islam revision

Question 1

what is id-ul-adha?

Answer 1

-the festival of sacrifice
-happens because of allah providing a ram so that ibrahim didn’t have to sacrifice his son ishmael
-muslims sacrifice a ram and split into three portions - keep, friends, poor
shows their willingness to make sacrifices for allah

Question 2

what is id-ul-fitr?

Answer 2

-three day festival at the end of ramadan
-starts when the new moon can be seen by the human eye
-‘day of reward’ for muslims, they get presents, break their fast, get new clothes and spend time with families
-go to the mosque to pray and worship and hear a khutbah
-forget past disagreements and remember those who are dead
-celebrate completion of fasting

Question 3

what is id-ul-ghadeer?

Answer 3

-shi’a festival
-this remembers muhammads last sermon and they believe in this is he appointed ali to be his sucecssor
-pray, read the story in the mosque
-allows them to reaffirm their commitment to ali as the first imam
-sunni disagree with it

Question 4

what is ashura?

Answer 4

-shi’a festival that is a day of fasting
-they do this because muhammad said ‘fast on this day’
-they remember noah leaving the ark and moses leaving egypt
-also remember the death of ali’s son
-they often draw blood on themselves to remember ali’s son’s death

Question 5

what is the importance of shahada?

Answer 5

-first pillars
-first and last thing muslims should hear
‘there is no god but allah, and muhammad is the messenger of allah’
-the embodiment and practice of tawhid
-recited after converting to islam

Question 6

what is the importance of salah?

Answer 6

-one of the five pillars
-strengthens the ummah, especially the jummah prayers, where everyone is shoulder to shoulder
-they’re given specific instructions to pray from muhammad, who received it from allah
-they pray 5 times a day
-they are called to prayer by human voice - adhan
-need the right intention - niyyah
-wudu to prepare
-shi’a prayer connects them to the holy city of kerbala by using a piece of clay or wood from there, because muhammad only used a prayer mat used of pure fibres. the sunni criticise this because it praises too much emphasis on kerbala and not mecca.
-private prayer du’a - can be done at any time, asking allah for forgiveness, help, guidance, thanksgiving, may use prayer beads to remember the 99 names of allah

Question 7

describe the importance of the prophet adam

Answer 7

-allahs first creation
-made from clay
-made in allah’s image and given the ability to make choices and reason
-allah’s khalifa (someone who acts for allah on earth)
-after he was disobedient, allah sent him outside of al-jannah to live on earth
-allah gave guidance to adam so the could be obedient to him
-all humans are decendants from adam and his wife hawwa

Question 8

who is iblis?

Answer 8

satan

Question 9

what is the importance of the prophet ibrahim?

Answer 9

-he was the father of the arab people and the prophets
-he was a hanif (believer in one god)
-allah tested his devotion by telling him to sacrifice his son Isma’il
-iblis told him three times not to do this but ibrahim was prepared to trust allah
-because of ibrahims trust, allah provided a ram as an alternative sacrifice
-muslims honour ibrahims commitment to faith
-part of the hajj comemorates aspects of his life
-known a the father of monotheism
-the Qur’an calls him ‘a friend’ of allah

Question 10

what is the importance of the prophet isma’il?

Answer 10

-the son of ibrahim as a blessing from allah
-lest with his mother in a deserted place, now known as Makkah, at Allah’s request
-when all their water and food ran out, water miraculously sprang up from the ground where isma’il kicked his heel
-after his mothers death, he built the Kaaba with Ibrahim

Question 11

what is the importance of the prophet Musa?

Answer 11

-Allah instructed musa’s mother to place him in a basket in the nile to avoid being killed by the pharaoh
-he was found by the pharaoh’s wife and miraculously musa’s mother was hired as his nanny
-this demonstrates allah’s care over musa and his power to protect who he chooses
-he became the leader of the iraelites under allah’s guidance, and through allah, he freed the israelite from the pharaoh
-allah revealed the tawrat to musa and gave him the ten commandments

Question 12

what is the importance of the prophet dawud?

Answer 12

-did many heroic things, such as killing the giant goliath, when the rest of the israelite army were too scared to fight him
-the Zabur was revealed to Dawud by allah

Question 13

what is the importance of the prophet isa?

