Islam Take Home Test

Paper 1

1) a) The main doctrines of Islam referred to in the verse are Shahada implying Tawhid, Muhammed, and divinity of Koran sent by Allah and promulgated by Muhammed .

b) Without spiritual guidance by Allah, specifically Koran, people would forget fitra, committing ghaflah. They accumulate transgression and will go to Jahanam on Yawmuddin, according to judgment of Allah.

2) 2) a) This verse tells us about freewill that Allah has given us so that we can decide between the good and the evil.

b) the Islamic understanding of evil is that there is no ultimate existence of evil that tempts people to do malignment but human beings are responsible for what they choose to do, whether evil or good. Satan mentioned in Koran is mental aspect of human minds that tend to pursue the path of evil such as greed or etc. It can be overcome by following Allah’s words in the Koran, the Five Pillars and Hadiths.

Paper 2

1) Compare and Contrast the basis for authority of Quran and Hadiths

Authority of Quran and Hadiths is different as evident as how Quran starts as Allah says whereas the Hadiths do as the Prophet says.

Muslims believe that the Quran in its entirety is the words of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad as the final message. Muhammad distinguished clearly between his own words and the words of Allah. After revelation came onto him, he ordered followers not to dictate his prophetic words in the Quran but Words from Allah in order to insure that they wouldn’t be mixed up. Hadiths are Sunnahs of the Prophet Muhammad. It includes narrations of his deeds and words that helps understand the Quran and its application.

However they are similar in a way that they are both exemplary to follow with authority over Muslims.

“almost all religions traditions condemn the intentional killing of another human being, except in specific cases such as retaliation’ an eye for an eye’, war or criminal punishment ’”

2) how far does the underlying principle of this statement apply to Islam?

The underlying principle of the statement applies to Islam to a great extent. The policy of an eye for an eye called “The law of equality” is well prescribed in the Quran (2:178) as well, meaning it is permissible to slay the murder the same way he slew his vitim. However instead, a relative of the slain can make an exception so that the murdered can pay with monetary assets rather than a life, slave or wife.

O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty. (The Noble Quran, 2:178)"

1) “… then marry women of you choice, two, three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly then only one” (Quran 4:3)

“you are never able to do justice between wives even if it is your ardent desire, but turn not away from a woman altogether (Quran 4:129)”

3) with reference to the two verses above from the same Medinian sura ( revealed soon after the battle of Uhud), analyze the possible reasons for the practice of polygamy in Islam.

After the battle of Uhud which caused casualties on men, they were a number of widows and orphans however they weren’t allowed to make a living themselves, due to the laws in the Quran. Therefore by allowing polygamy, the vulnerable population could sustain their lives with a new husband and father.

After taking over the Mecca, Muslims needed to stabilize the mayhem as soon as possible, and the way they chose is combining two families by marriage in order to create alliances

As verses mentioned, men are allowed more than one wife up to four because men tend to covet other women, which causes infidelity. However men wouldn’t commit infidelity because they can marry more wives, keeping himself to his wives (which is a pretty odd explanation).

2)

Islam IV

What is the human condition?

Islam shares the story of genesis with Judeo-Christianity however it differs from them, when it comes to the concept of original sin. Adam and Eve committed transgression of disobeying Allah’s rule and Allah punished them. However they repented, and were forgiven by Allah therefore the rest of humanity doesn’t suffer, due to the original sin. It also leads to a belief that humans are not born sinful, but divine-natured (Fitra) so they are entitled to self-respect and healthy self-image. when they forget their divine origin, that’s a sin called ghaflah and it has to be reminded by religious acts.

Where are we going?

On the day of judgment (al-Qiyamah), humans will be decided on which afterlife (Akhira) they will live. According to Allah’s judgment, people will go to either Jannah or Jahannam. People with spiritual lethargy which ghaflah induces will go to Jahnnam and vice versa. Each soul will be held accountable for its actions.

