Islam
SST | DEFINITION |
Allah | The name of God in Islam. |
Caliphs | Title given to one of the 4 [Rightly Guided] leaders of Islam immediately following Muhammad. |
Eid al-Fitr | The feast of the Breaking of the Fast at the end of Ramadan |
Halal | Permitted acts |
Haram | Forbidden acts |
Ijma | Consensus of scholars and religious leaders |
Imam | Leader of Muslim community and mosque |
Makkah/Mecca | Sacred city and site of the annual pilgrimage [Hajj] |
Qiyas | Analogies and comparisons with teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith |
Shariah | Islamic law |
Shi'a | Large minority of Muslims who believe Muhammad appointed his son-in-law, Ali, as his successor |
Sunni | Majority of Muslims; supported the succession to Muhammad by election |
Torah | First five books of the Old Testament; first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures; Pentateuch; Law. |
Origins
Islam began during the 7th century in the Arabian Peninsula; the two main cities associated with the development of Islam were Makkah and Madinah.
DATE | EVENT | EXPLANATION |
570 CE | Muhammad was born | Born in the town of Mecca. Born into the Quraysh tribe, and is Arabic. His name derives from the Arabic verb hamanda, meaning to praise, to glorify. Muhammad’s father died before he was born, however his mother died when he was 6. He was then raised by his grandfather, however, was born illiterate. |
595 CE | Marriage to first wife, Khadijah | Married Khadijah, a businesswoman involved in trade with travelling caravans [camels]. He had 7 children, 3 sons [all died] and 4 daughters. He married widows and women who were in need of protection. Muhammad had eleven other wives.
|
610 CE | Receives first revelation in a cave outside the city of Mecca. [Ramadhan Night of Power] | He began making long retreats to a mountain cave outside town because of Mecca’s traditional idolatry and new materialism which disturbed him. An overpowering presence introduced itself to Muhammad as Angel Jibril and commanded him to recite. He later returned to the cave and Jibril would reveal more of Allah’s words, later memorising them and asking scribes to write them down. [This occurred in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar; Ramadhan] |
613 CE | Makes his revelation public | After several similar experiences, Muhammad finally began to reveal the messages he was receiving to his tribe. These were gathered verse by verse and later would become the Qur'an, Islam's sacred scripture. He was eager to share the message but it was a monotheistic belief, and the Makkans were polytheists, and the message would ‘disturb their peace’. |
619 CE | Night Journey and the Ascension [Isra and Miraj] | Khadijah died. [25 years after her marriage with Muhamma, Year of Sorrow] Isra’ [Night Journey where Muhammad was taken by Angel Jibrial to Jerusalem] where he is believed to have led the prayer in the presence of the Prophets. He experienced Mi’raj the ascension where he is believed to have entered the seven levels of heaven meeting the Prophets there and even was given a glimpse at hell and the people being persecuted there for their sinful lives on earth. |
622 CE | Muhammad flees from Mecca, to Yathrib [now known as Medina] | Medina is particularly known as the City of the Prophet. Muhammad remained here for the next six years, building the first Muslim community and gradually gathering more and more people to his side, expanding Islam. |
630 CE | Conquest of Mecca | Balance of power shifts radically away from Mecca and the worship of idols, grows towards Muhammad and the Muslims Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad returns to Medina and battles with tribes. He needed to go because that was the central part of Islam – Kaaba. |
632 CE | Muhammad makes a pilgrimage to Mecca | This is known as the first ever pilgrimage. Inspiring the 5th pillar, Hajj, and creating the Ka’bah. |
632 CE | Muhammad dies in Medina | Muhammad dies after a brief illness. He is then buried in the mosque of Medina [Al-Masjid an-Nabawi]. |
the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, accounting for the emergence of the Sunni and Shi’a
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim community mourned his death and set about appointing his successor. A majority of the members present in the Muslim community believed that it was in their position to determine who would succeed him in a method of election, these individuals were known as the Sunni. Whereas a smaller portion of Islamic adherents known as the Shi’a, favoured the idea that only descendants of Muhammad or Ali, his son-in-law, were eligible to be a leader. With this variance of beliefs in place, numerous philosophical disagreements were consistently arising, resulting in future instances of violence and war. However, the Sunnis prevailed and chose a successor to be the first Rightly Guided Caliph. Eventually, Ali was chosen as the fourth caliph, the leader which the Shiites believed was to be the first rightful successor to which his son Hussain should have succeeded him. The violence and war between the Sunni and Shia Muslims caused conflict issues, resulting in the two branches of Islam to never unite, even to present day where it causes a power struggle for dominance in the Middle East and the religious wars that have occurred since the emergence of the Sunni and the Shia.
