Islam Key words Flashcards
Halal
- Refers to those things that are allowed, permitted or lawful
- Permitted include
- Water, coffee - Seafood
- Fruit & veg - Cow, camel, Goat
- Turkey, ducks, chicken - Muslims are only allowed to eat meat that has been prepared according to Islamic law
- If the life of an animal has be ended for human survival, then its life should only be taken in the name of Allah
Haraam
- Unlawful or forbidden things such as:
- Eating pork - Drinking alcohol
- Adultery - Murder
- Anything that harms the human body i.e drugs
Shari’ah law
- The law of Islam which rules the social and religious life of devout Muslims
- Expression of submission to Allah
The 4 pillars of Shari’ah law
- Tough requirements for carrying out hudood
- warding off punishment via ambiguities
- Innocent until proven guilty
- Fair and balanced court system
Hudood
Meaning punishment; prevention, restraint, prohibition
Ulama
- Islamic lawyers
- Are recognised as being most knowledgable in matters of religious law
Fard
Obligatory activities, such as adhering to the five pillars
The First pillar
The profession of faith (Shahada)
- Is for the believer to testify, in Arabic, that
“there is no God but Allah and the Muhammad is His messenger”
- Links to the first principle belief (Tawhid)
The Second pillar
Prayer (Salat)
- The five daily ritual prayer
- The words to be uttered and the movements to accompany them are set out in meticulous detail
- Five prayer times are determined not by the clock but by the position of the sun in the sky
The Third pillar
The poor tax (Zakat)
- Does not refer to charitable gifts given out of kindness or generosity, but to the systematic giving of 2.5% of one’s wealth each year to benefit the poor
The Fourth pillar
The Fast of Ramadan (Swam)
- The ninth month of the Muslim year
- Fast requires abstention from:
- Food - Smoking
- Drink - Sex - Muslims resolve to turn away from sin, and to seek reconciliation and forgiveness for wrongs done within the family and wider community
- Between light until sunset
The Fifth pillar
The Hajj
- Performances of the rites of the pilgrimage to Mecca
- Occurs in the month of Dhul Hijjah which is the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar
- Seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and start fresh
Tawhid
- Allah is one God so there is no concept of the Christian Trinity
- Allahs names reveal his attributes in the Qur’an (Names of praise)
- It is both a declaration and a commitment
The Qur’an
- Records the words of Allah spoken to the Prophet Muhammad by the Arc-angel Gabriel and provides a guide to life and a knowledge of Allah
- Primary message is an affirmation of the absolute supremacy of Allah
- There is on God and his power has no limits
- Treated with respect; never goes below the waist, never placed on the floor
- Muslims memorise the text
The Our’an Content
- Arranged into 114 chapters, which are termed Sura’s
- Ordered in a sequence of decreasing length
- Ayah are the verse read right to left
- Shorter Sura’s tend to be the revelations to Muhammad
- Longer Sura’s the revelations in Medina
Wudu
- Cleansing of the body before prayer is very important
- Public areas including the Kaaba are washed with water, rose water and disinfectant to purify the space
- Cleaners of the Great Mosque see it as servingAllah and the pilgrims
The Hadith
Traditional accounts of the Sayings and deeds of the Prophet are presented in a special Islamic literary style
- Sayings of the prophet Muhammad
The Sunnah
- The body of traditional social and legal custom and practice of the Islamic community
- Are of secondary authority to the Qur’an itself; for only the latter contains the revelation of Allah to the Prophet
The Seven Articles of faith
- Allah as the one true God
- Angels as the instruments of Allahs will
- Revelation of Allah’s intentions is through the prophets in the Book of Allah
- Prophets - there are 28 messengers or prophets of Allah
- Last judgement - Result in eternal reward or punishment
- Life after death
- Supremacy of the Allah’s will - nothing can happen without the will and knowledge of Allah
Qiyas
The principle of analogy applied in the interpretation of points of Islamic law not clearly covered in the Qur’an or Sunnah
Ijma
A collection of the consensus of independent scholars’ rulings
Ensoulment
The moment at which a human being gains a soul
Nafs
self; psyche
Zina
Legal term in Islam for any illegal sexual relations or acts with legal punishable consequences
