Week 2: Life of Muhammad Flashcards
Translate ‘Insha-Allah’
In God’s will. A vague answer that shouldn’t be used casually/negatively
What are Islam’s three main textual sources?
- Quran
- Sira
- Hadith
What is the Quran?
The Quran is the sacred book of Islam composed of revealtions received by Muhammad from God
What is the Sira?
The Sira is the earliest biography of Muhammad wirrten by Ibn Ishaq
What are the Hadith?
Hadith are anecdotes of Muhammad’s life written after his death.
What are the two parts of hadith?
Isnad: Who (transmission)
Matn: What (content)
What are the content of hadith?
Hadith cover a range of subjects like slavery, domestic violence, grief, confrontation, and interfaifth culture
How do the hadith differ from Christian commandments?
The hadith focus more on self-reflection rather than outright rules
How does Western media tend to depict Muhammad?
Western media tends to depcit Muhammad in derogatory ways that usally do not constitute constructive critique (see Edward Said)
Why is the mere act of drawing Muhammad consideed taboo?
Muhammad did not want people to draw pictures of him because he did not want to become a figure of worship. He reserved worship only for God
Why is the Cave of Hira (Jabal Al Nour) considered significant in Islamic tradition?
Muslims consider the Cave of Hira significant because it is where Muhammad meditated and had his first religious experience as described in Surah Alawah, Chapter 96 of the Quran
Why is Abraham (Khalilullah, Friend of God) an important figure in Islam? Who were his two sons?
Abraham followed the laws of God. His two sons, Ishmael and Issac, each refer to Islam and Juadiasm respectively
Translate ‘sirat al mastaqueem’
The straight path, the holy path, the path layed by God
How are the terms hijrah, mahijuran, and ansar related?
Hijrah (7th century) refers to the migration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina.
These migrants were known as Mahijuran.
The people who welcomed these migrants were known as ansar
Who were the two main tribes of Medina and what role did Muhammad play between them?
The two tribes were Aws and Khazraj. They had a longstanding conflict that Muhammad mediated
