Theology and Ideas of Kalam Flashcards
What is iman?
inner faith
What are the main opinions of the Murji’ites?
That sinners are not excommunicated, that belief was a sum of “heart”, “tongue” and amal (acts of obedience).
What was the main Sunni criticism of the Murji’ites?
That they encouraged moral laxity. By encouraging faith over works - you could have sex with your mum but still call yourself a muslim - offended a lot of people.
What was the Hanafite view on belief?
You could be a “sinful believer”. (this did brand them as murji’ites). Focus on faith.
What was the Mu’tazilite view?
A key critic of the Hanafites. There was an intermediate state: where a sinner was neither an unbeliever nor a believer
What was the Hanbalites key view?
Also opposed the Hanafites.
Ubayd. Iman is linked to Islam. Imam is the higher concept. Islam is external. A muslim who sins in Islam, is not an “unbeliever” in Iman.
What is If God Wills?
In Sha Allah - Why do people use it? To disquiet their anxieties, to avoid appearing self-righteous.
What was the Issue that Ibn Taymiyyah voiced about In Sha Allah?
people were starting to believe that if they said in sha allah as their final words, this would determine their destination in heaven or hell - and brought up discussions on whether a believers acts are created by their own free will, or determined by Allah alone?
What does Tawhid mean?
Oneness and uniqueness of Allah.
Who was al-Hasan Al basri?
He belonnged to the generation of the prophets successors.
- qadar - the question of power, the mans control over his own actions and the political implications of this
Who are the Qadarites
Those who believe that men are accountable for their own actions, and political leaders too. “Allah would not openly prohibit people from something and then destine them secretly to do it”. The Quran says “Do what you wish”, not Do what i have destined you to do. Without choice, there can be no morality in Allah’s reward or punishment.
What is kalam? to the Mu’tazilites.
It means speculative/dialectical theology,
what is the discussion about the created or uncreated nature of the quran
It relates to the will of allah essentially - are the lives of those written in the quran, the other prophets, predetermined?
What is the mutazilite conclusion on the creation of the quran
it had to have been created by him, in speech or word, because it is against the justice of allah if it is not created but always existing.
what is asharism?
Al-Ashari, the generation after the call of caliphal grace of the mutazilites in baghdad. Main purpose was to challenge and modify the conclusions reached by the Mutazilites.
Quran is uncreated, because the speech is eternal.
Descriptions of what allah are to be accepted for how He says it is.
but he is slightly determinist, we are made accountable, but that allah creates the ability to “act”
