Islamic Studies Notes PDF

Chapter 1: Protecting Society Against Moral Crimes Ayah: “Say to the believing men that they should lower some of their gaze and guard their private parts” A chapter in the quran is called a surah because of its noble and high rank Surah Nur explains the punishment of those who do not observe...

Chapter 1: Protecting Society Against Moral Crimes Ayah: “Say to the believing men that they should lower some of their gaze and guard their private parts” A chapter in the quran is called a surah because of its noble and high rank Surah Nur explains the punishment of those who do not observe chastity, discourages people from lewd actions, and the importance of remembering that Allah is always watching us.  Punishment of zina -Fornication: Haram relationship between a man and woman -The punishment is 100 lashes for each of them (man and woman) -There must be four fair witnesses or confessions from the man and woman themselves -The punishment is to be given by a person with state authority -There must be no leniency towards the fornicator, to prevent situations such as the intermixing of genealogies and spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases Punishment of accusing others of zina -Allah (SWT) threatens to punish those who slander chaste, naive and unsuspecting women accusing them of zina without producing 4 witnesses -The three harsh punishments from Allah are: 1-Physical: being flogged 80 lashes 2-Psychological: their testimony will not be accepted in court, buying and selling (business transactions) 3-Religious: Those guilty of slander are rebellious transgressors who have disobeyed Allah. The people who repent sincerely and genuinely are excluded from these punishments Islam is severe in punishment of accusers to protect people in society, to guard their honor, integrity and to prevent destruction and hate between people that may cause more crimes and even murder  Legislation of Li’an (the oath of condemnation/sworn allegation of adultery by either husband or wife): Allah legislated li’an between two spouses to prevent wrongdoing and oppression within the family to honor their sacred relationship. It was also legislated to prevent wrongful allegations and accusations Li’an is the highest form of justice and protection of honor and integrity Aspects of li’an 1-Were it not for li'ān (the oath of condemnation), the husband would face the hadd-punishment for slander (qadhf), even if he's telling the truth, as both he and his wife would bear the shame and disgrace of a false accusation. 2- Li'ān provides the husband an escape from the difficulty of producing 4 witnesses, the burden of remaining silent about infidelity, and the possibility of another man's child being attributed to him and inheriting from him. 3-Li’an provides the wife with a way out of punishment and shame if it is that her husband has unjustly and wrongfully accused her of adultery (zina)  Chapter 2: Method of Quranic Exegesis Ayah: “Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Quran, or are their hearts locked up by them” The Quran is greatly considered in payed attention to in many forms such as: - Memorization - Exegesis - Recitation - Printing - Research - Study - Awards by governments/institutions/individuals Sources of Quranic exegesis - Transmission from Allah’s messenger (Quran/Sunnah) while guarding against weak and fabricated transmissions - Referring to the sayings of the companions  - Referring to the Arabic language (the whole language being a valid source) - Referring to what is understood/implied by speech and what is indicated by shariah law Benefits of diverse exegesis of the Holy Quran: - Specialization in studying the meanings and linguistic implications of the Qur’ān. - Keeping up with developments in the understanding of the Qur’ān as human knowledge and sciences advance. - Allowing more flexibility in Sharīʿah rulings, particularly on the interpretation of “al-qurū” (menstrual cycles), to provide spouses with more time to reconsider divorce decisions. - Expanding academic studies and research on the Qur’ān - Giving scholars opportunities to explore new methods in studying the Qur’ān and its meanings. The Quran comprises of two broad categories: - Interpretation that came to mankind by transmission: came either from the Prophet/the Companions/leading scholars of the generation of Successors. This interpretation focuses on verifying the authenticity of the transmitted interpretation - Interpretation that came to mankind not by transmission: came from the interpretation of a particular Companion, and being a native Arabic speaker, and interpreted it according to causes, occasions or context, then there is no doubt in accepting it. (whoever wrote this please put your name next to it bcs this is so funny) I DON’T WANNA O THIS, GUYS GOOD LUCK  Chapter 3: Extremism Ayah: “O People of the Book! Do not be excessive in your religion: Nor say of Allah anything but the truth.” Hadith: Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said: “Whoever abandons my Sunnah does not belong to me” Tatarruf - extremism Allah (SWT) prohibits Muslims from practicing religion excessively and overstepping the boundaries set by the shariah law Muslims are instructed to abide by the right words and deeds. Being within the limits of following religion, and not practicing it excessively is the path and methodology of the Prophets and Messengers Muslims discuss tashddud (excessive strictness) and tatarruf to protect both religion and society Muslims should not praise the Prophets and Messengers of Allah excessively Muslims should not become negligent of Allah’s commandments, but should not be excessive in practicing them. They should be practiced in moderation  Chapter 4: Marital Dissolution Ayah: “And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them…” Marriage in Islam is legislated for noble and honorable purposes.It provides a legitimate framework for achieving psycho-emotional tranquility, security and peace of mind Marriage helps fulfill psychological and instinctual needs of both men and women. These needs align with the innate design (fitrah) of human nature as created by Allah. Disputes between spouses are natural, often arising from misunderstandings or differing viewpoints. Patience and companionship are shared duties in marriage but husband has a greater responsibility in: 1. Accommodating his wife 2. Being patient with her 3. Adjusting to her mood 4. Seeking her favor Nushuz meaning: ill conduct stemming from the wife’s rebelliousness or the husband’s cruelty. Nushuz can occur from husband or wife or from both at the same time. Nushuz occurs when one of the two spouses mistreats the other and deals with him/her as an inferior person and thus putting the marital relation at risk. Wife related Nushuz can be treated in three main steps:  1. Good Counselling (maw’izah hasanah) ➔ If the husband sees his wife being neglectful then the husband has to counsel her and give her advice and guidance. ➔ The husband must choose an appropriate time and gentle manner, he must also observe gracious manners and make sure of giving a good example by honouring his marriage before admonishing his wife. 2. Refusing the bed sharing (hajr fi al majda) ➔ In this stage,the husband ignores his wife, stops talking to her and stops treating her enderainglt and in an intimate manner. ➔ This acts as a psychological punishment which might make the wife reassess her behaviour ad correct her actions. 3. Beating lightly (darb ghayr mubarrih) ➔ The purpose of this beating is remediation, it’s objective is to safeguard marital life against breakdown. This beating means that a man is not allowed to hit using a whip or a stick and on face. He should use a siwak or a handkerchief, ➔ The husband should not injur or hurt his wife as it is not permissible. Treatment o f husband related Nushuz: if a wife fears cruelty from her husband’s side, then they should arrange an amicable settlement between themselves as this kind of settlement is the best. Treatment of Nushuz stemming from both sides: In this condition it is advised to arrange two arbiters, one from his family and one from hers. If the couple wishes for peace, reconciliation will be made.  Chapter 5: Allah’s Messenger and Social Life Before the Prophet (PBUH) became a prophet. The Quraysh clans Banu Hashim, Banu Zuhra and Banu Taym ibn Murrah held a meeting in which they formed a pact and formed an alliance and committed themselves by Allah as single force with the oppressed against the oppressor to fight for their rightsThe Prophet participated in this alliance along with his uncles, relatives and next of kin. (Hilf al fudul) Even when the Prophet was young, he was always affiliated with his people and society and participated in many public events. (building the Holy ka’abah, hilf al fudul) The care and concern of the Prophet (Pbuh) for family bonding and cohesion: 1. He was kind and fair with all of his wives, and used to joke with them 2. He was compassionate and kind towards his daughters, and used to stand up to greet Fatima (RA) and kiss her on her forehead. 3. His kindness to his grandchildren, and used to play with them, entertain them and cheer them up 4. He used to be kind to his servants, and never expressed anger or displeasure towards them Prophetic guidance with respect to social relations: 1. A neighbour inherits: The Prophet (PBUH) used to be keen on keeping good relations with neighbours, and warned against causing harm to them The Prophet (PBUH) said: “On the day of Resurrection, the first two adversaries disputing with each other will be 2 neighbors”. Meaning that the first two conflicts to be judged on the day of judgement will be between two neighbours, one who caused injury to the other 2. Taking the initiative and volunteering: The Prophet (PBUH) used to join people in their joys and sorrows, and was a source of tranquility for people  3. A positive social exemplar The Prophet (PBUH) not only encouraged strengthening ties between family and neighbours, but also encouraged strengthening ties between people in their business He encouraged this so that people could live through each others circumstances to feel what each other feels, and increases the bond of love which increased cohesion and solidarity of society The Charter of al-Madinah - the constitution of citizenship: The Prophet (PBUH) formed the Charter of al-Madinah al-Munawarah because of the harsh reality (animosity between Aws and Khazraj, and then Muslims and Jews) he faced after migrating to Madinah The Charter of al-Madinah was created to take society out of tribal conflict Some of its aims: 1. Fighting for the rights of the oppressed 2. Protecting neighbours 3. Honoring the private and public rights of society and its members 4. Combating crime 5. Assistance in paying blood money 6. Helping debtors They treated each other as one family, defending their homeland from any threats and establishing equality between themselves  Fraternization (Mu’akhah): bond which unites the Muhajirin and the Ansar on the basis of faith and strengthens feelings of love, help and protection Fraternization did not give importance to tribal considerations or class without looking at their conditions or characteristics Chapter 6: The Slander against Aisha an Exhortation and a Moral Lesson Ayah: “think it not to be an evil to you; On the contrary, it is good for you” The story of the slander of Aisha (RA) Translation of Surah Nur  Explanation of the verses Accusing chaste women of adultery is a serious