Islam & Belief Systems Flashcards
(19 cards)
Introduction and meaning of belief system
- In the 21st century, belief systems have changed a lot
due to science and technology. - Belief is part of human nature, even if some people
reject the idea of God. - History and archaeology show that humans always
believed in something greater either God, nature, or
unseen beings. - We can see this through the many places of worship
found all around the world. - Today, some people believe that you can a good and meaningful life without following any religion
-But without religion, how do we know what is truly right
or wrong in a changing world? - Belief systems shape who we are.
- Our personal background, history, and how we
view others influence our beliefs. - At its core, belief means trust or confidence in
someone or something. - It involves accepting something as true and
forming a set of beliefs from that - Belief systems guide us to know what is right or
wrong, true or false. - They help us understand and make sense of life.
- These beliefs can come from: religion, philosophy, sciences
What is two categories of belief systems
- theism
- atheism
Explain theism
- Derived from Greek, theos: god.
- Belief in God, gods, or divine deities
God is seen as: - Beyond time & space (transcendent)
- Close to His creation (immanent)
God is the creator and sustainer of the
universe - Common Features of Theistic Beliefs:
i. Firm belief in God’s existence.
ii. God is both transcendental (beyond space and time) and immanent (involved in worldly affairs).
iii. Divine revelation is considered as life guide & source of moral values.
What is 2 categories of theism
- monotheism
- polytheism
Explain monotheism
- belief in a single god
- primarily refers to Islam Judaism and Christianity
3 forms of monotheism:
- Absolute monotheism=
- a belief in one god who is the sole creator & ruler of all
- no association with others
- exp: Islam
- Qualified monotheism=
-Belief in one God who may take various forms or expressions.
- Example: Christianity (in 3 form)
-Shared divinity monotheism=
- Belief in one God who shares His divinity or grants equal divinity to others.
- Example: Judaism
- Pantheistic monotheism=
- Belief in a single creator-God who permeates or is present in all creation.
- Example: Sikhism
Explain polytheism
- Term derived from the Greek polutheon = “many gods”.
- Refers to belief in multiple gods.
- Popularised by 18th-century European ethnographers
Key characteristic:
1) Specific functions
- each god or spirit control a certain realm
- exp: god of rain, goddess of love, spirit of revenge
2) Manifestations:
- Gods may appear in human, animal or natural forms
- These forms help people to connect with the divine
3) Multiple Conciliation:
- people always worship many deities at once
- practical as each deities helps in different areas of life
2 types of belief in polytheism
- idolatry
- animism
Explain idolatry
- Act of adoring or worshipping idols.
- Idols are physical representations of gods or revered figures.
- Include excessive admiration toward: national heroes, leaders, prophets, statues or sacred objects.
1) Pre-islamic arabia
- Before Islam, Arabs (including in Makkah) worshipped many idols
- They were descendants of Prophet Ibrahim A.S., who prayed to keep them free from idol worship
-Over time, trade and tribal influence led to idol worship
Famous idols: Al-Lāt, Al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt
- Prophet Muhammad S.A.W was sent to bring people back to monotheism
- His mission included destroying idols and restoring belief in
one God (Allah)
- Kaabah was cleansed of all idols after the conquest of Makkah
2) Hinduism
- Idol worship is called Murti Puja in Hinduism
- Involves venerating physical forms of deities (devatas)
- Worship is way of perceiving the divine presence within the idol
- Belief:
i. Idol is a means to spiritually connect with Brahman (Supreme God).
ii. Not worshipped as stone or wood itself.
iii. Directed toward God who manifests in that idol - Spiritual Purpose:
i. Helps the worshipper move toward moksha (liberation).
ii. Moksha = reunion of Atman (soul) with Brahman - Major Hindu Manifestation of Brahman: Trimurti
i. Brahma – The Creator
ii. Vishnu – The Preserver
iii. Shiva – The Destroyer and Regenerator - Each deity holds specific roles, attributes, and symbols.
Explain animism
- Derived from Latin, anima: life or soul.
- Introduced by Sir Edward Burnett Tylor in 1871
- Defined as belief in spiritual beings influencing human affairs, capable of helping or harming.
- World is filled with souls and spiritual energy.
- Extends to all elements of nature – animate and inanimate: Animals, plants, rivers, mountains, rain, lightning.
- Belief that physical objects have souls or spirits.
- People respect or worship these spirits to live in peace
with nature
Animism in Malaysia
- Iban Community
- Believe in life after death
- ‘Semengat’ are spirits of the dead who return to the
world of the living
- Nature gives signs, like animal behaviour or river flow,
which are seen as good or bad omens
Animism in Malaysia
Kadazandusun Community
- Believe in different types of spirits:
▪Rogon – bad spirits
▪Divato – helpful spirits
▪Tombiruvo – souls of the dead
▪Bambarayon – rice spirits
- They believe everything has a spirit, even household
items and crops
What is the 2 categories of Atheism
meaning: not believing in god or gods
- humanism
- materialism
Explain humanism
- a belief in human effort and skill rather than religion based on divine intervention
- No supernatural forces or sacred texts guide human life.
- Humans are intelligent beings who can solve problems without religion
Islam disagrees with Humanism because:
- Islam teaches that humans need Allah’s guidance.
- Without religion, humans can be lost or do wrong things.
- In Islam, humans are not fully free. Muslim must follow Allah’s Law.
- Example: Even if someone thinks lying is okay to avoid trouble, Islam says lying is wrong unless in specific situations
5 belief system in the quran
- islam
- judaism
- sabianism
- christianity
- zoroastrianism
Explain Islam
- concept tawhid
- Muslims believe that Allah is the only true God who
created everything. - He has no partners, no family, and nothing is like Him.
