Lesson 9 - Diversity within Islam

Question 1

Three major branches of Shia Islam?

Answer 1

1. ) Zaydi (“Fivers) - closest to Sunni islam in beliefs and practices
2. ) Ismali (“Seveners”)
3. ) Ithna (“Twelvers”) - the largest group of Shi’ites in the world

Question 2

What is Sufism?

Answer 2

• • mystical tradition of Islam that prioritizes inner spiritual life and experience
• • not a sect (like Shia), but diverse tradition
• • emphasis on piety, spiritual disciplines, and mystical experiences that bring the soul closer into union with God
• • Don’t reject Sharia , but believe it needs to be supplemented by other practices

Question 3

What is folk islam?

Answer 3

• • impure, syncretistic, pragmatic form of Islam found among poorer Muslims
• • Concerned with protection from evil and relieving suffering
• • uses magic objections for blessing and protection
• • Finds more support in the Hadith than in the Quran

Question 4

What is Fundamentalist Islam?

Answer 4

• • Modern phenomenon with Ancient Roots
• • “We have drifted from our Islamic roots, and we need to get back”
• • Follows the spirit of the Ash’arite School

Question 5

What are the themes of Fundamentalist Islam?

Answer 5

• • at odds with modern world
• • Muhammad is perfect model and Sunna is important
• • No cultural contextualization
• • Government should implement Sharia law
• • Quran commands to fight apply today (jihad - outer struggle)
• • Main problem with the world is that it doesn’t embrace Islam

Question 6

What is Modernist Islam?

Answer 6

• • Westernized, to some extent, Christianized form of Islam
• • We’ve failed to come to terms with modernity and we need to modernize Islam; have to go forward.
• • Folllows the Mu’tazilite School

Question 7

What are the themes of Modernist Islam?

Answer 7

• • Muhammad was a man of his time and his actions should be judged accordingly
• • Islamic sources need to be contextualized for today’s world
• • Sharia is not an exclusive implementation of law
• • Quranic commands to fight don’t apply today as they did then
• • Islam is compatible with the west, democracy, and universal human rights
• • The main problems in the world are secular materialism and religious fundamentalism

Question 8

What is the argument Christians have from Surah 5:42-48?

Answer 8

• • A Christian judging Muhammad’s claims by the NT and finding that he was ignorant of the teachings of the apostles, ignorant of the cross, the resurrection, and the divine nature of the incarnate Son of God, and ignorant of the intention and meaning of the gospel itself is simply doing what the Quran commands in this text.
• -This Surah proves the gospel existed in the days of Muhammad. A person who says otherwise renders the Quran meaningless. If the Quran means what it says, then we must judge by the standard it commands us to use. When we do, Muhammad fails the test of a prophet who stands in the line of revelation found in Moses an fulfilled in Christ and His apostles. every Muslim must take serious consideration to this dilemma, one that is brought upon him or her by the very text of the Islamic holy book.