As the Qur’an is a sacred text, it is to be handled with respect [etiquette below]
Hands are washed and parts of the body are cleansed before reading it.
It is often wrapped in a special silken-cloth - this is not a requirement of Islam.
No other books are shelved higher than it.
It is recited in personal prayer.
It may not be placed on the floor.
It is expected that Muslims do not speak, eat or drink during the reading of the Qur’an
It is written in Classical Arabic and recitations should only occur in Arabic. There can be no variations of the Quran’s text.
BELIEF | SCRIPTURE |
| “And your Allah is One Allah. There is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful” Quran 2:163 “A man heard another man reciting (in the prayers): 'Say (O Muhammad): "He is Allah, the One." And he recited it repeatedly. “ - Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 97, Hadith 4 |
| “Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers having wings.” Surah Fatir 35:1 “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Allah and His angels send blessings upon the right side of the rows.” - Book 5, Hadith 1058 |
| “He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah” Surah An-Nisa 4:80 The Prophet said: "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah." - Abu Hurairah, Book 1, Hadith 3 |
| “And We have sent down to you the Book, explaining all things; It is a guide, a Mercy, and Glad tidings to Muslims." - Surah An-Nahl 16:89 “O Allah! Bestow on him [Ibn Abbas] the knowledge of the Book [the Qur'an]” - Sahih al-Bukhar, Book 3, Hadith 17 |
| "Is that better or the Garden of Eternity which is promised to the righteous? It will be for them a reward and destination.” - Surah Al-Furqan 25:15 “Allah's Messenger said: "The person closest to me on the Day of Judgement is the one who sent the most Salat upon me.” - Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 3, Hadith 32 |
| "And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ. Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them” - Surah Hud 11:118-119 “There is not one amongst you who has not been allotted his seat in Paradise or Hell.” - Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 11 [in-book] |
The intention of life for a Muslim is to follow the will of Allah
Each moment of each day is to be lived in an attitude of complete surrender or submission to Allah
There is no aspect of life which is separate of removed from Allah's concern
Muslims strive to bring all their actions into accord with the will of Allah
This requires a constant awareness on the part of Muslims and being attuned to the will of God constantly in everyday life. This awareness or consciousness is called "taqwa"
This striving brings Muslim thought into constant contact with the field of ethics. Individuals and communities throughout the world are constantly faced with ethical decisions
process of Islamic jurisprudence
Islamic Jurisprudence [Fiqh] is the process that individuals of Islamic faith derive their set rules and regulations, the Shariah, from the principles of the Qur’an and the Hadith; perceiving the guidelines that all Muslims are to adhere to throughout their daily lives. The Ijma is a consensus of Islamic scholars on a point of Islamic law, particularly religious issues. It is a secondary source of Islamic Shariah and superior to the Qiyas, yet inferior to the Qur’an. If questions arose from a specific section of the Quranic interpretation, jurists of the Ijma would apply their own understanding to develop an interpretation. The Qiyas is a process of inferential analysis that uses teachings of the Hadith, and contrasts it to those present in the Qur’an, to apply an injunction to a new circumstance previously unknown to Muslims. For example, the Qiyas would be applied when discussing the islamic belief regarding the prohibition of recreational drugs. No particular Surahs explicitly prohibits the use of these drugs, however, it is evident that drugs should be prohibited too as Muslims are forbidden from intoxicating harmful substances into their body. Additionally, the concept of halal and haram acts plays a significant role in the process of Islamic Jurisprudence. Anything that is halal is permissible and lawful, in reference to the Fiqh; such as contraception. Whereas, anything haram are acts that disobey the elements of the Fiqh. There are 2 main forms of what is haram; something that is prohibited because its essence causes harm to an individual, and being prohibited because it's associated with an external forbidden source.
HALAL and HARAM
Muslim ethical judgment ultimately leads to a decision about what is permitted or halal and what is forbidden or haraam. In principle if something is not forbidden then it is permitted. However, simply because something is permitted does not mean that it should be done.
In living Shari'ah and making decisions about what should be done a number of aspects need to be considered.
