Ayoub Flashcards
(165 cards)
1
Q
How does the author regard his “return to Islam”?
A
Not as a repudiation of Christianity, but as a deepening of my faith through the return to my cultural and spiritual roots
2
Q
What does the Arabic word Islam mean? (two answers)
A
submission or surrender
3
Q
The three letter root from which the word Islam is derived also means
A
peace, soundness, and safety
4
Q
What is a Muslim?
A
A person who professes Islam
5
Q
A person who is not born a Muslim may accept Islam by …
A
Repeating before two Muslim witnesses the shahadah, a profession of faith
6
Q
What other ceremony is required?
A
none
7
Q
Long before Islam, what two religious communities existed in Arabia?
A
Judaism and Christianity
8
Q
What was the city of Makkah (Mecca), where Muhammad was born?
A
A caravan station on important trade routes, exposed to diverse foreign ideas/influences
9
Q
What Arabs accepted ethical monotheism of Judaism and Christianity?
A
Makkan Arabs called hanifs
10
Q
Before Islam, what three goddesses (daughters of Allah) did Arabs worship?
A
Al-lat, al-‘Uzza, and Manat
11
Q
Name of mountain where Muhammad spent time in seclusion in a cave:
A
Mount Hira’
12
Q
In Madinah, what Jewish practices did Muhammad adopt, and later abandon (name two)
A
Yom Kippur fast, faced Jerusalem during prayers
13
Q
In struggle against Makkah, the Battle of ___ was the first Muslim victory
A
Badr
14
Q
The battle at _____ was a defeat, and Muhammad was _______.
A
Uhlud, badly injured
15
Q
What element of Muhammad’s farewell pilgrimage speech would be challenged in
modern society?
A
Beating women
16
Q
For Muslims, with whom did the history of prophecy begin?
A
Adam
17
Q
Satan is also called ________ in Islam.
A
Iblis
18
Q
According to the Quran, the sin of Adam and Eve was ______ alone
A
theirs
19
Q
According to Islamic tradition, how many prophets did God send after Adam?
A
124,000
20
Q
How many prophets does the Quran mention by name?
A
25
21
Q
What is the Islamic word for prophet (it is an Arabic term)?
A
nabi
22
Q
Who are the five “prophets of power” in Islam?
A
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad
23
Q
Which prophet occupies more space in the Quran than all others, even Muhammad?
A
Moses
24
Q
Prophets who followed Abraham were his sons through ____ and ____
A
Ishmael and Isaac
25
What does the Quran categorically deny about Jesus?
Divinity and divine sonship
26
The Quran portrays Jesus foretelling the coming of Muhammad by the name ___.
Ahmad
27
The Quran is both the primary source of moral and religious guidance as well as the
______, _____, and _____ constitution of the Muslim community.
Legal, political, and social
28
In modern times what is the most widely accepted edition of the Quran?
Royal Egyptian edition, produced in the 1930s
29
What is the Arabic word which means “one” and refers to the oneness of God?
ahad
30
On judgment day, ___ will intercede with God on behalf of those who recite it.
the Qur'an
31
What is the first of the five pillars of Islam? (Arabic term and meaning)
Shahadah: No god but, God, and Muhammad is his messenger
32
What is the long period of pre-Islamic Arab history called? (Arabic and English)
the age of jahiliyah (foolishness, ignorance)
33
What is its second declaration?
Muhammad is the messenger of God
34
What is the second of the five pillars of Islam? (Arabic term and meaning)
Salat (obligatory prayers)
35
Prayer must be preceded by ________. What are two terms for this?
Ritual washing; wudu (partial) or ghusl (whole body)
36
What is a rakah? What is al-fatihah?
A cycle/unit of spoken and enacted prayer; al-fatihah is a fundamental prayer ("The Opening") recited at the beginning of each rakah
37
What is the Arabic term for and Islamic meeting house (English “mosque”)
masjid
38
What is the third pillar of Islam? (Arabic term and English meaning) What is the
percentage of this religious tax?
Zakat (obligatory alms)
39
What is the fourth pillar of Islam?
