Islamic Study Revision Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Pre-Islamic Arabia, the life of Muhammad, the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, Articles of Faith, Sacred Texts, Jurisprudence, and the Five Pillars.

Islam

A word meaning 'Surrender to the will of Allah'.

Muslim

A word meaning 'One who surrenders to Allah'.

Jihad al-Nafs

The internal 'greater' struggle against the ego (nafs) to submit to Allah's will.

Umma

The worldwide community of Muslims, united by faith.

Bedouin

Nomadic and tribal society in pre-Islamic Arabia that moved with herds (pastoralism).

Shaykh

An elected chief who led a tribe in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Ka'ba

The central shrine of worship in Mecca, believed to have been built by Ibrahim and his son Isma'il as a sanctuary for the One God.

Quraysh

The powerful tribe that dominated Mecca during Muhammad's time.

Al-Amin

A title meaning 'the Trustworthy' given to Muhammad for his reputation for honesty.

Night of Destiny

The event around $570 CE$ on Mt Hira where Muhammad received his first revelation from Allah via the Angel Jibril.

Isra and Mi'raj

The Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and the ascent through the heavens with Jibril, which established salat.

Al-Hijra

The $622 CE$ flight from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina), marking year $1$ of the Islamic calendar and the beginning of the umma.

Sunnah

The model 'right path' for Muslims to imitate, based on the Prophet Muhammad's life and conduct.

Hadith

The written record of the Sunnah, documenting the words, actions, and model behavior of Muhammad.

Caliph

The religious and civil successor to Muhammad in leading the umma; there is no successor prophet.

Rashidun

A title meaning 'Rightly Guided' given to the first four caliphs who ruled from $632–661 CE$.

Sunni

The majority branch ($85–87 \times 10^{-2}$ of Muslims) who follow an elected leadership model and the Sunnah of Muhammad.

Shi'a

The branch of Islam ($13 \times 10^{-2}$ of Muslims) meaning 'party of Ali' who believe only Ali and his descendants are the legitimate imams.

Aqida

The collective name for the $6$ Articles of Faith in Islam.

Tawhid

The article of faith referring to the absolute monotheism and unity of Allah.

Shirk

The sin of worshipping or attributing Allah's qualities to anything other than Allah (idolatry).

Shahada

The core creedal statement: 'I believe there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's messenger'.

Malaika

The article of faith concerning Angels, spiritual beings created from light to serve Allah's will.

Jibril

The Archangel who delivered the Qur'an to Muhammad.

Azrail

The Angel of Death who takes the soul when a person dies.

Iblis

The fallen angel and enemy of humanity who leads evil jinn to corrupt people.

Kutubullah

The article of faith concerning the Books of Allah, including the Taurat, Zabur, Injil, and the Qur'an.

Rusul

Major prophets who received new revelation with written scripture, such as Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and Muhammad.

Nabi

Minor prophets who reiterated revelations already given to previous major prophets.

Al-Akhira

The article of faith concerning the Afterlife, including the Day of Resurrection and the Day of Judgement.

Al-Qadr

The article of faith regarding fate or predestination; the belief that everything is Allah's will.

Surah

A chapter of the Qur'an; there are $114$ total chapters.

Ayat

The individual verses within the Qur'an, totaling $6236$.

Wudu

Ritual washing of hands, feet, and face performed before handling the Qur'an or performing salat.

Isnad

The chain of transmission used by scholars to authenticate the reliability of a hadith.

Fiqh

Islamic jurisprudence; the theory and process of understanding and applying Sharia.

Sharia

Islamic law, meaning 'the path to water', covering all human activity as the eternal law of Allah.

Ulama

Muslim legal scholars trained in Islamic law.

Fatwa

A formal legal ruling or decision regarding Islamic law.

Niyyah

The concept of 'intention' in Islamic ethics, emphasizing that actions should be for the sake of Allah.

Ijma'

The third source of fiqh, referring to the consensus among the ulama (scholars) on Islamic law.

Qiyas

The fourth source of fiqh, which involves reasoning by analogy to precedents in the Qur'an and Hadith.

Ijtihad

The process of forming new legal judgements through fiqh, performed only by highly qualified legal scholars (mujtahid).

Fard

A category of Sharia referring to actions that are obligatory, such as the Five Pillars.

Halal

A category of Sharia referring to actions that are permitted or lawful.

Haram

A category of Sharia referring to actions that are forbidden, unlawful, or sinful.

Salat

The second pillar of Islam, consisting of $5$ daily prayers facing the qibla (Mecca).

Rak'at

The specific units of prayer performed during salat.

Sawm

The third pillar of Islam, referring to fasting during the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset.

Zakat

The fourth pillar of Islam, requiring the donation of a minimum of $2.5 \times 10^{-2}$ of savings to those in need.

Hajj

The fifth pillar of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca that must be completed at least once by able Muslims.

Ihram

A state of holiness for pilgrims, symbolized by wearing two plain white, seamless cloths.

Tawaf

The Hajj ritual of circling the Ka'ba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction.

Wuquf

The central rite of Hajj involving praying the afternoon salat at Mt Arafat.