The most important are those things which are required actions or behaviours. Examples of these would include the five pillars. Those things which are required actions are known as fard or wajib. For most Muslims, fard and wajib are identical, however in some schools of thought fard refers to obligations stemming from revelation while wajib refers to obligations stemming from reason.
Fard and wajib can be identified in two forms. One involves a personal obligation while the second is an obligation on the Muslim community as a whole.
The third level of halal actions are known as mubah.
These actions fall into the realm of the unclear and require the prudent exercise of personal judgment
Mubah refers to situations where there is no clear guidance in the Qur'an or in judgments of authorities in Islam
In these situations an individual must choose the correct action based on the principles outlined above
The final level of halal actions are those which are not recommended or are not approved
THE FIVE PILLARS | ||||
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The Shahada is perceived as the most fundamental expression of Islamic beliefs. It simply states that “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.” It underlines the monotheistic nature of Islam and provides witness to the oneness of Allah and the role of the Prophet Muhammad as its messenger. The witness in the shahada is essentially all that it takes to be considered a Muslim. | In Islam, Muslims are expected to pray 5 times a day as it was declared necessary by Muhammad. They are to pray towards Mecca, the holiest land of Islam. The way in which they pray is a symbol of their reverence and submission to Allah. It is expected that a Muslim would be in a state of ritual purity before offering the prayers. Therefore, ritual ablutions are carried out which include the feet, forearms, hands, face and head, mouth and nose. Prayer is offered on clean ground with the Muslim usually removing his or her shoes. | Muslims believe that they are to share their wealth with those less fortunate in their community of believers as a token of veneration. Therefore, this is the requirement of almsgiving. The amount that is expected to be given in fulfilling the requirement of zakat is generally calculated as 2.5 % of a person's income. Muslims believe that the things they own; their wealth and possessions, are not truly their own but rather in trust to them by Allah. | The ninth month in the Islamic calendar is referred to as the holy month of Ramadhan. Muslims are expected to fast from dawn to dusk. the tradition teaches that it is the month of the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad. The fast is to include abstinence from food, drink and all other bodily pleasures from the first traces of sunrise until the last point of sunset. | All Muslims who are able are required to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. Pilgrimage focuses on visiting the Ka’bah [in Mecca] and walking around [known as tawaf] seven times and is to take place during the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. |
SST | DEFINITION |
Allah | The name of God in Islam. |
Caliphs | Title given to one of the 4 [Rightly Guided] leaders of Islam immediately following Muhammad. |
Eid al-Fitr | The feast of the Breaking of the Fast at the end of Ramadan |
Halal | Permitted acts |
Haram | Forbidden acts |
Ijma | Consensus of scholars and religious leaders |
Imam | Leader of Muslim community and mosque |
Makkah/Mecca | Sacred city and site of the annual pilgrimage [Hajj] |
Qiyas | Analogies and comparisons with teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith |
Shariah | Islamic law |
Shi'a | Large minority of Muslims who believe Muhammad appointed his son-in-law, Ali, as his successor |
Sunni | Majority of Muslims; supported the succession to Muhammad by election |
Torah | First five books of the Old Testament; first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures; Pentateuch; Law. |
Origins
Islam began during the 7th century in the Arabian Peninsula; the two main cities associated with the development of Islam were Makkah and Madinah.
DATE | EVENT | EXPLANATION |
570 CE | Muhammad was born | Born in the town of Mecca. Born into the Quraysh tribe, and is Arabic. His name derives from the Arabic verb hamanda, meaning to praise, to glorify. Muhammad’s father died before he was born, however his mother died when he was 6. He was then raised by his grandfather, however, was born illiterate. |
595 CE | Marriage to first wife, Khadijah | Married Khadijah, a businesswoman involved in trade with travelling caravans [camels]. He had 7 children, 3 sons [all died] and 4 daughters. He married widows and women who were in need of protection. Muhammad had eleven other wives.
