Unit 6 Words Flashcards
Who is Allah?
Allah is the arabic word for god. It is the god that is worshiped in islam and in christianity and judaism.
The Judeo-Christian foundations of Islam are very evident. Describe the rise of Islam and how it is similar to Judeo-Christianity.
Islam began when the prophet muhammad heard the word of god through the angel Gabriel. He was at first reluctant to spread the word, but eventually did. He gained a few followers in mecca and was forced to leave because it would ruin meccas commercial value. He went away on the hiram. Then he came back with 10000 soldiers and conquered mecca. The similarities between islam and jews and christianity are the prophets and the gods. Judaism stops at moses, christianity at jesus, and islam at muhammad. The koran is less narrative than the bible.
What is the Qur’an?
The Qur’an is the islamic version of the bible. It was told to the prophet muhammad by the angel Gabriel. It is different than the bible in that it is a lot less narrative and contains more vivid depictions of hell and the afterlife
Give a detailed account of the life of Muhammad and the beginning of Islam.
Muhammad was born into a powerful Meccan family. At the age of 6 muhammad was raised by his grandfather and uncle. He began to work in the caravan trade at a young age, at the age of 25 he became a businessman and managed khadija( a businesswoman) they eventually got married event though she was a ton older than him lol. Also muhammad was really into religion and meditation. He was praying in a cave when he was greeted by the angle Gabriel. The angel Gabriel told him the koran. He received more and kore over the course of his life. He began to preach however was sent out of mecca, he went to yathrib for a while. He came back with 10,000 soldiers and conquered mecca. He died 2 years later.
- What was the Hijrah?
The hiraj was the time when muhammad was forced to leave mecca because some of his followers had been attacked. He went to yathrib which was eventually renamed medina. He later came back to mecca with 10,000 soldiers and became the ruler.
List and briefly explain the Five Pillars of Islam.
- Declaration of faith
- Mandatory prayer 5 times a day.
- Almsgiving
- Fasting during Ramadan
- Pilgrimage
Why is the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem such a sacred site?
The dome of the rock mosque in jerusalem is the earliest surviving islamic monument. It was build on the site of the jewish temple destroyed by the romans, which was Judaism’s holiest place. This place is holy to muslims because it is supposedly the place where muhammad ascended to heaven
What are some other Islamic practices (aside from the Five Pillars) that are described in the Qur’an?
Polygamy?? Kinda it says that you can take up to four wives if you can love them all equally, however it also says that it is nearly impossible to love more than one wife equally. No alcohol, no pork etc
What is a caliph? A caliphate? Why were the first four caliphs “rightly guided”?
A caliph is the leader of the islamic faith. A caliphate is a form of islamic government that is led by a caliph. The first four caliphs were considered righty guided because they used the Koran and Muhammad’s actions to guide there rule.
Explain the difference between Shi’a and Sunni Muslim.
Shi’a are the group of muslims who acknowledge ali and his descendants as the rightful successor to muhammad.
Sunni are the group of muslims that acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of muhammad.
What happened at the Battle of Tours and why was it significant?
The battle of tours was fought between the berber muslims and the french. This led to the berbers settling in Spain and creating the state of al-andalus
Why was Islam able to spread so quickly and convert so many to the new religion?
Islam was able to spread rapidly for 2 main reasons. The first is that the 2 empires they had to conquer( the byzantium and Sassanid) were already engaged in war and had practically exhausted there armies, so the battle was won easily. Another reason was that the people living within these empires were being persecuted for not believing in the stated religon, so they were willing to help the invaders(muslims) to win the battle. It was easily to learn and
- What are some misconceptions about Islam in the world today? How was the United States and the relationship with the Muslim world changed after the attacks of September 11?
Some misconceptions are that the koran says to kill all nonbelievers, this is not true, it was talking about defense. Another misconception is that every muslim is a terrorist. This also is not true. That is just america being its stereotypical self. We have very little trust for the muslims after the attack of september 11. (Ask)
