Download 9. Authority in Islam

John Corrigan, et. al. Jews, Christians, Muslims
Chapter 9 Authority in Islam
Be able to discuss briefly the following terms.
umma
qibla
Shariá
Kaa’ba
Hadith
Wahhabis
rihla
‘Ullama
The Way of Eloquence
fatwa
Sunna (see p. 71)
mufti
Hijra
khalifa (caliph)
Imam (in Shiite belief)
Ayatollah
Quraysh
Rightly Guided Caliphs
madhab
ijtihad
Be able to identify the importance of the following individuals and know the half
century in which they worked or died..
al-Bukhari and al-Hajjaj
Ali
Abu-Bakhr and Umar
Fatima
Hasan
Husayn
Be able to answer the following questions.
What is meant by the concept of Muslims being the “mid-most nation” ? How does
Islam distinguish in theory between religious law and secular law? After
Muhammad, who is the principal figure revered by Shiite Muslims?
What does the quoted hadith say about divorce?
How does the text define jihad?
What different methods of calling to prayer were considered? What method was chosen?
Why were the others rejected?
Do Muslims believe that Muhammad was closer to Moses or Jesus? Why
The Hijra was the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. With what Biblical event
do Muslims compare it?
Though traditional Islam considers Muhammad to be fully human, some heterodox
beliefs about Muhammad surfaced in some circles. Which beliefs? To which other
religious founder do these beliefs implicitly compare Muhammad?
Besides believe in Allah and Muhammad as his prophet, what is the additional element of
Islam that constitutes the bare minimum for a person or group to be considered Muslim?
Muslim Shari’a is best compared to the Jewish ______. Are the Muslim ‘Ulama more
like Catholic priests or Jewish rabbis? Why?
What was the basic disagreement that brought into existence a division between Sunni
and Shiite?
What is the role of the Imam in Shiite belief? Who is the “Hidden Imam” and what is
his role in Shiite life? In which country is the Hidden Imam’s influence believed to be
strongest.
To which Arabian tribe did Muhammad belong?
Who were the Ummayads and Abbasids and where did each establish their sear of
power? How did succession of leadership among Sunnis differ from the system used by
Shiites. Who stood at the side of the Baghdad Caliph during public audiences? What did
visitors have to bring with them?
What is the most common definition of “imam” with a lower case “i” in Sunni Islam?
How does this definition differ from the Shiite definition of Imam.
Shafi’i, Hanbali, Maliki and Hanafi all refer to _________. The most puritanical and
conservative one is the _______, which dominates in _____.
What happened in 1258 to reduce the importance of the Caliphate? When and where did
the Muslim Caliphate finally die?
What percentage of Muslims today are Sunni and Shiite respectively? In what way are
they similar? On what are their differences based? The two groups differ in respect to
their attitudes toward their religious leaders. What is the major difference?
The text points out that Sunni and Shiite Muslims have much more religious unity today
than Christians or Jews. But there is also much more lethal conflict between Sunni and
Shia than with Christianity or Judaism.
What is meant by the “lesser” and “greater” jihads?