HUMA 1860 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Shia Islam, Jahiliyyah, Sharia
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Religion Quiz #2 Review
Islam
● Mi’raj
○
● Jahiliyah
○ The long period of pre-Islamic Arab history is called by the Qur’an the age of
jahiliyah (“foolishness” or “ignorance”).
● Hijrah
○ The migration of Muhammad from Makkah to Madinah. The Islamic lunar
calendar begins from the lunar year the hijrah
● Qur’an= to read, to recite
○ holy book of islam seen as God's word and not Muhammad's word even though
Muhammed conveyed it
○ Reveal to muhammad over a period of 23 years
○ Mentions 26 prophets ad messengers by name including, Abraham, David, Elijah,
John, the Baptist and Jesus
○ Word of god; miracle, inimitable, immutable
○ Revealed to the prophet piecemeal
○ Transmitted in oral and written modes
■ Consists of 114 Sua (sections)
○ Canonization:15 years after the Prophet
○ Tajwid: The art of Recitation
● Hadith
○ Anecdotal accounts of the prophet's words, action, and tacit approvals
○ Sunnah: Exemplary model of the Prophet, is contained in Hadith reports
○ It consists of Isnad (chain) and Matn (text)
○ Canonization of Hadith literature:
■ Sunnis: 6 compilations
■ Shi'ites: 4 compilations
● Sunnah
○ Explains the qur’an, modifies it, even overrules ot
○ It is largely the Sunnah that shapes Muslim life
● Sufism
○ Early Muslim mystics were said to wear a garment of coarse wool over their bare
skin in emulation of Jesus, and were thus called Sufis (from the Arabic word
meaning “wool”).
○ Asceticism for its own sake, however, was frowned on by many advocates of
mystical piety.
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○ As Sufism grew, many well-recognized masters attracted too many disciples to
allow for a one-to-one relationship.
○ The most characteristic Sufi practice is a ritual called the dhikr (remembrance) of
God, which may be public or private
○ Another distinctly Sufi practice is the sama‘ (“hearing” or “audition”), in which
devotees simply listen to the chanting of mystical poetry, accompanied by various
musical instruments.
○ The Sufi traditions provided one of the few outlets for women to be recognized as
leaders.
● The Five Pillars of Islam
○ Shahada- To bear witness or bear witness that there is no god accept God and that
Muhammad is the Messenger of God
○ Salah- To establish regular worship or prayer
○ To pay the Zakat alms
■ Zakat obligation was 2.5 per cent of the value of all accumulated wealth
○ Saum- To fast- Ramadan
■ Ramadan was the month in which the Qur’an was revealed to the
Prophecy
○ To perform the hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) once in your life
● Five Articles of Faith
○ Monotheism – Allah the only deity, oneness of God
○ Belief in Prophets – Muhammad: the supreme, seen as the final revelation from
God
■ example; infallible; Seal of the Prophets; human; Revelation (Wahy)
○ Belief in Angels- independent to Allah
○ Belief in Holy Book- Scriptures- the Qur’an, torah, Christian New Testament
(Jesus is regarded as nothing more than a prophet) injil, and the Zubur
○ Belief in the Last Day of judgment- Paradise, Hell (Purgatory?)
● Ka’ba
○ A cube shaped building that abraham built under divine inspiration and dedication
to the one God.
● Shari’ah= the straight way leads the faithful to paradise
○ the shari‘ah are centrally concerned with relationships among individuals in
society and between individuals and God.
○ Islam has no priesthood.
○ Every person is responsible for his or her own morality as well as the morality of
the entire Muslim ummah.
○ The Qur’an is primarily concerned with moral issues in actual situations
○ Shari’ah law, action is classified into 5 categories:
■ Lawful (halal)
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■ commendable
■ neutral
■ reprehensible
■ unlawful (haram)
● Shi‘ism
○ Shi‘ites believe that Muhammad appointed his cousin and son-in-law ‘Ali to be
the rightful successor to Muhammad, and that Muhammad had appointed him to
be his successor
○ For Shi‘as the term “Imam” is the title given to the one individual divinely
mandated to lead the Muslim community because he is descended from the
prophet’s cousin, son-in-law, and rightful successor ‘Ali.
○ Devotion to the family of the Prophet (“the people of the house”) has always been
a central characteristic of Shi’ism.
○ “Sevener” or Isma‘ili Shi‘ism
■ The majority of Shi’as accepted the line of Hussaynid Imams down to
Ja‘far al-Sadiq, who was the oldest son and the six in the succession of
Imams.
● A major schism occurred when Ja‘far’s oldest son Isma‘il
predeceased him.
■ Ja’far appointed a younger son as successor, and many considered this
irregular and insisted that the seventh Imam should be Ahmad, the son of
Ja‘far’s oldest son, Isma‘il. For this reason they came to be known as
Isma‘ilis or “Seveners.”
○ Basic to Isma‘ili faith and world view is the doctrine of the divine mandate of the
Imam and his absolute temporal and religious authority.
○ Since 1818, their leader, or Imam, has been known as the Agha Khan.
○ Prosperous and well-organized, the Isma‘ilis now number roughly 15 million and
are the best-integrated Muslim community in the West.
● Sunni Islam
○ In Sunni Islam, an imam is one who leads prayer, inside or outside of a mosque.
● Fiqh (Jurisprudence)
○ The theoretical and systematic aspect of Islamic law, consisting of the
interpretation and codification of the shari‘ah.
○ As the Muslim domains expanded through rapid conquest, the need for a uniform
body of religious law became increasingly evident.
○ By the middle of the eighth century, the process of establishing distinctive legal
schools with independent legal systems was well under way.
● Ibn Sina
● Al-Ghazali
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