Vocabulary Part I:
Angels: Messengers of Allah and are all around us. Each person has an angel to keep record of the good you’ve done and one to keep record of the bad.
Akhira: The afterlife. After the last judgment the righteous will be sent to heaven and the damned to hell. Refers to both. Heaven is portrayed as paradise and Hell with fire and torture.
Allah: God. Darkness can be portrayed as unbelief and light as faith in God. He is the first teacher and absolute guide of humanity.
Five Pillars of Faith:
· Shahadah: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.”
· Prayer – Salat: Five times a day facing Mecca. Call to prayer sounded by a Muslim crier. Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Evening, Night.
· Alsmgiving – Zakat: Give a portion of earnings to the needy. 2.5%.
· Fasting – Sawm: Ramadan is the holy month during which Muslims fast from sunup to sundown
· Pilgrimage – Hajj: A trip to Mecca that Muslims must do at least once in their life.
Hadiths: Reports of what Muhammad said or did, and are examples for faithful Muslims to follow. Teachings of Muhammad.
Hijrah: Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Yathrib (medina) in 622.
Ka’bah: a cube shaped building of stone in the open court of the Grand Mosque of Mecca. The Ka’bah was built by Abraham and Ishmael and is very important because oftentimes waring Arab tribes would come in peace to visit the Ka’bah.
Muezzin: The one who calls Muslims to prayer at each prayer time. Muhammad preferred human voice to bells such as in Christianity. When Muezzin calls Muslims to prayer, everyone must stop what they are doing and must face Mecca and the Ka’bah.
Mihrab: A niche in the mosque signifying the direction of Mecca, which Muslim’s must face to pray. It directs the faithful towards the holy city, which they face to pray and praying is very important.
Imam: The spiritual leader of the community who directs the services at the mosque. Imam should be able to lead man in all aspects of life and should be a perfect example in everything.
Jannah: Islamic concept of paradise. It is said that everything one longs for on earth will be in Jannah. Compare to heaven.
Jahannam: Islamic concept of hell. Allah is the only one who knows who will go to Jahannam according to the Qur’an.
Jinns: The race of beings created from fire, distinguished from humans, who were created from clay. There are good and badd Jinns. Jinn literally means “concealment/invisitbility/seclusiveness”.
Medina: Where Muhammad fled to from Mecca. He was needed in medina to be a leader. Became known as the city of the prophet and is the place of Muhammads death. First Mosque in Medina.
Muhammad: The messenger of God. Founder of Islam, regarded by Muslims as the final prophet of Allah. Wrote the Qur’an as dictated to him by the angel Gabriel.
Qur’an: The Sacred scripture of Muslims, regarded as the word of God dictated to Muhammad by God through the angel Gabriel. It is believed to contain divine guidance and direction and is the final revelation of Allah.
Rasul: literally, “messenger”. One who recites for God. Muhammad is God’s messenger or rasul and most common refers to him and his role as God’s prophet.
Sadaqa: Informal charity between Muslims. Often given when traveling to other Muslim communities or Mosques. It is different from Zakat. It is not mandatory.
Shari’a: Like law. The duties that God places on the Muslim community. Shari’a governs Muslim life in all countries.
Shi’a: Considered the partisans of Ali. They believe that Ali should have been the next leader after Uthman. They see Ali as the first Imam – the communitie’s spiritual leader – with both spiritual and temporal powers.
Sunna: Literally translated as “the trodden path”. It is basically a prescription for the way of life and the way a practicing Muslim should conduct himself. The concepts featured in Sunna are mostly taken from the Hadith, specifically the biographies, descriptions and lifestyles of famous Islamic prophets and heroes.
Sunni Islam: The largest Islamic organization sect in the world. Host to the majority of practicing Muslims. Distinctive feature of this group is the use/appointment of a Caliph: a political/religious leader of Sunnis.
Shirk: The Islamic view on polytheism and idolatry. It states that it is a sin to worship anything other than God.
Tawhid: The Muslim doctrine of the unity of Allah. Islam denies any partners to Allah such as Christians have in their trinity. There are no equals to God or anything else.
Ummah: The Muslim community. This refers to the whole diaspora of Muslim faith and the space they occupy. Can refer to the physical aspect of the believers.
Yawm al-din/yawmuddin: Judgment day or the end of the world. At this point Allah will Judge each Muslim and will determine whether he or she has led a faithful enough life to deserve Akhirah (life after death).
Vocabulary Part II:
Ka’bah, muezzin, mihrab: These words are all related because they all have to do with Muslim tradition and prayer. The Ka’bah is a ceremonial place that is celebrated by Muslims and the Muezzin is the person who calls all Muslims to prayer. Each town has one and when Muslims are called to pray they must stop what they are doing and face the mihrab which is the place in the mosque which signifies the direction of Mecca.