How do we get there?

In order to go to jannah, humans shouldn’t forget about their divine origin and its innate demand to do good deeds. Since they get distracted by ghaflah, having faith in Quran and practicing Five Pillars: Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj will help them stay on the course. Above pillars include accepting Muhammed and Allah as well as surrendering oneself to Allah (Islam). Every sin would be forgivable except for Shirk referring to worshiping polytheistic gods, which is an express ticket to janaham.

Islam Themes

Rituals

-Lifetime

Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and is also the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of submission and devotion to God. Everyone is required to wear same white sheet, signifying equality.

-Artifacts

Black Stone is an Islamic ancient sacred stone building towards which Muslims pray in the center of Kabah. It is as symbolic as cross for Christians no matter what the origin is.

-Rites of passage

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islam calendar when Muslims go on fasting, refraining from eating, drinking, having sex, smoking and indulging in anything that is excessive or ill-natured from dawn until sunset. It is intended for self-discipline, empathy and religious experience

-Worship

Salat is one of Five Pillars, referring to the formal five times prayers with formal procedures prescribed in Quran. The purpose of Salat is to show devotion to Allah as well as to put the life back in perspective by actions on regular intervals.

-Festivals / holidays

Eid al-Adha is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God but instead was able to sacrifice a ram. Eid is also about spending time with family and friends as well as thanksgiving for being able to afford food and housing. One third of meat is give to the poor as a gift. It occurs at the end of Hajj.

-Gender issues

Hijab is head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women, interpreted as suppression on women by the West. However it’s intended for women’s sake presenting modesty, privacy and morality, which protects from malicious men.

-Societal rituals (worship, dietary laws)

Zakat is one of the Five Pillars, referring to the giving of small percentage (2.5%) of one’s possessions to charity to the poor and needy as the welfare contribution to poor and deprived Muslims. Zakat is not supposed to be used for Islamic community or religion but the poor and deprived. It teaches empathy

Text

-Some key text (prayer)

Say thou (O Muhummed to the people): "I am but a man like you: it is revealed to me by inspiration, that your God is One God: so stand true to Him, and ask for His forgiveness". And woe to those who join gods with God. (HOLY QURAN 41:6)

This prayer states Muhamed was a human but god therefore Muslims shouldn’t worship him but Allah.

-Composition of Quran

Muhamed was bombarded with divine revelations that afterwards were written down by recitation and dictation in Quran. The language used in Quran is rhythmically written that citing it sounds like a song. It is also narrated in first person of God unlike gospels. It is continuation of Old and New Testaments. It’s doctoral rather than historical and it’s organized, starting from the longest verse from the shortest one.

Doctrines / Beliefs

-Statements of belief – creeds

Shahada is the first of five pillars, Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of Allah and acceptance of Muhamed as his prophet. It is considered most important part of five Pillars because it indicates faith in Islam itself. â ilâha illallâh, Muḥammadur rasûlullâh "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God

-Eschatology

al-Qiyamah, the Last Judgment. All people will be judged, according to accumulation of their virtue and misdeeds. The righteous will go to Jannah and the opposite will go to Jahannam. It’s the same as Christian eschatology.

-Cosmology

The Quran mentions seven heavens and a vast universe sustained by Allah. There are Judged Universe (Divine) where people live forever after judgment, and Test Universe where things are imperfect.

Religious experience

-Group / individual experience

Jumuah is a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday led by Imam, brought together by the Muezzin and it’s intended for communal purpose.

Ethics and moral conduct

It is based on Quranic teachings for which Muhamed was sent. Ethics is focused on unified community based upon Islamic piety, an Ummah and oneness of Allah, humility and piety.

-What are the beliefs concerning marriage, dress, elders, killing, divorce?

Islam considers marriage as a solemn family relationship between a man and a woman, based on mercy and love. It is social and legal relationship intended to strengthen and extend family relationship. It begins with a search for an appropriate partner and ends with an agreement of marriage, the contract, and the wedding party. Of course they seek guidance from Allah.

