Depth Study - Islam

Question 1

What are the two variants of islam?

Answer 1

Sunni Islam: ( Traditionalist )
Shi’i Islam: ( Partisans of Ali )

Question 2

Provide characteristics for the Sunni Islam variant.

Answer 2

Traditionalist Variant: (Majority 90%)

Main Beliefs/Rules
1. The head of the Muslim community must be the best
qualified Muslim.
2. One must accept the authority and leadership of the four
‘rightly-guided’ caliphs and their community-appointed
successors.

The Sunni claim to follow the ‘right path’ of Islam; for them, this ‘right path’ is the way based on the Qur’an and the Sunna ( Life + Teachings ) of the Prophet.

For Sunni, all direct revelation from Allah was complete with Muhammad’s death and is represented by the Qu’ran and explained, elaborated and put into practice through the Sunna of the Prophet.

Question 3

Provide characteristics for the Shi’i Variant of Islam

Answer 3

(Minority - 10%)

Main Beliefs/Rules:
- Believe that only descendants of the Prophet can be
invested as the leader ( imam ) of all Muslims - thus reject
‘righly-guided’ caliphs.

The Shi’i hold that divine guidance is still available through the descendants of Muhammad and qualified scholars; Imams could reveal the inner meaning of the Qur’an.

Believe that Ali was vice-regent of Allah, and that Ali’s successors are sinless and infallible interpretations of the Qur’an.

Shi’i have always been a minority in Islam; Iran is the only country to make Shi’i Islam the official religion.

Question 4

Define the Qur’an

Answer 4

The direct word of God and the embodiment of God’s will; considered the essential guide for Muslims.

Question 5

Define The Hadith

Answer 5

→ The Sunna of the Prophet:

Hadith = The traditional reports of what the Prophet Muhammad did and/or said; second to the Qu’ran in importance.

Sunna = The traditions/practices of Muhammad that have become models for Muslim life; a unifying bond for Umma.

Question 6

What are the articles of faith - name the 6

Answer 6

The main articles of faith or doctrines in Islam have been revealed by Allah, and speak of belief in the following;

Existence and unity of God - Tawhid:

Existence of Angels - Mala’ika:

God’s revelation to humans in holy books - Kutubu’llah:

God appointing prophets to all people - Rusuluhu:

Resurrection and life after death - al-Akhira:

Question 7

What is Tawhid

Answer 7

Existence and Unity of God

Question 8

What is Mala’ika

Answer 8

Existence of angels

Question 9

What is Kutubu’lla

Answer 9

God’s revelation to humans in holy books

Question 10

What is Rusuluhu

Answer 10

God appointing prophets to all people

Question 11

What is Al-Akhira

Answer 11

Resurrection and life after death

Question 12

What are the 5 pillars of islamic faith + name them

Answer 12

The goal of devotional submission to Allah is practised through Arkhan al-Islam - the five pillars of Islam; a unifying force of the Umma.

1. Shahada - Declaration of Faith:
2. Salat - Daily Prayer:
3. Zakat - Obligatory ( Religious ) Almsgiving:
4. Sawm - Fasting in Ramadan:
5. Hajj - Pilgrimage:

Question 13

What is Shahada

Answer 13

Shahada - Declaration of Faith:

The first duty of a Muslim is to publicly declare their faith in a declaration known as Kalima;

“I testify that there is no god but The God. And I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

Question 14

What is salat

Answer 14

Salat - Daily Prayer:

Salat is obligatory five times daily for Muslims.

Question 15

What is Zakat

Answer 15

Zakat - Obligatory ( Religious ) Almsgiving:

The payment of zakat is a compulsory welfare contribution by economically well-off Muslims for the needy.

Question 16

What is sawm

Answer 16

Sawm - Fasting in Ramadan:

Muslim adults are required to fast from dawn to sunset each day during the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar; it is a time of spiritual focus, moderation, forgiveness, patience, kindness and concern for the welfare of others.

Question 17

What is the Hajj

Answer 17

Hajj - Pilgrimage:

A once-in-a-lifetime obligation upon adults whose health/means permit, to undertake an annual, week-long pilgrimage to Mecca.