crime and the accuser will be punished in this world and in the Hereafter Abdullah ibn Salul tool advantage of the fact that Aisha (RA) was late in catching up with the army and spread rumors about her out of hate for the Prophet (PBUH) The verses emphasize that those men who spread rumors about her were not paid much attention to compared to the attestation of honor and integrity given to her by the Muslim community  Allah (SWT ) threatened to punish those people equal to the sin they committed, and that Abudllah ibn Salul will be at the bottom of the hellfire Allah (SWT) declared Aisha (RA) as innocent through a divine revelation sent from the heavens Allah blamed the believers who did not have a good opinion of others A Muslim should not get involved in things that relate to the honor and reputation of other by listening to those who circulate suspicions and lies Allah blamed the people who talked about Aisha (RA) and those who did not deny this slander silently or publicly Adultery is only proven by the accuser bringing 4 witnesses to prove the accusation wrong Allah (SWT) forgives those people who accuse of adultery, except for Allah ibn Ubayy, who was the leader of the hypocrites Bearing responsibility for what one says: A person is responsible before Allah (SWT) and society for what they say, and will bear the consequences for what they say This makes people think about what they say before saying it Allah (SWT) describes in the Quran how some people circulated slandered and thought it was not a big sin Allah (SWT) then guided them on how to combat false rumors and advised the people to never spread false rumors again Allah (SWT) threatens those people who spread rumors with punishment in hellfire Translation of Surah Nur (21-26)  Surah Nur goes on to explain that the spreading of false rumors and slander is from the whispers of Shaytan The verses warn the people about following the path of the devil, because the devils goal is for people to indulge in such talks and lead people astray The devil starts people with minor sins, leading them to major sins Allah (SWT) ask the believer to repent to Allah and ask for forgiveness Allah (SWT) purifies the believers and guides them from His favor, it is not somethings believers can achieve on their own Abu Bakr (RA) spent on his cousin Mistah, who was involved in the slander of Aisha (RA). After learning of Mistah's role, Abu Bakr vowed to stop supporting him. However, Allah revealed a verse urging forgiveness. Moved by Allah's words, “Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you?”, Abu Bakr said, “By Allah, I want Allah’s forgiveness!” and resumed supporting Mistah. Allah (SWT) has instructed Mulsims to forgive each other to increase our good deeds Overlooking other people sins and forgiving them to ease the heart of the person who has been wrong  The people who accused chaste women for whom lewdness has never even crossed their minds, the threat of Allah is two-fold: 1. In this world they will be considered morally corrupt, their testimony will be rejected and they will be punished by Shariah 2. They will be cursed on the Day of Judgement and will not have Allah’s mercy. They will be punished in the hellfire and their limbs will bear witness for the sins they have committed Allah will make a fair judgement against them on the Day of Judgement without leaving a single detail out  Chapter 7: Divine Laws Muslims believe that Allah is the one who predetermined the affairs of His creatures and that He knows that everything happens to them Allah’s wisdom is infinite, and Muslims believe that nothing in the world happens by coincidence Divine laws are divided into 2 categories: 1. Sunan Hatmiyyah (Inevitable Laws): Laws in which man has no choice (Ex: death) 2. Sunan Shartiyyah (Dependent Laws): Laws which are dependent on a person's actions. They occur in the form of 2 interconnected events: condition (shart) and result (jaza) (Ex: A person who wants to change his lazy behavior (condition) they must give up being lazy and distance themselves from sin and become hardworking (jaza)) Ayah: “It is Allah Who alternates the Night and the Day: verily in these things is an instructive example for those who have vision!” The verse draws people’s attention to the importance of these laws and the importance of understanding them: 1. The Building of the Earth and thriving of life: 2. They constitute a means of knowing the greatness and majesty of the Creator Allah (SWT) 3. Connecting and communicating with others, reaching out to them and engaging in a mutual exchange of benefits among people: 4. Feeling inner peace and tranquility  Characteristics of divine laws: 1. Thabat (Stability/Constancy): They don’t change with change of place and time 2. Ittirad (co-extensiveness/regularity): Laws that repeat constantly when their condition is repeated 3. Umum (Generality): Rules that apply to all creatures with no exception (more examples on pg 99 bcs i dont wanna do it :p) Method of knowing the Divine Laws: 1. Direct observation of the movement of the universe (Contemplating about science of the way the world works) 2. Investigating Divine laws through Quranic texts, Hadiths, and the history of nations and communities  Allah, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, delays punishment to give people time to reflect, repent, and reform, rather than hastening retribution for their actions. Conditional law (Sunnah shartiyyah) may not happen immediately, but will happen eventually (Ex: Prophet Nuh (AS) preached to people for 950 years, but only a few people believed him) Allah provides for both believers and non-believers so that people choose to believe in Him out of sincerity, not out of need or force.  