-What is blasphemy?

Blasphemy in Islam is any irreverent behavior, which offends a Muslim. The Quran condemns such behavior and Sharia provides penalties for blasphemy including fines, imprisonment, flogging, amputation, crucifixion, hanging or beheading. Muslim clerics may call for the killing of an alleged blasphemer by issuing a fatwa. Blasphemy includes to speak ill of Allah, to find fault with Muhammad, to insult ay prophet and members of Muhamed’s family, to draw a picture to represent Muhammed or to make a film which features a prophet, to write Muhammad’s name on the walls of a toilet, to name a teddy bear Muhammad and to state facts such as Muhammad’s parents were not Muslims, etc.

-sharia (divine) law and qanun (human) law

Sharia refers to the way Muslims should live, derived from the Quran and Hadith. It’s considered God’s law and cannot be changed by humans in contrast to Qanun, manmade law enacted by temporal authorities. Traditionally, Islamic jurisprudence interprets and refines Sharia by extending its principles to address new questions, even though there are different interpretations depending on the school of thought. Sharia deals with many aspects of life, including crime, politics, economics, banking, business etc.

Huston Smith Islam Part III

Kabah, Mueszzin, Mihrab

When Muezzin starts chanting for regular praying time, people face toward Kabah, the sacred site where the black stone is located. To help find the direction, Muslims use Mihrab, which is a niche in the wall of a mosque as a divinity compass.

Imam, Medina, Muhammad

After Muhamed took refuge in Medina and settled there, rendering it an headquarter for Islam, he became an imam, an Islamic position for spiritual and communal work.

Sadaqa, Rasul

A rasul is a prophet who delivers beneficial messages to people; one of them is Sadaqa, which is voluntary charity for public welfare.

Huston Smith: Islam

Background

Question: what is background for Islam

1. Only one God Allah shared with Judaism and Christianity

2. Islam shares the story until Ishmael went to Mecca and Isaac remained in Palestine

Thesis: Islam is monotheism diverged from Judaism

The Seal of the Prophets

Question: what is the meaning of the Seal of the Prophets?

1. Muhamed completed Islam as the last prophat.

2. people felt almost no obligation to anyone outside their tribes before Muhamed, which caused a hostile and chaotic situation

3. he was a normal guy who lost their parents at the young age yet remained compassionate and trustworthy.

4. the general immorality and cynicism of his day disgusted him.

5. he was appointed as a messenger of God’s words, which panicked him to distrusting himself however his wife, Khadija settled him into becoming a believer.

6. he devoted his life to spreading God’s words and it caused hostility from ruling tribes, however, eventually he succeeded to attract people.

Thesis: Muhamed is called the Seal of the Prophets because he is their culmination that completed Islam.

The Migration That Led to Victory

Question: how does the migration help him achieve victory?

1. Muhamed gave rise to a revolution and in reaction to that, dominant groups were determined to get rid of him.

2. they tried to assassinate him but he bailed out on them to Yathrib.

3. he became a statesman and assimilated all the different ethnic groups.

4. the rulers from Mecca tried to crash his status by putting the city in a siege however they failed to succeed and Muhamed returned to Mecca as a ruler.

5. he died in A.D. 632 with all the Arabia under his control

Thesis: Migration helped him to take control of Mecca, which is a headquarter for Arabians and settle Islam as the primary religion.

The Standing Miracle

Question: what is the standing miracle?

1. Muhamed considered Koran the only major miracle God worked through him.

2. illiterate Muhamed wrote down contents that cover magnificent knowledge with grammatical correctness as well as elaborate expressions.

3. the created Koran is derived from the uncreated Koran that cannot be written in human language but the created Koran still holds significance of God’s words.

4. he received revelation at random moments, which had physical weight.

