Islam Worksheet Rel/134 Version When Studying Islam,

Islam Worksheet

REL/134 Version

When studying Islam, it is important to understand the essential elements of the faith, how they are practiced, and the distinctions among the three branches: Shiite Islam, Sunni Islam, and Sufism.

Tawhid -- strict monotheism of God. There is only one, unsurpassable, omniscient God that cannot be visualized or reified in any which manner (although Sunnis do believe that God has some form of body). There are no intermediaries between God and creations. Mohamed might have come the closest to that. Mohammed, God's Prophet, is the closest to perfection that any human can be. Angels are a central part to Islam thought to intercede in all matters of a human's existence. The Quran was divinely revealed to Mohammed, via the archangel Gabriel, and is God's final revelation. Mohammed as one (presumably the most perfect) of God's messengers, all of whom -- human (Shiites believe they are sinless), were chosen to convey God's will to others. Examples of these messengers are Abraham and Jesus. There is resurrection preceded by apocalyptic events, and heaven and hell that serve as places of judgment post death. And finally belief in predestination where God knows man's future.

Sufis believe that all religions have an equal element of truth to them, and that Muslims can gain from learning from all.

3. Describe the practices of Islam.

These include the five pillars (or 'fundamentals') of Islam which are: (a) belief in the shahadha or creed (i.e. that God is one and Mohammed is His prophet), (b) daily prayers (salah), five times a day (Shiites combine these prayers so that they are often three times a day), c) fasting during the month of Ramadan (saym) (d) alms-giving (zakat), and (e) the hajj; pilgrimage to Mecca for every able-bodied Muslim at least once in his or her lifetime during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Suffism also aims to gain relationship to God through music, chanting, meditation, and physical activities, much of it representative of Budhissm.

4. Describe the goals of Islam.

Compassionate and egalitarian in its distribution of wealth i.e. seeing all as equal under Allah. Submission to the one God. Performing ritual worship and according to the five pillars of Islam. Doing good deeds for the community, and following Mohammad's moral example. Shiites believe, too, that the Caliphate should be only from the line of Mohammad. For this reason they claimed Ali to be the rightful successor, and believe that one day the Fifth Caliph will return as Redeemer.

Sufism also aims to avoid politics and to gain a relationship with God through self contemplation and ecstatic means, and to have open relationship with others regardless of religion.

5. Describe the view of authority in Islam.

All authority has to be circumscribed by the Shariah, namely the Islamic law. Shariah is the embodiment of the divine will and covers all matter of Islamic living from governance, foreign relations, and laws of state to minutiae of a lay Muslim's life. Handed down in an oral form with a system of interpretations and codification, Islamic scholars (i.e. Ulema) transcribe the law and apply it on the basis of their rules and interpretations. For an Islamic society 'matters of state' are 'matters of religion'.

The Qur'an serves as the primary source of information and authority for Muslims, much as the Bible does for Christians. With this in mind, evaluate Islam's historical influences on law, philosophy, and the arts in the Muslim world. Write a 1- to 2-paragraph response for each of the following questions. Provide examples to illustrate your thinking.

1. What is the legal ideal in Islamic law? How does the Qur'an inform and guide Muslims in attaining this ideal? The legal ideal is for the law to be invariable and stable and to be precisely as articulated by Mohammed in his times. Muslims also try to be as close as possible in behavior to their Prophet. It is for that reason that the Quran is used as basis in guiding shariah action, since the Quran is seen as word of Mohammed and the Islamic scholar interpret its word so that, even though applied to contemporary situations, it nonetheless remains as close to the original as possible.

2. What is the relationship between philosophy and theology within Islam? Is it acceptable for Muslims to hold separate philosophical and theological beliefs?