Answer 13

-performed many miracles such as healing people and raising the dead
-in the Qur’an he foretold the coming of muhammad
-sunnis believe isa is the messiah who will return on the day of resurrection at the end of the world and bring true muslims together
-muslims believe isa did not die, but that instead allah took him into his presence

Question 14

why is muhammad so important?

Answer 14

-last prophet
-role models for muslims
-gained reputation for justice and honesty
-known as the ‘seal of the prophets’ because he received the final revelation - the Qur’an
-

Question 15

the night of power

Answer 15

-muhammad was meditating in cave hira near mecca
-angel jibril commanded him to read, and even though he had never learnt to read, he was able to now
-muhammad received the first verses of the qur’an
-the night of power is believed to have occured in the last ten nights of ramadan
-it is commenorated today during ramadan, and is a time when many muslims devote themselves to prayer and reading the qur’an

Question 16

The night journey

Answer 16

-around 621 CE an angel took muhammad to Jerusalem on a winged horse named al-Buraq
-his heart was purified and was filled with faith and wisdom
-he ascended through the seven heavens as saw both paradise and hell
-he met and spoke with previous prophets, including musa, ibrahim and isa
-musa and muhammad agreed that muslims should pray 5 times a day
-muhammad entered allah’s presence, and was aware of peace, light and allah’s blessings
-he then returned to Makkah, with no time passed
-some muslims believe the night journey was not an actual journey but a spiritual experience

Question 17

The Hijrah

Answer 17

-in 622 CE, due to an assassination plot, he left Mecca for Yathrib
this is known as the Hijrah, meaning departure
It’s important because this event marks the start of the islamic calendar
-Yathrib was renamed Medinah, meaning ‘city of the prophet’
Its where they build the first mosque

Question 18

What is Kutub and why is it important

Answer 18

Allah’s word and instruction in written form. As well as the Quran various Christian and Jewish scriptures are important e.g. Tawrat (Torah) Moses. Zabur (Psalms) Injil (Gospels) Scrolls of Abraham.

Muslims believe only the Quran is the undistorted word of Allah and all the other books have been changed over time. They believe it is the eternal miracle and living proof of Islam.

As well as the Quran, other important Muslim books are the Sunna of the Prophet - what he did, and the Hadith - what he said. These help Muslims interpret the Quran and make Shari’ah Law (Muslim Law)

Question 19

angles - malaikah

Answer 19

-first thing allah was created was angles
-he created them out of nur, meaning divine light
-they do not have free will as they exist to carry out the will of allah
-immortal and do not have physical needs
-they are how allah communicates with his humans messengers on earth
-the angles record evrrything humans do and say, ready for the day of judgement
-angles sometimes take human form, for example jibril appeared in human form to isa’s mother mary
-

Question 20

eschatological beliefs

Answer 20

-everything that happens is the will of allah, and has already been written on a preserved tablet
-he has foreknowledge of all things, past present and future
-they belief that everything is planned by allah is called predesgtination or Al’Qadr

-the Jabrites disagree and believe there is no human free will, however this is problematic because it would make allah responsible for evil and suffering. also how can allah judge humans if they’re not responsible for their actions,

-the mutazilites believe that because there is human free will there is no predestination, and we’re each judged on the day of judgement for our actions

-shi’a muslims believe we have partial free will

-the ashari try to find a middle way between between free will and predestination. they believe you can acquire the act to make a choice. sunnis follow this belief

Regardless of their belief in predestination or not, Muslims will be motivated to behave well due to the day of Judgement.

SWA - ‘When that Day of Judgement comes people will be seperated from one another.

Question 21

barzakh

Answer 21

-period of waiting between death and day of judgement
-views on what happens here vary:
–some believe the souls experience will be affected by the life they have led
–some believe the soul is given a temporary body, either light or dark, reflecting the good or bad in their lives
–the soul will known what its final judgement is because of the temporary body

Question 22

day of judgement

Answer 22

-will be signs it is appoaching
-sunnis believe isa the messiah will appear
-some believe he will bring together true muslims
-others believe he will lead a battle until islam is left as the one true religion
-shi’as believe it is the twelfth hidden imam who is the messiah
-allah will be the judge on the DOJ
-allah is merciful, so even a bad person may enter heaven eventually after being punished
-only the sin of shirk excludes allah’s forgiveness forever
-the day of judgement is described as passing over hell on the Siraat to reach paradise, and those who fall due to their weight of bad deeds will remain in hell forever
-two exeptions: martyrdom, enemies of islam immediately go to hell