Question 18

what is the islamic term for ethics + define ethics

Answer 18

Ilm al-Akhlaq

Ethics = The explicit, philosophical and/or religious reflection on moral beliefs and practices; its purpose is to clarify what is right and wrong.

Question 19

Islamic ethics is an extension of Shari’a that is itself based on two foundations:

Answer 19

1. The Qur’an, ‘a healing and a guidance to those who believe,’ (Surat Fussilat 41:44)

The sunna of the Prophet; the overriding concept that informs Muslim ethics is tawhid, the absolute Oneness of God.

Question 20

The basis of ethical teachings in Islam - that all actions are governed by ??? and ???, the promotion of unity and harmony within the Muslim community - show that Islam is not monolithic and a diversity of views in ethical matters exists.

Answer 20

The basis of ethical teachings in Islam - that all actions are governed by tawid and umma, the promotion of unity and harmony within the Muslim community - show that Islam is not monolithic and a diversity of views in ethical matters exists.

Question 21

What is the difference between Sunni and Shi’a interpretations of ethics?

Answer 21

It is the interpretation of new issues and it is in the concept of taqlid where the major difference lies between Shi’i and Sunni jurisprudence; the difference is what is seen to constitute the sunna of the Prophet.

According to Sunni, the sunna is everything narrated from the Prophet, as long as the transmitters are trustworthy; Development of Shari’a for Sunni has also required ijma (Consensus) and qiyas (Analogy).

Shi’i developed its own interpretations, methodology and authority systems.

Question 22

define Taqlid

Answer 22

Taqlid = Means to follow a mujtahid; a person who is an expert in Islamic jurisprudence.

Question 23

define Mahdi

Answer 23

Mahdi = Divinely guided leader who is to come in the future to establish God’s rule on earth, and usher in a perfect Islamic society.

Question 24

define Mujtahid

Answer 24

Mujtahid = One entitled to give an independent judgement on a point of theology or law.

Question 25

Define bioethics

Answer 25

A branch of applied ethics relating to moral decisions and behaviour in the life sciences, and incorporating medical ethics

Question 26

How is bioethics derived

Answer 26

Islamic bioethics derives from a combination of principles, rights, duties and a call to virtue ( ihsan ); bioethical decision-making is carried out within a framework of values derived from revelation and tradition. Jurisprudence, etc

Question 27

Core principal when making decisions regarding bioethics is?

Answer 27

The value and sacredness of human life

Question 28

what are the 6 General Islamic Bioethical Principles;

Answer 28

Humanity was created with the highest value; Reverence for human life and the value of saving a single life The importance of seeking treatment; The meaning behind suffering; Allah has taught right from wrong; Seeking the lesser evil; Life is sacred for it originates from and belongs to Allah;

Question 29

Go read the section of core ethical teachings

Answer 29

u know what to dooooo

Question 30

Explain Islamic Jurisprudence

Answer 30

Islamic jurisprudence is the process of looking at the sources for ethical guidance. It is about the interpretation of these sources and shari’a law A Muslim’s life is guided by the Shari’a, which literally means the the ‘clear well-trodden path to a waterhole’, but is more often called ‘the straight path’ or ‘way of Allah’ and is based on the teachings of the Qur’an, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the expertise of Islamic scholars. Once the issue has been deliberated using jurisprudence, a decision is made by a religious authority, known as a fiqh or fatwa; these rulings can further be interpreted by individuals and the different schools of Islam.

Question 31

What is Halal

Answer 31

Good

Question 32

What is haram

Answer 32

forbid

Question 33

what is fard

Answer 33

obligatory

Question 34

who are the sunni schools of islam

Answer 34

Sunni Schools = Hanafi + Maliki + Hanbali + Shafi

Question 35

who is the one shi'a school of islam

Answer 35

Shi’a Schools = Jafari

Question 36

Shari’a has four sources from which to draw its guiding principles;

Answer 36

1. The Qur’an 2. The Sunna and the Hadith 3. Qiyas ( Legal Precedent ): Extending legal rulings to new matters through deductive reasoning and by identifying analogies drawn from Qur’an. Mantiq → Follows sound logic… Maslaha → Seeking out benefits… Istihsan → Choosing the lesser of two evils. Ijma’: Consensus of Muslim scholars used to make rulings ( Fiqh ) about things not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an or hadith.