Muslim Scriptures Guided Lecture Notes
Introduction to Islam
Who was Muhammad and what happened to him, beginning in 610?
How did the religion of Islam begin?
What is the “hijra?”
Why did the Muslim community return to Mecca in 630 CE?
What do Muslims believe about God?
What is the role of prophets in Islam?
How is Islam connected to Judaism and Christianity?
What does the word “Islam” mean?
How does it relate to how Muslims are supposed to live their lives?
Introduction to Muslim Scriptures
What is the sacred text of Islam?
What is recorded in the Qur’an?
Who do Muslims believe to be the author of the Qur’an?
What language does the Qur’an have to be in to be considered the real Qur’an?
What is the relationship of the texts of the Qur’an to earlier sacred texts?
What is “Hadith”?
How many Hadiths are there?
Collection and Canonization of the Qur’an
For how long did Muhammad receive revelations?
How were the revelations safeguarded during Muhammad’s life?
How were the revelations safeguarded after Muhammad’s death?
Why was the Battle of Yamama in 633CE important for the canonization of the Qur’an?
What was the role of Caliph Uthman in the canonization of the Qur’an?
Structure and Content of the Qur’an
What are the individual sections of the Qur’an called?
How many of them are there in the Qur’an?
How are the Surahs ordered?
What are the “Meccan Surahs” and “Medinan Surahs”?
What does each Surah address?
What are some major themes and categories of the content of the Qur’an?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Muqatta’at
What are the “muqatta’at?”
How many surahs have them?
What do they mean?
Why is their meaning unknown?
Qur’an = Recitations
Is the Qur’an written in prose or poetry?
Why is this poetic nature important for Muslims?
What is the “Quranic Challenge?”
Why did some of the first Muslims convert to Islam?
What does it mean that the Qur’an is primarily an “aural” text?
What did the Quranic recitation sound like?
Hadith
What is the “sunnah?”
Why is Muhammad sometimes called the “living Qur’an?”
How and when were the hadiths compiled and written down?
What is an “isnad?”
What is a “matn?”
What are the categories or “sahih,” “hasan” and “da’if?”
How many Hadiths are there?
Do all Muslims agree on which hadiths are authoritative?
Which Hadiths do Sunni Muslims tend to see as authoritative?
Which hadiths do Shi’a Muslims tend to see as authoritative?
Who are the “Quranists” and what do they think of the Hadith?
How Hadith is Used in Islam
How are the hadiths used in Islam?
How does the Hadith help interpret the Quranic verse on modesty?
What is Shariah law and how is used hadith used in the shaping of Shariah law?