Allah is:
- Eternal: He has no beginning and no end.
- Absolute: Not limited by space, time, or anything.
- Unique: No one shares His power or attributes.
- Supreme: Above all creation.
Tawhid:
- Belief in a single, personal Creator and Ruler of the universe.
- No division in God’s nature, no human-like attributes.
- Recognition of Allah’s unique attributes, exclusive actions.
- Worship only derived from Divine Revelation: Not based on philosophy,
- Tawhid = Core Message of All Prophets
- Islam = Absolute monotheism
Explain materialism
- belief that everything is made of matter and energy, with no immaterial entities like souls, spirits, or supernatural god
- Everything is made of matter and energy.
- Only what we can see or touch is real.
Example: “I only believe in what I can see, like the body, not the soul.” - Modern Materialism:
i. Claims the universe is an eternal unity of matter and energy.
ii. Nature (matter, motion, energy) is ever existing.
iii. Material precedes the soul.
iv. Thinking about the world comes after the material world. - Islamic View (rejects due to):
- We believe in God, angels, the soul, and the afterlife — even if we can’t see them.
- Islam teaches us about the unseen (ghaybiyyat).
- Faith includes believing in what is beyond our senses.
Explain judaism
- Judaism teaches belief in one God.
-From the Shema prayer: “Hear O Israel! The Lord, our
God, the Lord is One.” - This means: God (Yahweh) is the only God.
- He created everything.
- People must follow His rules (commandments).
- First 4/10 commandments focus on:
i. Unity of God.
ii. Prohibition of idolatry. - First commandment: clarified as only God who freed Israel from Egyptian rulers’ oppression.
- Concept of Chosen Community:
- Jews believe they are God’s special people.
- They believe: God chose them to follow His message.
- Their holy book was written for them, in their language.
- Being born a Jew is special and the other not the same.
- Some Jews believed Ezra (‘Uzayr) was the son of God.
- This goes against the idea that God is One and has no family.
- Similar to Christians saying Jesus is the Son of God.
- Judaism = shared divinity monotheism - attribute of God (having a child) shared with humans → deviation from pure Tawhid
Explain christianity
1) unitiarian= shared divinity monotheism
- Belief that only God the Father is God. Jesus is just a messenger of God, not divine.
- Jesus is above humans but lower than God
2) trinitarian= qualified monotheism
- Belief in One God with three forms: God the
Father (Creator), God the Son (Jesus – Redeemer), God the Holy Spirit (Sanctifier)
- Islam rejects Trinity completely.
Explain sabianism
al- tabari= sabians were monotheist with a claim to revelation but did not follow traditional religions
ibn-kathir= sabians were thoese who never received an authentic prophetic message
muhammad abduh= sabians were part of people of the book (like jews and christians)
rashid rida= sabians lived in the gap between prophet Isa and Muhammad
muhammad asad= possibly followers of prophet yahya
- Agreement:
i. Sabians were neither Jews nor Christians.
ii. Believed in God, messenger, and Holy Book. - Beliefs and Practices:
Worship of Angels → Considered angels as spiritual intermediaries.
Worship of Planets → Believed planets controlled human life and nature.
Praying Towards a Qiblah → Had a specific direction of prayer, like Muslims.
Claim of Monotheism → Declared belief in one God, but rituals suggest otherwise. - Syncretic belief system (mixed elements).
- Sabianism = shared divinity monotheism - equating divine influence with planets
and angels.
Explain zoroastrianism (magians)
- Also called Zoroastrians
- Follow Prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra)
- He received a message from Ahura Mazda (means Wise
Lord) - Ahura Mazda is the good God who created everything
good - Zoroaster taught people to choose good over evil
- Belief:
i. Ahura Mazda = Creator of all good
ii. Angra Mainyu = Source of evil
iii. Both have spiritual forces (like angels/demons).
iv. Constant battle between good & evil → Good eventually prevails.
v. Humans have free will to choose between the two.
vi. Life after death, heaven/hell, final judgment based on moral balance - Sacred Text:
i. Avesta – written in Avestan language. 319
ii. Teaches: Purity of mind, speech, and action - Key Symbols & Rituals:
i. Fire = Symbol of divine light
ii. Prayers offered in front of fire
iii. Belief that god is present in the flame - “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds” = indicator of faith
- Zoroastrianism = Shared divinity monotheism - dualistic beliefs (power shared between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu).
Explain religious coexistance in islam
- Religious coexistence from the perspective of Tawhid
means living harmoniously despite religious differences. - Islam promotes religious freedom: Muslims and non-Muslims can live together peacefully.
- The Prophet Muhammad S.A.W demonstrated this
principle in the Madinah community
Ensuring: freedom of worship, equality, justice, protection for Jews, Christians, Pagans, and Muslims
principles:
1) Islam as natural religion (din al-fitrah)
- every human is created with the instinct to worship Allah
- this fitrah is rooted in the spiritual realm
2) Unity of mankind
- all human are descendents of adam & hawa
- diversity in religion should not lead to discrimination
- Qur’anic Ethics in Coexistence:
i. No compulsion in religion.
ii. Respect other faiths.
iii. Allowing others their religion.
iv. Justice to peaceful non-Muslims.
Benefits of religious coexistance:
- live in a community consisting of different races
- Encourages learning new languages and knowledge.
- Fulfills the Sunnah: Doing good to all, regardless of
religion.
- Creates a peaceful and united society
