Islam MIDTERM 2026

Qur'an

translates to “Recitation”

Allah (God's) presence in the world

Only one version: Arabic

114 suras 

Given to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel

-Recited orally to his listeners

-Oral recitation is still the preferred method

Treated with respect

DEFINITION: Islam’s primary sacred text, regarded by Muslims as the direct words of Allah, revealed to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel

Life story of the Prophet Muhammad

Seal of the Prophets: last of the prophets

Born in 570 AD/CE in Mecca:

Orphan → raised by his uncle

Grew up in the caravan industry

He married his boss Khadija:

-The first convert to Islam

610AD/CE: Angel Gabriel came to him while he prayed in the hills outside the city

Night of Power and Excellence

-Muhammad would meditate on God alone in a cave

-Angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him to “Recite!”

-Marked the beginning of Muhammad’s career as a prophet

Initial recitation: the beginning of Muhammad’s prophetic career

Shared his message of monotheism → not well received in Mecca

622 AD/CE: Goes on emigration to Yathrib → the Hijira 

-Yathrib is later renamed Medina because of Muhammad

-First day of the Muslim Calendar (AH 1)

-Official Beginning of the Muslim Era

630 AD/CE: Muhammad reclaimed Mecca and rededicates the Ka'ba

632 AD/CE: Prophet Muhammad Died 

POSSIBLE EXTENDED RESPONSE

Primary Beliefs/Iman

6 major articles of belief

Oneness of God: Allah

-Transcendent, superpersonal, genderless

Angels of God: Do God’s will in the world

Books of God: Allah revealed his divine message to messengers before Muhammad

-Torah, Psalms, Scrolls, Gospels, etc.

-But the Qur’an is the final revelation and the only book in its original form

Prophets of God: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus

-But Muhammad is the final prophet (Seal of Prophets)

Judgment Day: Humans will be judged for their actions

Divine decree: Muslims believe that God has a divine destiny for all things 

Five Pillars

Shahada, Salat/Prayer, Zakat/Wealth Sharing, Sawm/Fasting, Hajj/Pilgrimage

DEFINITION: specific religious and ethical requirements for Muslims: the confession of faith (Shahada), prayer or worship, fasting during Ramadan, wealth sharing, and the pilgrimage to Mecca 

POSSIBLE EXTENDED RESPONSE

1. Shahada

central confession of faith

"There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God." 

Monotheism of Islam

The uniqueness of Muhammad as a prophet

Repeated many times a day during their prayers

Pronouncement made by people converting to Islam

DEFINITION: confession of faith, first of the Five Pillars and central creedal statement of Islam: “There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

2. Salat/Prayer

Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day: early morning, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, evening

Prayer requires

Ritual washing of the hands and face (wudhu)

Prostration facing the Kaaba in Mecca

Friday: Public prayers are conducted in the mosque  (Jummah)

Led by imam “leader” 

3. Zakat/Wealth Sharing

Requires Muslims to contribute 2.5% of their wealth to a public treasury yearly

Poor people are exempt

Considered a form of worship

Acts of charity should be performed regularly

4. Sawm/Fasting

During Ramadan during the 9th month of the Muslim lunar calendar

Month in which Muhammad received revelation of the Qur’an

From dawn to sunset, Muslims fast and avoid: eating, drinking, smoking, and sex 

Post-sunset: the festive breaking of the fast (iftar)

Fasting is required when Muslims reach puberty

Muslims are encouraged to read the Qur’an during this month

Eid al-Fitr “Festival of the Fast-Breaking”

Celebrates the completion of the Ramadan fast

First day of the month after Ramadan

Day of celebration, prayers, fasting, and gift-giving

5. Hajj/Pilgrimage

Once in their lifetime Muslims are required to journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Mecca: home to the first house of worship of God → the Ka’ba 

1. Stone cubical structure center of the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Mecca 

2. It is believed to have been built by Abraham & Ishmael

Any pilgrim who dies on the journey to Mecca = martyr (witness to the faith)

Captures the communal ideal of the Umma → Muslims globally gather in Mecca

Male pilgrims wear white clothing: equality, purity (ihram)

Female pilgrims wear simple colorful clothing of their homelands

It takes place a specific month of the year for at least 15 days

During Hajj → perform religious acts (ex: the ritual act of circling the Ka’ba)

Eid al-Adha “Festival of the Sacrifice”

10th day of the month after the end of the pilgrimage

Celebrated by all Muslims 

1. Special prayers

2. Feasts

3. Gifts and the sacrifice of an animal lamb or goat which is given to relatives, friends, and the needy

The two "Eids"

“eid = festival”

Eid al-Fitr (9th month of the Islamic calendar)

Eid al-Adha (12th month of Islamic calendar)

Eid al-Fitr

(9th month of the Islamic calendar)

Lesser Eid

Festival of the breaking of the fast

Celebrated at the end of Ramadan

3-day festival

Great feasts, sweets, family time

Eid prayer in the morning at a local mosque

Zakat-al-Fitr is made before the Eid prayer

Eid al-Adha

(12th month of Islamic calendar)

Holier Eid

Feast of the Sacrifice

Around the time of the Hajj pilgrimage

Celebration of the Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice for Allah

Qurbani (sacrifice): sharing of cow, sheep, goat, bull, or camel into three portions

-1 for the person making the sacrifice, 1 friend/family, 1 for someone in need

Hijab

Muslim communities often require women to cover their hair and sometimes their entire body

Hijab: head covering worn by Muslim women/religious code governing wearing of the hijab

Veiling: pre-Islamic practice in Arabia, no longer universal among Muslim women

Meant so that women’s sexuality will not become a source of temptation or enter into their interactions with men

Considered by some Muslim women to liberate them from the male gaze

Jihad

"struggle"

Sometimes considered the 6th pillar of Islam

Preservation of the order Allah has willed for the world

Individual’s spiritual struggle against anything that separates one from Allah & divine will

Armed struggle/”holy war”

DEFINITION: sometimes counted as the sixth pillar of Islam, the general spiritual struggle to be a devout Muslim. In a more narrow context, jihad sometimes is used to refer to armed struggle (holy war) for the sake of Islam

Hajj

fifth of the five pillars; the journey to Mecca that all Muslims are to make at least once in their lifetime, if they can afford it and are physically able

Hijra

emigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) in AD 622; the founding event of the Muslim community

imam

leader of the Friday worship service who directs the prayers and delivers a sermon

Ka'ba

the stone cubical structure in the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Mecca, believed to have been built by Abraham and regarded by Muslims as the sacred center of the earth

Mosque

Muslim place or building of worship, traditionally including a prayer hall and courtyard, with towers called minarets at the corners

Ramadan

ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a period during which Muslims fast, in accordance with the third of the third of the Five Pillars

Sunna

teachings and actions of Muhammad recorded in writings known as hadith, which provide the model for being Muslim; Islam’s second most important authority

Umma

community of all Muslims

Four Foundations

Qur’an: primary sacred text

Prophet Muhammad

The Seal of Prophets

Iman: 6 major articles of belief

-Oneness of God: Allah

Transcendent, superpersonal, genderless

-Angels of God: Do God’s will in the world

-Books of God: Allah revealed his divine message to messengers before Muhammad

Torah, Psalms, Scrolls, Gospels, etc.

But the Qur’an is the final revelation and the only book in its original form

-Prophets of God: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus

But Muhammad is the final prophet (Seal of Prophets)

-Judgment Day: Humans will be judged for their actions

-Divine decree: Muslims believe that God has a divine destiny for all things 

Umma: the global community of Muslims

Transcends race, ethnicity, language

POSSIBLE EXTENDED RESPONSE