islam Flashcards
(50 cards)
pre-islamic arabia:
four basic monotheistic perspectives were present
- Zoroastrianism
- judaism
- christianity
- hanif (“to turn away” from polytheism)
pre-islamic arabia: most people were polytheistic
- central gods
- allah = “the God”: high God, mystery, uncontactable
- Hubal: moon God: less harsh than the sun
pre-islamic arabia: key religious center
Mecca
- Ka’ba: cube structure, holy place associated with Adam, Noah, and Abraham
- place of pilgrimage for polytheistic people, spiritual center of the world
- inside: repository of many deities (300+ gods)
pre-islamic arabia: focus on ____ loyalty
family
- deity connected to family or tribe
Muhammad: story of birth
- 570 CE-632CE
- FATHER = traveling merchant: on his way to romantic time with wife and met by mysterious woman who demands he sleeps with her he refuses. next day, he sees same woman and asks why she is so different and she said “ yesterday, there was a light between your eyes, today it is gone”
- previous day = day of Muhammad’s conception
- associated with light even before birth
Muhammad: early losses
- women in Mecca would give child to wet nurse
- spent 5 years with his wet nurse, and then he loses his “mom” when his biological mother takes him back
- father died before his birth
- birth mother dies when he is 6
- paternal grandpa dies 2 years later
- then he lives with uncle from 8 on
Muhammad: first marriage
- Khadijah
- he was 25 and he was 40
- she was widowed and noticed Muhammad (he ran a caravan for her, and she observed him through an employee)
- they had a happy monogamous wedding for 25 years
- 2 sons, 4 daughters (Fatima), Ali (cousin), slave boy that they adopted
the night of power
- 610 CE
- he was disturbed by society
- mountainside to pray and mediate, angel Gabriel appeared to hi and came with a message from Allah: “recite”; God calls him for a task and to me a messenger
- initially, he is scared but his wife believes him (first muslim)
- his cousin (christian), Ali, and daughter also believe him
year of sorrow
- 619 CE
- Khadija and his uncle die
- open hostility of his clan against him leads to growing persecution
- sheep uterus is thrown at him, signaling shame and disrespect
Night Journey and Ascent to Heaven
- 621 CE
- traveled on Buraq from Mecca to Jerusalem
- tethers Buraq to western wall of Temple Mount
- leads a time of prayer with other prophets
- travels 7 circles of heaven, comes to a tree that even Gabriel cannot pass
- Allah gives him instructions to pray 50 times a day, Moses tells him to reduce it, Allah reduces, repeats until they settle on 5 times per day BUT this counts as 50 time
the migration (___) to ____
- Hijra to Yathrib/Medina
- 622 Ce
- start of the muslim calendar
- goes there since there are jews there (monotheists)
- muslims faced Jerusalem during daily prayers
building a muslim community in Medina : marriages
- he begins to remarry in Medina –> multiple wives (9-12)
- limitations didn’t apply to him
- wives were mostly widows only 1 virgin (Aisha)
- care and concern for widows was the goal
building a muslim community in Medina : constitution
- teachings of God = teachings of state
- dowry belongs to the woman (reduce divorce)
- 3 month waiting period for divorce
- improved treatment for slaves/POW
- protections fo mothers and orphans
- no interest charged
building a muslim community in Medina : fights, scandals, betrayals
- people from Mecca try to push down this uprising
- Jews become enemies, so Muslims begin facing Ka’ba in Mecca to pray (instead of Jerusalem)
triumphant return to Mecca
- 629 CE
- cleanses Ka’ba from deities
- dedicates it to Allah
- back to Medina, and Muhammad Dies in 632
Islam vs Muslim
- Islam = the religion of submission and peace
- Muslim = one who submits/ one who lives in peace
arabic root of islam/muslim
SLM
- sumbission to will
- peace
Allah
- “The God”
- ONE, great, beyond comprehension, responds to prayers directly
- he is near
- 99 names for Allah
Angels
- created without freedom to serve God
- each person has 2 angels to record their good and bad deeds, which are weighed at judgement day
- Jinn: spirit begin that DO have freedom, the leader is satan, they can choose to convert to Islam
Holy Books
4 primary collections of Holy scriptures
- Torah: revelation to Moses “the Law”
- Pslams: to David
- Gospels: from Jesus
- Qur’an: To Muhammad
prophets
- include Adam, Moses, Noah, Jesus,… Muhammad
- thousands have been sent by Allah to teach
- all are human, not divine
- prophet vs messenger: not every prophet is a messenger (given book or writing)
day of judgement
- before: trials and tribulations, signs of the end
- Jesus comes at time leading to Judgement
- 2 angels measure deeds to decide fate
fate
- sense of God’s foreknowledge
- whatever happens, God has willed it
the core practices are called
the 5 pillars