Chapter 8: Responsibility in Islam Ayah: "Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds" Hadith: The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allah loves when one of you performs an action, that he does it with perfection” Allah honored humans with intellect, making it the basis of their responsibility to follow His commands and limits. No one is accountable for the actions of others and people are not born sinful or with the consequences of others' actions. Concept of Responsibility: Responsibility means being liable (legally accountable) for the consequences of one’s voluntary actions in religious and worldly matters. Man is accountable to Allah for fulfilling obligations in actions where he has the choice and ability to act. If a person fulfills his obligations, he will be rewarded, and if he does not then he will be punished The Relationship Between Responsibility and Choice:Responsibility is tied to man’s choice and will that is determined by Allah (SWT), and one is not accountable for matters beyond their control. (Ex:skin color, gender, etc) Types of Responsibility: 1. Individual responsibility (Mas'uliyyah Fardiyyah): Individuals being responsible for themselves ❖ Kinds of individual responsibility: 1) Religious responsibility: Each person will be questioned about their actions on the Day of Judgement 2) Moral responsibility: A Muslim should hold themself accountable and reflect on their actions 3) Responsibility before the government and public opinion: A Muslim is accountable to their community, judged by courts for legal matters and by public opinion for moral actions ❖ Stages of individual responsibility: 1) Pre-Action responsibility: Making good decisions which involves careful planning and considering options and their consequences 2) Post-Action responsibility: Being accountable for the choices made, their execution, and their outcomes. (Ex: Looking for a job, finishing university) ❖ Domains of individual responsibility: 1) Man’s responsibility towards himself: ➔ Obey Allah’s commands ➔ Avoid prohibitions ➔ Meet your basic needs lawfully ➔ Protect yourself from harm and sin ➔ Improving your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. 2) Man’s responsibility towards family and relatives: Relations of family members is considered the structure of a strong society. Islam specifies that each member has their own tasks and rights towards other family members. 3) Occupational (professional) responsibility: A Muslim has the responsibility towards doing his occupation with perfection and in the most complete way 4) Man’s responsibility towards his homeland and community: ➔ Every Muslim must protect their homeland, maintain stability, and avoid spreading conflict or corruption, contributing to the nation’s well-being by following laws and supporting its growth. ➔ H.H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasized that the national service is a sacred duty that strengthens both individuals and the nation, preserving sovereignty and advancing achievements. ❖ The limits of individual responsibility: A person is responsible not only for their actions but also for their consequences. Individuals are held accountable for the actions of others in the following cases: 1) If they order or encourage the action. 2) If others follow their example. 3) If they stay silent when they can stop it 2. Collective responsibility (Mas’uliyah jama’iyyah): Responsibility of society ❖ Islam balances individual and collective responsibility, prioritizing the public good. ❖ Individuals contribute to society's well-being.l ❖ Society provides security, stability, and a better quality of life. ❖ Both individual welfare and society's welfare are equally important. ❖ Communal Obligations (Furūd Kifā’iyyah): 1) Society looking after the interests of its members: Collective obligations, if one person fulfills them, others are exempt, but if not done, everyone is accountable before Allah. (Ex: Janazah prayer) 2) Establishing scientific and academic centres for supporting talented and gifted people in many fields 3) Achieving food and economic security in Muslim society 4) Establishing purpose driven media institutions: to spread awareness and positivity 5) Internal and external security: Security helps maintain stability in all areas of life, including mental, social, economic, and political.  Chapter 9: The Five purposes of Islamic Legislation Ayah: “Does man think that he will be left aimless and purposeless?” The goal of creating man is so that they worship Allah (SWT), fulfill his commands and so He can test who performs the best deeds. Maqasid- purposes, aims, intentions. Plural: maqsid Maqasid al-Shariah (Aims and purposes of the Shariah) are the goals of Islamic law to protect religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property. Benefits of studying the Maqsid al-Shariah: 1. Protect Muslims against destructive ideas: Studying Maqasid al-Shariah helps protect Muslims against harmful ideas by providing a clear understanding of Islamic principles and values. 2. Maqsid are the soul of actions: It helps a Muslim realize the benefits of his actions so they continue it or the harmful effects of his actions so that he avoids it 3. Maqasid guide decision-making on new issues and events based on Islamic principles: Gives priority to the view that best achieves the higher objectives of Shariah, focusing on securing benefits and preventing harm. 4. Maqasid are a key source for independent reasoning in addressing new issues, ensuring alignment with Islamic principles: Understanding and correctly applying Islamic rulings to new issues by interpreting Shariah texts accurately. Darurah (necessity) is included under the legal principle of preserving the five essential needs: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property.