The Ramadan fast
40
What is the three day festival at the end of Ramadan called?
id al-fitr
41
What is the fifth (most public and popular) pillar of Islam?
The hajj (pilgrimage to the Ka'bah at Mecca)
42
Hajj takes place in the _______ (number) month of the Islamic calendar.
Twelfth
43
How many days does the id al-adha last?
Four
44
On his way from Arafat to Mina, what was Abraham commanded?
To sacrifice his son Ishmael
45
What may be regarded as a sixth fundamental obligation of Muslims?
Jihad; the struggle against evil
46
Who became the first caliph (khalifah) after the death of Muhammad?
Abu Bakr
47
Who did the Hashimites expect might be chosen as caliph?
Ali
48
After the death of Muhammad, what were the wars of apostasy called?
Riddah
49
What biblical king does the Quran refer to as a khalifah?
David
50
Whom did Abu Bakr appoint as his successor and second caliph?
'Umar b. al-Khattab
51
When were Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, and Persia “conquered and incorporated into the
Islamic state”?
During Umar's reign (the second Caliph)
52
Who became the third caliph? And how long did he rule?
Uthman, for 12 years
53
Of which family “clan” of the Quraysh tribe was this third caliph?
Uthman was Umayyad
54
Where and how did the third caliph pass away?
Uthman was besieged in his home in Medina for forty days by an Egyptian mob and then killed
55
Who proclaimed Ali as the fourth caliph of Islam?
The men of Medina
56
Who was the young widow of the Prophet Muhammad?
Aishah
57
Where did the Shiah (party of Ali) begin to develop as a distinct movement?
Kufah (in southern Iraq)
58
What was the name of the governor of Syria who opposed Ali as caliph?
Mu'awiyah
59
What was the group that opposed both Muawiyah and Ali as caliph?
Kharijites
60
How did Ali pass away?
By a Kharijite assassin with a poisoned sword during morning prayers
61
What ruling dynasty is Muawiyah named as the founder of?
Umayyad
62
As caliph where did Muawiyah move the “capital” of Islam to?
Damascus
63
Who was the sixth caliph of Islam (son of Muawiyah) and when did he rule?
Yazid, 680-683
64
Who was the son of Ali that opposed the son of Muawiyah?
Husayn
65
How had Hasan, son of Ali, died? Who was suspected?
Poisoned, likely at Mu'awiyah's instigation
66
Where (near Kufah) did the forces of Yazid battle with the forces of Husayn?
A spot on the banks of the Euphrates
67
What happened to Husayn in this battle?
He was massacred
68
What does the day of Ashura commemorate?
Husayn's martyrdom
69
After the Umayyad dynasty, what group took over in 750, establishing a new dynasty?
The Abbasids
70
What shrine in Jerusalem was built during the Umayyad dynasty rule?
Dome of the Rock
71
If the Umayyad dynasty was an “Arab state,” where were the Abbasids based?
Iraq and Persia, centered at Baghdad
72
Who built Baghdad as the capital?
Al-Mansur
73
Which Islamic dynasty ruled from Cairo, starting about when?
Fatimid, starting about 971
74
As the caliphate split (into competing caliphs) who proclaimed himself Umayyad caliph
of Spain?
'Abd al-Rahman III
75
The invasion of the _____________ brought an end to the Abbasid empire.
the Mongols (under Hulagu)
76
Like Christianity, Islam is a __________________ religion.
universalist and therefore a missionary
77
Outside dar al-islam, into what two “spheres” is the world divided? (English & Arabic)
sulh (peace or truce) and harb (war)
78
Who aided the Arab invaders of Spain, seeing them as liberators?
Jews
79
How long was the history of Arab Spain?
900 years
80
By 1492, only the Spanish city of _____ remained under Muslim control.
Granada
81
Who was expelled from Spain in 1492? When were the Muslims expelled from Spain?
The Jews; 1609
82
How did sub-Saharan Africa become Islamic – conquest or migration?
Migration
83
How much of the Swahili language vocabulary is Arabic?
