Islam Flashcards
What is the shahada
The first pillar of Islam, the shahada, is the declaration of faith Muslims. It declares that there is not god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger
What is the meaning of shirk
The unforgivable act of comparing or associating anyone or anything with god
Examples of shirk
- associating anything or anyone to god
- drawing or depicting Allah in a statue or painting
- taking in the role of God
What is Tawhid
The Muslim belief in the oneness of God
1) Explain two Muslim beliefs about God as one
1) Essentially, Islam is a monotheistic Religion meaning that Muslims believe in only one God - Allah. A central teaching in Islam that explores this idea is ‘Tawhid’ which is found in the holy book of the Quran, in which states that “he is Allah, the one, Allah is eternal and there is none like him”. Believing in God for Muslims means accepting God by definition as supreme and not comparing Allah to anything or anyone. As stated in the Quran (4:48) “indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with him
2) Explain two Muslim beliefs about God as one
2) Furthermore, for Muslims confirming that there is only one God is through the belief of the Shahada. The Shahada is the first of the five pillars of Islam, and it declares that “ t there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger”. As this is so important for Muslims it is recited at least five times a day. However, even thought the belief in Allah and the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) are such centrals beliefs in Islam, it is “Shirk” to represent them visually in the form of artwork. For Muslims, this is considered as the only unforgivable sin and thus reinforces the significance of the shahada in Islam