5. The Koran is continuation of earliers revelation, Old Testament and New Testament, lacking the defects that they had.

6. the power of the koranic revelation lies not only in the literal meaning of its words but also in the language in which this meaning incorporated, including its sound.

7. Koran is directly doctrinal and indirectly historical unlike the testaments with stories in them

8. God himself talks in the first person in Koran

Thesis: the standing miracle means the Koran written by Muhamed, which has extraordinary features, compared to the other religious texts.

Basic Theological Concepts

Question: what are basic theological concepts in Islam?

1. the theological concepts of Islam are virtually identical with those of Judaism and Christianity except for a few.

2. of them, most important concepts are God, Creation, the Human Self and the Day of Judgment.

3.God is immaterial but no Muslim doubt him, unique so to eliminate confusion of faith, ultimately godly unlike human, fear-inspiring to guide his people, merciful to create the world.

4. the world was created by a deliberate act of Allah’s will so it is real and important as well as good.

5. Humans are created by God in a divine way, so it’s a sin to forget their divine origin, showing gratitude and selflessness.

6. they are accountable for actions and will be judged by them on the Judgment Day. It is encouraged by the idea of Hell and Heaven.

Thesis: they are God, Creation, Human and the Judgment day, similar to those in Judaism and Christianity to a certain extent.

The Five Pillars

Question: what are the Five Pillars and why are they important

1.Five Pillars are instructions on how to live a life, given by the Koran.

2. the first is Shahadah that can be condensed in a sentence “There is no god but God and Muhammad is His Prophet”.

3. the second is five times prayers in order to illuminate gratitude for existence as well as keep life in perspective.

4. the third is charity that enforces equal democracy.

5. the fourth is the observance of Ramadan that helps understand hunger and self-discipline.

6. the fifth is pilgrimage to heighten devotion to God as well as a reminder of equality and mediation.

Thesis: they are instructions that Muslims follow and each have a purpose.

Social Teachings

Question: what are social teachings in Islam

1. Muhamed changed the social order on prosperity of Islam where intertribal violence was prevalent previously.

2. the Koran deals with economics in a realistic way so that wealth can be well distributed while stimulating economics with capitalistic competition.

3. the Koran has improved the status of women with all the basic democratic rights, compared to the pre-Koran era when they were regarded as possession, not holding any right whatsoever.

4.the Koran debases racial discrimination, advocating interracial co existence.

5. the Koran doesn’t condone the use of force as considered to do by Westerners, but necessary use of defensive force such holy wars.

Thesis: the Koran deals with society with elaborate details that could only be found in modern democracy.

Sufism

Question: what is Sufism?

1. Sufis are the mystics of Islam who practice Islam apart from Sunnis or Shittes.

2. they believe in hidden meanings and inner symbolism rather than practical and explicit guideline from the Koran.

3.they constituted a spiritual elite, aspiring higher than other Muslims and willing to assume the heavier disciplines their extravagant goals required.

4. they contemplate over God’s love, go into a trace state to experience the truth of God and decipher symbolism in the Koran.

5. they consider their own existence is a sin because it doesn’t conform to Allah.

Thesis: Sufism is a denomination of people who pursue the spiritual truth rather than be satisfied with what’s given to him.

Whither Islam?

Question: how does the future of Islam look?

1. it is adjusted for Westernization and industrial modernization, not opposing the Koran

2. the number of followers is increasing

Thesis: it’s looking GOOD. It is adapted as the time demands and consequently people realize the benefits of Islam, converting to it.

Denomination Comparison

Jehovah's Witness and Catholic

what is Christianity?

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. Christians believe that Jesus is a Son of God, incarnate of God or the savior of the world. He suffered and died for other's sins, which became the most crucial teaching: compassion. Afterwards, he resurrected divinely, giving people chance of salvation, if they believe in him. Christianity is the largest religion on the earth.

What is the core of each denomination?