Question 23

al-jannah

Answer 23

-welcomed by angels
-constant state of piece

Question 24

jahannan

Answer 24

-punishment and eternal suffering
-place of darkness and fear
-constant pain
-for sinful believers it is a place for purification

Question 25

martyrdom

Answer 25

-will cause a person to go to al-jannah immediately -some extremists have used martyrdom as a way of justifying terrorist acts to establish islamic rule -this contrasts the Qur'an which states there should 'be no compulsion in the religion'

Question 26

how do beliefs about life after death impact muslims?

Answer 26

-aim to be obedient to allah -hold back from doing evil becasue they want a good final judgement -islam teaches believers not to be obsessed with possessions or appearances, as all they have has been given by allah, and only their inner self will survive after death -the belief in the reality of eternal punishment causes many muslims to seek to share their faith

Question 27

zakah

Answer 27

-one of the five pillars -believed to purify a persons heart of greed -the minimum amount a person must have to determine whether or not zakah is compulsory is called the nisab -sunnis give 2.5% of their wealth -in muslims countries, zakah is collected by the government in the same way that tax is collected -in countries like the uk, zakah is collected by local mosques -it is given to the poor and used for religious purposes -not considered charity because it is sharign the wealth that allah has given them -makes society fairer -muslims may also choose to pay further volentary donations known as sadaqah -muhammad linked giving to charity to being saved from hell -allah is aware of what is done

Question 28

khums

Answer 28

shi'as - one of the ten obligatory acts -20% of excess earnings -paid once a year -given to the religious scholar -goes to the poor and supports islamic organisations -shi'as believe anyone who keeps the money that they should ahve paid for khums is in possession of money that it haram.

Question 29

sawm

Answer 29

-fasting in ramadan commemorates muhammads first revelation of the qur'an, which happened on the night of power -muslims will go without food and drink during the day for this month -this is commanded in the quran and muhammad did this -exempt: the sick, travellers on long journeys, pregnant women, women menstruating -final ten days are important as the hadith says it was during this time that the night of power occured -some muslims take a ten day break from their work to focus on worship -the new moon indicates the end of ramadan and the start of id-ul-fitr

Question 30

the effect of sawm

Answer 30

-allows sins to be forgiven -helps appreciate needs of others -develops a greater sense of empathy and willingness to help -thankful for all allah has given them -dependence on allah should increase -helps a muslims be completely obedient to allah - known as being a mattaqi -development of obedience to allah is known as taqwa - helps to keep a muslim away from sin -during ramadan, many muslims spend extra time studying the qur'an and praying

Question 31

hajj

Answer 31

-to mecca, and to the kaaba -done during the last month of the islamic year -obligatory -exempt if: physically unable, too poor -men who have completed are called hajji and women are called hajja -ihram is the state of holiness muslims must be in before beginning hajj, this includes: wudu, men wear ihram and women wear modest dresses, but everyone wears white to show equality and humility,no sex, recite the Talbiyah prayer mecca: -muslims say the niyyah -on his final visit to mecca muhammad visited the kaaba -pilgrims circle the kaaba seven times anti-clockwise -during the tawaf each muslim will be reciting a verse from the qur'an -tawaf demonstates muslim unity and their desire to worship allah sa'y: -the running between two hills to remember hagar's search for water -the place where the water cam eout when isma'il kicked the ground can be visited today at the well of zamzm arafat: -muslims travel to the mount of mercy at arafat -they face towards the kaaba, as it is beleived that muahmmad also did -muslims stand before allah and plead for forgiveness mina: -there are three pillars that represent Iblis and the pilgrims throw seven stones at each of the three pillars over three days -this recalls the time when Allah tells Ibrahim to sacrifice his son -three times iblis tells ibrahim not to do it but, they resist temptations by throwing stones at him -pilgrims who can afford to are required to offer an amimal sacrifice -at least one third is given away to pilgrims who cannot afford to make their own sacrifice -muslims around the world will also be making this animal sacrifice for id-ul-adha the effect of hajj: -greater sense of ummah as they have worshipped with more than 2 million muslims -a sense of long lasting awe -many will feel relieved of their weight of sin after pleading for forgiveness