|
610 CE | Receives first revelation in a cave outside the city of Mecca. [Ramadhan Night of Power] | He began making long retreats to a mountain cave outside town because of Mecca’s traditional idolatry and new materialism which disturbed him. An overpowering presence introduced itself to Muhammad as Angel Jibril and commanded him to recite. He later returned to the cave and Jibril would reveal more of Allah’s words, later memorising them and asking scribes to write them down. [This occurred in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar; Ramadhan] |
613 CE | Makes his revelation public | After several similar experiences, Muhammad finally began to reveal the messages he was receiving to his tribe. These were gathered verse by verse and later would become the Qur'an, Islam's sacred scripture. He was eager to share the message but it was a monotheistic belief, and the Makkans were polytheists, and the message would ‘disturb their peace’. |
619 CE | Night Journey and the Ascension [Isra and Miraj] | Khadijah died. [25 years after her marriage with Muhamma, Year of Sorrow] Isra’ [Night Journey where Muhammad was taken by Angel Jibrial to Jerusalem] where he is believed to have led the prayer in the presence of the Prophets. He experienced Mi’raj the ascension where he is believed to have entered the seven levels of heaven meeting the Prophets there and even was given a glimpse at hell and the people being persecuted there for their sinful lives on earth. |
622 CE | Muhammad flees from Mecca, to Yathrib [now known as Medina] | Medina is particularly known as the City of the Prophet. Muhammad remained here for the next six years, building the first Muslim community and gradually gathering more and more people to his side, expanding Islam. |
630 CE | Conquest of Mecca | Balance of power shifts radically away from Mecca and the worship of idols, grows towards Muhammad and the Muslims Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad returns to Medina and battles with tribes. He needed to go because that was the central part of Islam – Kaaba. |
632 CE | Muhammad makes a pilgrimage to Mecca | This is known as the first ever pilgrimage. Inspiring the 5th pillar, Hajj, and creating the Ka’bah. |
632 CE | Muhammad dies in Medina | Muhammad dies after a brief illness. He is then buried in the mosque of Medina [Al-Masjid an-Nabawi]. |
the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, accounting for the emergence of the Sunni and Shi’a
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim community mourned his death and set about appointing his successor. A majority of the members present in the Muslim community believed that it was in their position to determine who would succeed him in a method of election, these individuals were known as the Sunni. Whereas a smaller portion of Islamic adherents known as the Shi’a, favoured the idea that only descendants of Muhammad or Ali, his son-in-law, were eligible to be a leader. With this variance of beliefs in place, numerous philosophical disagreements were consistently arising, resulting in future instances of violence and war. However, the Sunnis prevailed and chose a successor to be the first Rightly Guided Caliph. Eventually, Ali was chosen as the fourth caliph, the leader which the Shiites believed was to be the first rightful successor to which his son Hussain should have succeeded him. The violence and war between the Sunni and Shia Muslims caused conflict issues, resulting in the two branches of Islam to never unite, even to present day where it causes a power struggle for dominance in the Middle East and the religious wars that have occurred since the emergence of the Sunni and the Shia.
As the Qur’an is a sacred text, it is to be handled with respect [etiquette below]
Hands are washed and parts of the body are cleansed before reading it.
It is often wrapped in a special silken-cloth - this is not a requirement of Islam.
No other books are shelved higher than it.
It is recited in personal prayer.
It may not be placed on the floor.
It is expected that Muslims do not speak, eat or drink during the reading of the Qur’an
It is written in Classical Arabic and recitations should only occur in Arabic. There can be no variations of the Quran’s text.
BELIEF | SCRIPTURE |
| “And your Allah is One Allah. There is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful” Quran 2:163 “A man heard another man reciting (in the prayers): 'Say (O Muhammad): "He is Allah, the One." And he recited it repeatedly. “ - Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 97, Hadith 4 |
| “Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers having wings.” Surah Fatir 35:1 “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Allah and His angels send blessings upon the right side of the rows.” - Book 5, Hadith 1058 |
| “He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah” Surah An-Nisa 4:80 The Prophet said: "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah." - Abu Hurairah, Book 1, Hadith 3 |
| “And We have sent down to you the Book, explaining all things; It is a guide, a Mercy, and Glad tidings to Muslims." - Surah An-Nahl 16:89 “O Allah! Bestow on him [Ibn Abbas] the knowledge of the Book [the Qur'an]” - Sahih al-Bukhar, Book 3, Hadith 17 |
| "Is that better or the Garden of Eternity which is promised to the righteous? It will be for them a reward and destination.” - Surah Al-Furqan 25:15 “Allah's Messenger said: "The person closest to me on the Day of Judgement is the one who sent the most Salat upon me.” - Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 3, Hadith 32 |
| "And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ. Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them” - Surah Hud 11:118-119 “There is not one amongst you who has not been allotted his seat in Paradise or Hell.” - Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 11 [in-book] |
