Imami Shi’ism, from the “occultation” (becoming hidden) of the Twelfth Imam in 941 until his future return, who was to fulfill his role?
The scholars of the community
Whom do the Alawis (Alawites) of Syria (a Shi’ite sect) regard as an incarnation of God?
Ali
Which two faiths in Iran arose in the 1800s from the influence of the Shaykhis?
Babi and Bahai
According to the title, Sufi is a _________ tradition
Mystical
What kind of garment did early Sufis wear?
Course undyed wool on their bare skin
This was in emulation of ____________.
Jesus
When was the formative period of Sufism?
9th to 11th centuries
When did the crystallization of Sufism occur?
1111
Who was a primary personality in this crystallization?
Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali
What is the dhikr devotional practice of Sufis?
Remembrance of God. Repetition of the name of God or the shahadah
What art is the sama devotional practice of the Mevlevi?
“Hearing”, listening to chants and poetry
What are the people who practice this Mevlemi art devotional called?
Whirling Dervishes
What was a major external cause for the decline of Sufism?
The rise of reform movements
In Islam, what are the two primary sources of theology?
Quran and Prophetic tradition
What were two indirect sources of that theology?
Christian theology and Iranian Manichean or Mazdakian dualism
What was the question at issue concerning the Quran?
Whether it was co-eternal with God or created in time
Other than prophethood, what did Shi’ites consider Ali and his descendants to be
the sole legitamate heirs of the Prophet
So whom did Shi’tes consider usurpers?
Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman
What is the gravest of sins for a Shi’te?
to die not knowing the Imam of his time
What is the general Sunni belief about the Quran (regarding question #3 above)?
The Quran is the eternal word of God
Mutazili theology regards the Quran to have been
created as it was being sent to Muhammad thru Gabriel
What does the Mutazili view require concerning anthropomorphic references to God?
they be taken metaphorically
What contributed to the decline of Mutazilism?
the rise of Asharite theology
Mutazilism insisted on absolute _______________________.
absolute free-will for human beings
Predestination was the preferred view of Asharites like __________
qadarites
Who were the first two major philosophers of Islam?
Abu Yusuf Ya qub al-Kindi, and Abu Bakr Azkariya al-Razi
Razi (a Platonist) rejected the Quranic view of ________. He was considered a _____.
Creation out of nothing
heretic
Al-Farabi, a later Muslim philosopher, felt society would realize its full potential if …
it were ruled by a prophet philosopher
In jahiliyya times polygamy (marriage with plural wives) was ________________.
unregulated
In the Quran and Islamic law, the basic assumption of the law is that a child belongs to
…the man who is in a legal sexual relation with the mother
The Quran forbade all forms of polyandry (marriage with plural husbands), and woman were required to abstain from ____________ (zina).
adultery
Marriage is a contract between ___________ based on ___________.
husband and wife based on mutual consent
What did the Prophet say about divorce? _______________________
“The lawful act most hateful to God is divorce”
Who has the exclusive and free right to divorce?
The man
The Quran allows polygyny (plural wives) but limits it to …
4 wives at a time
Marriage in Islam – The duties of the wife include _______, _______, and ________
maintaining the home, caring for the children, and obeying her husband
The husband’s duties are to …
provide food, lodging, and clothing for his wife and her children, and to live amicably with her
Obedience to the husband, meant above all, …
the total restriction of the wife’s movement outside the home without her husband’s permission
Until modern times the debate on the hijab centered on …
not dress but on the seclusion of women
An irrevocable divorce mandated in shariah is when either spouse renounces _______
Islam
The Quran calls upon both women and men to behave ___________
modestly in both dress and decorum
What element of Quranic verse Q 4.34 might seem problematic in the west?
Spousal Abuse–Telling men that if their wives step out of line, they should admonish them, then desert them in their beds, then to hit them.
The Quran instituted marriage for the sake of _______________
The family
Who founded the Wahhabi movement? When and where?
Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792), The Highlands of arabia
What did they attack and destroy, or try to destroy?
They tried to destroy Muhammad’s tomb in Medina, and the graves of his Companions. Shiite cities such as najaf and karabala (they massacred everyone), destroyed the shrines of Ali and husayn. Finally they caused general chaos in arab cities, pillaging Sufi shrines.
After Ottoman defeat, who led revolution that resulted in the modern Turkish republic?
Mustafa kamal ata turk
What did he ban? What did he dissolve? What was his aim?
banned islamic religious institutions, sufi orders, made Latin their alphabet, and tried to westernize the republic while erasing their islamic past
Who founded the Muslim Brotherhood (Society of Muslim Brothers)? When and where?
Hussan al- Banna in 1929 in Egypt
Who banned the Brotherhood?
Gamal Abd al-nasser Leader of the 1952 Egyptian socialist revolution, banned the Muslim Brotherhood
In Iran, the leader of scholars and jurists who were believed to have the Twelfth Imam’s authority was called ________ (sign of God) [Here, go back and review question 108]
Mujtahid
Who was the ayatollah who led the Islamic revolution in Iran? When?
Khomeini, who led the Islamic revolution in Iran in February 1979
Muslims migrated to Europe as ___________, _________, and _________.
students, visitors, and merchants
Beginning in the nineteenth century __________ have been making conscious efforts to recover their Islamic heritage
African Americans
What did Elijah Muhammad found? _____________
Nation of Islam
Current numbers of Muslims in the United States range from ______________
3 to 14 million
What specific date does the author say a new era of Muslim and world history began?
September 11, 2011
What does the author believe the contemporary resurgence of Islam is a reaction to
In a large part, a reaction to the creation by the West of a non-Islamic and foreing state in a land that has special religious and historic significance for Mulisms (AKA Britan and the US creating and being patrons of Israel)
How does the author suggest Muslims deal with the modern world?
Not through confrontation and conflict, but through diplomacy and patient dialogue.