Imam, medina, Muhammad: These words are related because Muhammad original travelled to Medina because they were in need of a leader and an Imam is a spiritual leader in each Muslim community who directs the services at the mosque. They should lead Muslims in all aspects of life.
Jannah, Jahannam, Jinns, Qur’an: Jannah and Jahannam are considered the after life in Islam and can be compared to heaven and hell. Jinns are almost like ghosts that can be good or bad and bad Jinns can taunt you and influence you to do things to go to Jahannam. The Qur’an is related because it is guidance and scripture dictated to Muhammad through God. One should follow the Qur’an to go to Jannah.
Jinns, Muhammad, Qur’an: Muhammad is the founder of Islam and God’s prophet and messenger and he dictate the Qur’an for God. The Qur’an provides guidance from God and Jinns and Muhammad are both beings above humans who provide the foundation for the teachings and guidance of the Qur’an.
Shia, Ummah, Sunni: Shi’ites make up a sect of Islam that believe they are the original descendents of Ali, who they consider the first imam (spiritual leader). Sunni is the other major sect of Islam, that has caliphs as spiritual leaders, and considers the first four caliphs, including Abu Bakr, to be descendents of Muhammad. Ummah refers to the whole Islamic community of believers, physically and spiritually.
Tawhid, Yawmuddin, Shari’a, Sunna: Sunna is basically a description of the way of life that every Muslim should strive for and on judgment day, yawmuddin, God will decide whether Muslims will go to the equivalent of heaven or hell. Shari’a is like law that every Muslim community lives by and Tawhid, doctrine of the unity of Allah, falls into those laws. There is only one Allah, unlike the trinity.
Sadaqa, Rasul: Sadaqa is voluntary Muslim charity. It may be given in the form of money to faith projects of public service or other. A rasul is a human prophet, and similarly, this prophet has a responsibility to the people to share Allah’s message.
Themes and Religious Belief:
Rituals:
-Lifetime:
SHADADA: the marking of a young Muslim’s formal entry into Islam
FUNERALS AND MOURNING: janazah are prayers for the dead at the gravesite. Burial takes place within 24 hours of death.
-Artifacts:
-Rites of Passage:
-Worship:
Muslims pray five times a day, must stop what they’re doing to pray
-Festivals/Holidays:
RAMADAN: takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Time of Fasting and daily repentance.
LILAT Ul-QADUR: Final 10 days of Ramadan. Muslim’s celebrate Muhammad’s first revelation.
AL-ISRA WAL MIRAJ: Celbrated on the 27th day of the 7th month in the Islamic Calender. It marks Muhammads journey from Mecca.
- Gender Issues:
Women do not have equal rights to make independent decisions about choice of (marriage) partner, getting a divorce and custody of their children.
Text:
Muslim Call to Prayer: Allah is Most Great. Allah is Most Great.
Allah is Most Great. Allah is Most Great.
I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.
I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah.
Come to prayer. Come to prayer.
Come to Success. Come to Success.
Allah is Most Great. Allah is Most Great.
There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.
Qur’an: The Qur’an has 114 chapters in no chronological sequence.
Doctrines/Beliefs:
Shahadada: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." (basically sums up all of the creeds put together)
Eschatology: Judgement day occurs after death and every human is held accountable for his or her deeds and are judged by God accordingly. If people believe in God, do good deeds and are deemed acceptable by Allah, they will be rewarded in the afterlife. Each person has a book of deeds which contains all their actions good or bad.
Cosmogony/Cosmology: There is the judged universe which is the place where those species live forever (they are divine). There is the Test universe (which is imperfect) and Allah has implemented some limitations on searching this vast universe.
Allah created the universe so that all of his attributes get satisfied because before the universe was created no one knew him.
Religious Experience:
Group Experience: Prayer in Unison, at Mecca, at the Ka’bah
Individual Experience: Hajj- Each Muslim is required to travel/migrate to Mecca to pray once in a lifetime at least.
Ethics and Moral Conduct:
-Beliefs: see gender issues, as well as women are required to wear a burqua/hijab, in order to cover their bodies to prevent temptation for the men. Jihad is the only form of warfare allowed by Islamic law, yet most Mulsims view Jiha as only a defensive form.
-Shari’ah Law: “Is the expression of the divine will” It covers all aspects of life, giving guidance and rules. The duties that Allah places on the Muslim Comminuty. (Ummah)
-Qanun Law: These are laws publicized by Muslim sovereignty, the opposite of Shari’a in a way. Laws laid down by humans, not Allah.