The intention of life for a Muslim is to follow the will of Allah
Each moment of each day is to be lived in an attitude of complete surrender or submission to Allah
There is no aspect of life which is separate of removed from Allah's concern
Muslims strive to bring all their actions into accord with the will of Allah
This requires a constant awareness on the part of Muslims and being attuned to the will of God constantly in everyday life. This awareness or consciousness is called "taqwa"
This striving brings Muslim thought into constant contact with the field of ethics. Individuals and communities throughout the world are constantly faced with ethical decisions
process of Islamic jurisprudence
Islamic Jurisprudence [Fiqh] is the process that individuals of Islamic faith derive their set rules and regulations, the Shariah, from the principles of the Qur’an and the Hadith; perceiving the guidelines that all Muslims are to adhere to throughout their daily lives. The Ijma is a consensus of Islamic scholars on a point of Islamic law, particularly religious issues. It is a secondary source of Islamic Shariah and superior to the Qiyas, yet inferior to the Qur’an. If questions arose from a specific section of the Quranic interpretation, jurists of the Ijma would apply their own understanding to develop an interpretation. The Qiyas is a process of inferential analysis that uses teachings of the Hadith, and contrasts it to those present in the Qur’an, to apply an injunction to a new circumstance previously unknown to Muslims. For example, the Qiyas would be applied when discussing the islamic belief regarding the prohibition of recreational drugs. No particular Surahs explicitly prohibits the use of these drugs, however, it is evident that drugs should be prohibited too as Muslims are forbidden from intoxicating harmful substances into their body. Additionally, the concept of halal and haram acts plays a significant role in the process of Islamic Jurisprudence. Anything that is halal is permissible and lawful, in reference to the Fiqh; such as contraception. Whereas, anything haram are acts that disobey the elements of the Fiqh. There are 2 main forms of what is haram; something that is prohibited because its essence causes harm to an individual, and being prohibited because it's associated with an external forbidden source.
HALAL and HARAM
Muslim ethical judgment ultimately leads to a decision about what is permitted or halal and what is forbidden or haraam. In principle if something is not forbidden then it is permitted. However, simply because something is permitted does not mean that it should be done.
In living Shari'ah and making decisions about what should be done a number of aspects need to be considered.
The most important are those things which are required actions or behaviours. Examples of these would include the five pillars. Those things which are required actions are known as fard or wajib. For most Muslims, fard and wajib are identical, however in some schools of thought fard refers to obligations stemming from revelation while wajib refers to obligations stemming from reason.
Fard and wajib can be identified in two forms. One involves a personal obligation while the second is an obligation on the Muslim community as a whole.
The third level of halal actions are known as mubah.
These actions fall into the realm of the unclear and require the prudent exercise of personal judgment
Mubah refers to situations where there is no clear guidance in the Qur'an or in judgments of authorities in Islam
In these situations an individual must choose the correct action based on the principles outlined above
The final level of halal actions are those which are not recommended or are not approved
THE FIVE PILLARS | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
The Shahada is perceived as the most fundamental expression of Islamic beliefs. It simply states that “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.” It underlines the monotheistic nature of Islam and provides witness to the oneness of Allah and the role of the Prophet Muhammad as its messenger. The witness in the shahada is essentially all that it takes to be considered a Muslim. | In Islam, Muslims are expected to pray 5 times a day as it was declared necessary by Muhammad. They are to pray towards Mecca, the holiest land of Islam. The way in which they pray is a symbol of their reverence and submission to Allah. It is expected that a Muslim would be in a state of ritual purity before offering the prayers. Therefore, ritual ablutions are carried out which include the feet, forearms, hands, face and head, mouth and nose. Prayer is offered on clean ground with the Muslim usually removing his or her shoes. | Muslims believe that they are to share their wealth with those less fortunate in their community of believers as a token of veneration. Therefore, this is the requirement of almsgiving. The amount that is expected to be given in fulfilling the requirement of zakat is generally calculated as 2.5 % of a person's income. Muslims believe that the things they own; their wealth and possessions, are not truly their own but rather in trust to them by Allah. | The ninth month in the Islamic calendar is referred to as the holy month of Ramadhan. Muslims are expected to fast from dawn to dusk. the tradition teaches that it is the month of the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad. The fast is to include abstinence from food, drink and all other bodily pleasures from the first traces of sunrise until the last point of sunset. | All Muslims who are able are required to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. Pilgrimage focuses on visiting the Ka’bah [in Mecca] and walking around [known as tawaf] seven times and is to take place during the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. |
