BELIEFS Flashcards
(19 cards)
1
Q
Why is Ibrahim an important prophet?
A
- He refused to worship idols and instead preached that there is only one god
>Ibrahim took an axe and destroyed all idols in the temple of his town and people were furious so demanded he was burnt alive, he walked out of the fire alive and only the chains had burnt, prompted many to follow Allah - He rebuilt the Ka’aba
>centre of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, house of god, holiest place, he rebuilt it following to Gods command after the one Adam built was destroyed in a flood, when Muslims do Hajj they remember the steadfastness of his faith - He was willing to sacrifice his son to God
>In a dream God told him to sacrifice his son and he obeyed but before it happened God stopped him and said he had passed the test of faith, so he was allowed to sacrifice an animal instead
2
Q
Why is Ibrahim an important Prophet?
A
- He fulfilled the tests and commands given to him by God
- He showed great faith in God
- He is a role model for Muslims
- Muhammad was one of his descendants through his son Ishmael
- He proclaimed the belief of one God at a time when many people worshiped different Gods
3
Q
Why is Muhammad important?
A
- Revelation of the Qur’an
>He grew up in Mecca and often visited a cave to mediate and pray and in 610CE he experienced a revelation from angel Jibril in the cave
>Over the next 22 years he continued to receive the revelations from Jibril
>These were combined to form the Qur’an
-Conquering Mecca
> After the first revelation he challenged people to follow Gods teachings
>He was persecuted for his preaching and fled with his followers to Madinah
> He united the warring tribes and conquered Mecca with their help, converting them to Islam
- The Night Journey
>Before he fled to Madinah, Jibril took him on a miraculous journey to Jerusalem then into heaven where he spoke to prophets and saw great signs of God
>In heaven Muhammad agreed Muslims should pray 5x per day
>Sunni Muslims still follow this practice
4
Q
The Imamate- Shia Islam
A
- The leader of Shia Muslims is called the imam
- The leadership of the Imams is called the Imamate
- Shia Muslims believe the Imam should be a descendant of Muhammad and chosen by God
- Teaches there are 12 Imams in total
- The 12th has been kept alive and hidden somewhere on Earth and will return in the future to bring justice and equality to all
- They interpret the Islamic law and the Qur’an without fault as they were chosen by God
5
Q
What is the Qur’an?
A
- Contains 114 Surahs (chapters) roughly arranged in order of length
- Written in Arabic
- Foundation of every believers faith
- Includes a mixture of historical accounts and advice on how to follow God
- Nearly every chapter starts with “In the name of God, the lord of mercy, the giver of mercy”
6
Q
Story of how the Qur’an came to be
A
- Revealed to Muhammad by Angel Jibril, who was directly passing on Gods words, over a period of 22 years
- Muhammad learnt each revelation by heart and recited them to his followers, scribes later wrote them down
- As Islam spread there was a danger that the original words could be distorted, so the third Caliph asked a team of Muslim scholars to compile an official version everyone could use in 650CE
7
Q
Other holy books
A
- The Torah, revealed to Musa, first of five books of the Bible but was altered from the original text
- The Psalms, revealed to David, the Psalms mentioned in the Qur’an is similar to the ones in the Bible
- The Gospel, revealed to Isa, has been lost but some of its message is still in the Bible
- The Scrolls of Abraham, revealed to Ibrahim, no longer exist, one of the earliest scriptures in Islam
8
Q
The Five Pillars
A
- Shahadah, declaration of faith
- Salah, prayer
- Zakah, charitable giving
- Sawm, fasting
- Hajj, pilgrimage
9
Q
The 10 Obligatory Acts
A
Salah, prayer
Sawm, fasting
Zakah, charitable giving
Khums, 20% tax
Hajj, pilgrimage
Jihad, struggle to keep faith and defend Islam
Amr-bil-Maruf, encouraging people to do what’s good
Tamara, not associating with gods enemies
Tawallah, showing love for god and all his followers
Nahi Anil Munkar, discouraging from wrong doing
10
Q
Shahadah
A
“There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah”
- Expresses core beliefs in Islam
- Provids foundation for the 4 other pillars
- Shia Muslims add “and Ali is the friend of God”
- You must recite this in front of Muslim witnesses to become Muslim
- Recited many times in a Muslims life, last thing they hear before death, and first thing they hear when born
11
Q
Salah
A
- Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha
- Wudu should be performed before praying
- Wash their face, hands and feet and can use sand or dust if water isn’t available- shows its about being clean spiritually
- Wudu helps Muslims fully focus in prayer
- Prayers in the mosque led by an Imam positioned at the front, facing the mihrab
12
Q
The rak’ah - Salah
A
- rak’ah are set sequences or actions and recitations
One rakah is… - Stand to recite first chapter of the Quran
- Bow and recite “glory be to my lord who is the very greatest”
- Stand and recite to praise God
- Keel and prostrate to show obedience and say “How perfect is my Lord, the most high”
- Recite “god is the greatest” while sitting then while prostrating again
13
Q
Jumna has prayer and prayer at home
A
- Jummah is a special communal prayer held every Friday at midday
- All men are expected to attend and women can if they wish
- After the prayer the Imam gives a sermon to remind Muslims of their duty to God
- Must still perform Wudu at home
- Can pray from home if you have children to care for or find it hard to attend
14
Q
The significance of prayer
A
- Muslims have been commanded by god to pray
- It helps Muslims become closer to God
- Motivates Muslims to do Gods will
- Actions of bowing and prostrating remind Muslims that God is greater than him
- Unites Muslims around the world as they all pray in the same way
15
Q
Sawm- fasting
A
- Ramadan is most important month in Islamic Calendar
- Celebrate night of power during Ramadan
- “Anyone of you who sees in that month should fast” Qur’an
- Muslims wake before sunrise to eat and drink enough to keep them going
- Food, drink, smoking and sex are forbidden in daylight hours
- Fast is broken at sunset with a meal often shared with family and friends
- Children, the ill, pregnant, or breastfeeding dont have to fast
- People who cant fast are expected to make up for it when they can
- The self obedience it requires shows obedience to God
16
Q
The Night of Power
A
- When Jibril first appeared to Muhammad to start revealing the Qur’an
- Muslims try to stay awake throughout the night to pray and study the Qur’an
- Observing the night of power is said to give Muslims the benefit of worshipping for a thousand months
“The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months”
17
Q
Zakah
A
- 2.5% of all savings must be given to charity every year
- Helps purify their soul by removing selfishness and greed
- “Whatever you give should be for parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, and travellers”
- Only Muslims with savings greater than the Nisab are required to give
- Can be donated directly to charities like Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief
- Fulfilling the duty of God
- Strengthens Muslims community by supporting the weakest
- Encourages Muslims to have a good attitude towards money
18
Q
Khums
A
- Began as a requirement for all Muslims to give 1/5 of the spoils poof war to their religious leader
- Shia Muslims give 20% of their savings today
- half goes to Shi’a leaders and half goes to the poor
19
Q
Why is Hajj important?
A
- Produces inner peace
- Brings a person closer to God
- Leads to a persons sins being forgiven
- Fufils a religious obligation
- Emphasises equality and unity
- Shows self discipline
- Reminds Muslims of the good examples set by the prophets