One third
84
In what century did Muslim communities spring up all over China?
13th century
85
About how many Muslims now live in China?
50 million
86
What was the dynasty of Muslim rulers in India called?
Mughal
87
What local society in India developed as bitter opponents of the Muslims in India?
Sikhs
88
About how many Muslims live in modern India?
100-130 million
89
In what three countries of southeast Asia is Islam the majority religion?
Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei
90
What southeast Asian country is the most populist Islamic country in the world?
Indonesia
91
Muslims believe all prophets are protected by God from ___ and ____.
sin and error
92
Of what three things does the Prophet’s sunna consist? Of these three, which of the
sunna are hadith?
His actions, tacit consent, and sayings; his speech is hadith
93
A hadith consists of a ______ of transmission
chain
94
What Muslim jurist was the sixth Shi’ite Imam? Who had been the third Imam in
Shi’te understanding?
Ja'far al-Sadiq; Husayn b. Ali
95
The chief judges or legal jurisconsults called ________ issue opinions called fatwas.
muftis
96
Shi’i tradition asserts that Muhammad designated ____ as Imam of the Muslim
community. Where did Muhammad do this, and during what important occasion?
Ali; at Ghadir Khumm during the hajj
97
Shi’ites who are “Seveners” believe the seventh Imam (as a descendant of Ali) should
have been a son of Jafar al-Sadiq’s older son ______, and so they are called _________
Isma'il, Isma'ilis
98
In Egypt, these people founded the _____ dynasty, named after Ali’s wife _______.
Fatimid; Fatimah
99
What city in Egypt did the third caliph of this dynasty found and build?
Cairo
100
Which caliph in Egypt was a “highly idiosyncratic Fatimid Imam” (c.996-1021).
Hakim
101
What sect (now found in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel) believed this imam (Muhammad ibn Isma'il) was “divine”?
Druzes
102
What famous Muslim warrior overthrew the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt?
Saladin
103
The Nizari sect of Ismailis are led by a leader known as the ______ ______
Agha Khan
104
The majority Shi’ites today are Twelver (or Imami) Shi’ites who believe the seventh
Imam was rightfully Jafar’s younger son _________.
Musa al-Kazim
105
The Twelver/Imamis believe that the twelfth Imam was a boy named
___________________.
Muhammad b. al-Hasan
106
[Read these pages on the Twelver/Imamis very carefully, to understand Shi’ism today.]
okay
107
At the last day, the Twelfth Imam is supposed to return to earth with ____
Jesus
108
According to Twelver/Imami Shi’ism, from the “occultation” (becoming hidden) of the
Twelfth Imam in 941 until his future return, who was to fulfill his role?
Scholars of the community
109
Whom do the Alawis (Alawites) of Syria (a Shi’ite sect) regard as an incarnation of God?
Ali
110
Which two faiths in Iran arose in the 1800s from the influence of the Shaykhis?
Babi and Bahai
111
According to the title, Sufi is a _________ tradition.
mystical
112
What kind of garment did early Sufis wear?
of coarse undyed wool
113
This was in emulation of ____________.
Jesus
114
When was the formative period of Sufism?
9th-11th centuries
115
When did the crystallization of Sufism occur?
c. 1091
116
Who was a primary personality in this crystallization?
al-Ghazali
117
What is the dhikr devotional practice of Sufis?
"Remembrance" ceremony before certain prayers; repetition of God's name, accompanied by movements
118
What art is the sama devotional practice of the Mevlevi?
Music, chanting, and dance
119
What are the people who practice this Mevlemi art devotional called?
"Whirling Dervish"
120
What was a major external cause for the decline of Sufism?
Religious reform movements and Western secularist/rationalist influences; it was seen as irrational and unislamic
121
In Islam, what are the two primary sources of theology?
Qur'an and prophetic tradition
122
What were two indirect sources of that theology?
Christian theology; Iranian Manichean or Mazdakian dualism
123
What was the question at issue concerning the Quran?
Whether it is co-eternal with God or created in time
124
Other than prophethood, what did Shi’ites consider Ali and his descendants to be
The sole legitimate heirs of the Prophet in all things
125
So whom did Shi’tes consider usurpers?
Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman (the caliphs before Ali)
126
What is the gravest of sins for a Shi’te?
To die not knowing the Imam of his time
127
What is the general Sunni belief about the Quran (regarding question #3 above)?
It is the eternal word of God
128
Mutazili theology regards the Quran to have been
created as it was being sent down to Muhammad
129
What does the Mutazili view require concerning anthropomorphic references to God?
They must be taken metaphorically
130
What contributed to the decline of Mutazilism?
Sunnis vehemently opposed it
131
Mutazilism insisted on absolute _______________________.
free will for human beings
132
Predestination was the preferred view of Asharites like __________
al Ghazali
133
Who were the first two major philosophers of Islam?
al-Kindi and al-Razi
134
Razi (a Platonist) rejected the Quranic view of ________. He was considered a _____.
Creation out of nothing; heretic
135
Al-Farabi, a later Muslim philosopher, felt society would realize its full potential if …
it were ruled by a prophet-philosopher
136
In jahiliyya times polygyny (marriage with plural wives) was ________________.
Unregulated
137
In the Quran and Islamic law, the basic assumption of the law is that a child belongs to …
the man who is in a legal sexual relation with the mother
138
The Quran forbade all forms of polyandry (marriage with plural husbands), and woman
were required to abstain from ____________.
zina (adultery)
139
Marriage is a contract between ___________ based on ___________.
husband and wife; mutual consent
140
What did the Prophet say about divorce? _______________________
It is "the lawful act most hateful to God"
141
Who has the exclusive and free right to divorce?
The man
142
The Quran allows polygyny (plural wives) but limits it to …
four wives at a time; equal care for all wives
143
Marriage in Islam – The duties of the wife include _______, _______, and ________
Maintaining the home, caring for the children, obeying her husband
144
The husband’s duties are to …
Provide food, lodging, and clothing, and live amicably with his wife
145
Obedience to the husband, meant above all, …
total restriction of the wife's movement outside the home without her husband's permission
146
Until modern times the debate on the hijab centered on …
the seclusion of women
147
An irrevocable divorce mandated in shariah is when either spouse renounces _______
Islam
148
The Quran calls upon both women and men to behave ___________
modestly in both dress and decorum
149
What element of Quranic verse Q 4.34 might seem problematic in the west?
Beating women
150
The Quran instituted marriage for the sake of _______________
the family
151
Who founded the Wahhabi movement? When and where?
al-Wahhab; 18th century, in the highlands of Arabia
152
What did they attack and destroy, or try to destroy?
Muhammad's tomb, and other sacred cities, tombs, and shrines
153
After Ottoman defeat, who led revolution that resulted in the modern Turkish republic?
Mustafa Ataturk
154
What did Ataturk ban? What did he dissolve? What was his aim?
Banned Sufi orders, dissolved Islamic religious institutions; to westernize Turkey and cut it off from its Islamic past
155
Who founded the Muslim Brotherhood (Society of Muslim Brothers)? When and where?
Hasan al-Banna; in Egypt, in 1929
156
Who banned the Brotherhood?
Nasser
157
In Iran, the leader of scholars and jurists who were believed to have the Twelfth Imam’s
authority was called ________.
ayat allah (sign of God)
158
Who was the ayatollah who led the Islamic revolution in Iran? When?
Khomeini, February 1979
159
Muslims migrated to Europe as ___________, _________, and _________.
Students, visitors, and merchants
160
Beginning in the nineteenth century __________ have been making conscious efforts to
recover their Islamic heritage
African Americans
161
What did Elijah Muhammad found? _____________
Nation of Islam
162
Current numbers of Muslims in the United States range from ______________
3 to 14 million
163
What specific date does the author say a new era of Muslim and world history began?
September 11, 2001
164
What does the author believe the contemporary resurgence of Islam is a
reaction to?
The creation of Israel
165
How does the author suggest Muslims deal with the modern world?
Not through confrontation and conflict, but through diplomacy and patient dialogue.
