Islam Chps 3 & 4 Flashcards
What are the 5 pillars of Islam?
- Confession (shahada) – ‘There’s no God but God, and Muhd is the apostle of God’
- to be Muslim: repeat confession and mean it - Prayer (salat)- 5x. Call to prayer (adhan)
- Rakat: Sequence of postures w recitation - Fasting (sawm) – Ramadan is month when Muhd received his 1st revelations.
- Almsgiving (zakat) – all believers to should give regularly to charity (2:43). 2.5% net profit yrly.
- Pilgrimage (hajj) – Mecca at least once.
7 steps: Prep, Tawaf (walk 7x ard Kaaba), run betw Marwa n Safa (cf Hagar), head to Plain of Arafat to pray, sacrifice at Mina, stoning the devil (Iblis pillars), final Tawaf.
Where was Muhammad born?
Mecca
Who was Muhammad’s first wife?
Khadija
What were the 3 main points of the Qur’an?
(i) there is only one God;
(ii) human beings are obligated to submit to God’s will;
(iii) there will be a day of judgment when all ppl will be assessed if they have obeyed God.
What is the Hijra?
It was when Muhd fled from Mecca to Medina; the start of Islamic calendar.
Who were the immediate successors (caliphs) of Muhd?
Abu Bakr (father-in-law)
Umar
Uthman
Ali ben Talib (son-in-law)
Muawiyah also laid claim to caliphate.
Who were the Kharijites?
they said the caliph should be the one who showed greatest devotion to God, and not based on lineage or clan. Initially supported Ali, but killed him later due to perceived weakness
Name the subsequent dynasties and rulers after the early caliphates.
Umayyad
Abbasid
Fatimid
Seljuk Turks
Mamelukes
Ottoman
What does Shiite belief centre around?
the idea that the special line of succession through Ali and Husayn continues.
Each person in the succession receives the ilm, a direct designation of succession from his predecessor, and the nass, the supernatural spiritual knowledge to carry out the prophetic leadership.
These successors are called imams.
The Imam’s interpretation of the Qur’an is considered infallible.
What are the three main Shiite groups?
Imamites (Twelvers) believe in the Mahdi, coming of a powerful reformer, who will set the world right just before the last judgement.
Ismailites (Seveners) associated with the Abbasids
Zaydites (Fivers) less extreme in their beliefs and actions compared to the other two
What are the four things that are authoritative in Islam?
Qur’an - highest authority
Sunna (consensus)
Hadiths (traditions)
The sharia (Islamic law)
What are the 6 essential beliefs of Islam?
- The oneness of God – Allah, NOT a moon god (fr Sumerian + Semitic Akkadian cultures, El Elyon). Moon in Islam is Muhd’s saber blade, carried ahead of the Islamic armies in battle. Muhd specifically say worship of moon is idolatry (shirk) (6:77) n forbade practices link to moon (2:189).
- Angels and spirits – evil spirits (the jinn) led by the devil. (folk religion)
- Prophets (nabi) – humans who hv won victory in struggle against sin.
- Become apostle (rasul) if provides a book for his community to live by.
* All prophets preach: submission to one God and impending judgment.
* Jesus is a prophet! Virgin birth (3:45-47), miracles (3:49), ascension (4:158) but he is NOT God (5:117) n he did not die on cross (4:157). Doc-trine of substitutionary atonement is barbaric n contrary to God’s nature.
- Line of leaders completed when future Mahdi appears (Sunni: Muhd). - Books – Muhd said “people of the book” can enter heaven. (live by it)
- Judgment (20:102-127; 18:101-104; 23:105-115): on appointed day, trumpet sound n general resurrection: living n dead appear before God n confronted w deeds in life (book): Sincere submission to Allah’s will?
- The decree of God – determinism: sovereignty of Allah vs freewill.
What are the further requirements besides the five pillars in Islam?
Halal diet (pork and wine takboleh lol)
Modesty in dress (women dressed so that it does not call attention to her physical beauty, men also need to dress modestly)
Marriage (allowed up to 4 wives, divorce permitted)
How do most Muslims explain Jihad?
Internal spiritual striving. jihad is the war against one’s own evil inclinations to bring oneself to full submission to Allah. This is greater Jihad.
Lesser Jihad of military action.
What are the five principles governing the legitimacy of resort to violence in Islam
- Physical violence may never be used to advance the cause of Islam. An Islamic country may never initiate international conflict. An individual may never coerce another person to accept Islam.
- Islam should be propagated by means of rational appeal and persuasion only.
- If another nation commits an act of aggression against an Islamic country, the Islamic country is justified in using military force to defend itself. This principle applies to the unwarranted aggression by an Islamic country just as much as by a non-Islamic one.
- If a non-Islamic country takes measures to repress the free exercise of Islam, including the propagation of Islam, those actions are tantamount to physical aggression against Islam or against a particular Islamic country.
- The fifth basic principle of holy war applies to formerly Islamic territories that have been taken over once again by non-Muslim powers. Once a country has come to belong to Dar-al-Islam (literally, the “House of Submission”), it may never be allowed to revert to non-Muslim hands, since reversion would be construed as a form of aggression against Islam. It must be reclaimed for Islam by jihad. This principle has been invoked countless times by Muslims as the reason why they
cannot ever recognize the state of Israel and why Muslim political leaders who have compromised on this principle (King Abdullah of Jordan and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt) wound up paying with their lives for entertaining serious negotiations with Israel.