The main belief of Jehovah's Witness is inexistence of Trinity but Jehovah as the only god. Christ is not equal to God the father, but an archangel, Michael, created by God and later became a messiah after baptism. Even Holy Spirit is considered a force or influence that Jehovah has over people, rendering Trinitarianism Satan-inspired polytheism.

The main belief of Catholic is apostolic church where the meaning of the Bible is decided by Apostles, or Bishops nowadays. St. Peter is considered the first pope and every pope since him is his spiritual successor. Therefore Pope has the ultimate authority, succeeding Christ directly.

What are three distinct similarities of these two denominations?

The Bible is the divine text that the belief of each religion comes from.

Humans are given free will by God.

Christ is the role model for humans to follow and he sacrificed himself for humanity.

What are three distinct differences between these two denominations

Authority: In Catholic, bishops decide the meaning of the bible by their interpretations whereas in Jehovah’s Witness, a Governing body of elders decides on doctrinal matters. They sound the same however, bishops are people who have power over others whereas elders are people who have practiced more than others so that they know better.

Idea of Christ: According to Jehovah’s Witness, Christ is an archangel Michael who was reborn in form of Human. they don’t even believe bodily resurrection of Jesus. Whereas according to Catholic, Christ is the Son of God and man as Christianity manifests.

Idea of Salvation: in Catholic, people seek salvation, starting with baptism and then believing in Christ, followed by virtuous actions. They also believe the idea of purgatory before they are judged after deaths. In Jehovah’s Witness, Jesus Christ as a spirit returned to earth invisibly in 1914 and is working through his organization to re establish Jehovah's kingdom over the earth. The final battle between Jehovah and Satan will start, seen by 144000 witnesses, who will gain salvation. Besides, there is no hell, meaning dead people are forever dead. So only 144000 will be salvaged upon the coming of the divine kingdom

Gospel Comparing

Mark: Jesus’ Burial and John: Burial

Comparison

Joseph asked for the body of Jesus and Pilate granted it after confirming his death.

Jesus was buried in a Jewish manner.

It was the day of Preparation, the day before the Sabbath.

Contrast

Joseph was a member of the council who also had a belief in the Kingdom of God in Mark’s whereas he was a disciple of Jesus in John’s.

Joseph alone buried Jesus in Mark’s while Nicodemus and Joseph buried him in John’s.

Pilate summoned the centurion and inquired on the death of Jesus for the burial in Mark’s whereas soldiers confirmed the death when they tried to take executed bodies off for the Sabbath day. Besides, they harmed the body by piercing him with a spear before the burial.

Overview

Overall, the gospel of John has more descriptions on the process as well as explanations on Jewish traditions, which might show that it’s targeting non-Jewish population, whereas the gospel of Mark lists the facts in short sentences, especially focused on the fact that Jesus died and buried.

Mark: Empty tomb and resurrection and John: the resurrection.

Comparison

The stone was rolled by a mysterious force.

The very person who found Jesus resurrected is female.

Contrast

When finding the stone rolled out, Mary Magadalene was alone in John’s whereas there were Mary Magadalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome.

Jesus was anointed before he was put in a tomb in John’s whereas Marys were going to anoint Jesus after the Sabbath.

In Mark, it seems that God granted their wish to move the stone for anointment when they realized the blockage whereas the stone was moved in advance before Mary arrived the tomb in John.

Marys found Jesus, entering the tomb, who told other disciples in astonishment, even though they didn’t believe it in Marks. In Johns, many disciples came altogether, ending up without discovery of Jesus’ trace, however Mary remained and encountered angles that brought Jesus in front of her. Afterwards, she told the disciples about it.

Overview

This section is especially emphasized by the presence of females. They are the ones who cared to attend to the tomb and found Christ. However nobody was willing to believe what they said around the time when females didn’t hold much credibility. This must be related to faith in some way but I can’t connect any more dots to plot a bigger picture.