Sacred text and

Morality in Islam

Qur’an and Hadith

The Qur’an

The first pillar of Islam (Shahada) is a summary of the Qur’an:

There is one God

God speaks through prophets (Muhammad)

The Qur’an gives guidance on how to worship, behave and see the world

The book is kept on the highest piece of furniture in a room and always kept clean

Children learn from the Qur’an very young in Arabic

Anyone who memorizes the Qur’an is known as hafiz (memorizer)

How the Qur’an is organized

It is divided into 114 Suras, which are more like chapters than books

They are in order from longest to shortest.

They are numbered and named (e.g. there is a chapter called Maryam, about the mother of Prophet Isa (Jesus).

Most Suras begin with with the words: “In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the Merciful”

It does not tell a story or give facts; rather is is organized more like classical music (with repetitive themes and dramatic movements)

Islamic views on divine revelation

Islam recognizes 3 sets of scriptures as containing partial revelations of God’s will:

The Torah

The Psalms

The Gospels

These books are considered inspired by God – the Qur’an is the complete and final revelation

Interpretations of the Qur’an

Originally, it was believed to not need interpretation

After Muhammad’s death and Islam spread to new cultures and languages, interpretation was needed

Two sources complement the Qur’an:

The Sunna – a collection of the prophet’s words and actions, by his family and friends; “sunna” means “beaten path”

The Hadith – writings about the prophet (sometimes the authenticity of these are debated)

Sharia law

Islamic law (sharia) comes from the Qur’an, Sunnah and Hadith (Muslims look first to the Qur’an)

In some countries, shariahlaw is the law of the state

Sharia includes laws about crime, economics, sexuality, modesty, politics, prayer, food, divorce etc.

Interpretation of sharia varies in its strictness from country to country

5 Categories of Shariah

Obligatory actions/duties – following 5 pillars of Islam

Recommended actions – giving charity beyond zakat

Neutral actions – things not addressed in scriptures

Discouraged actions – divorce (but there is no penalty)

Forbidden actions – murder, theft, adultery

How sharia is observed In Islamic states, sharia is observed through laws of

country

Penalties are harsh, but rarely carried out – God is forgiving and judges consider the circumstances of a crime

In Canada, Muslims observe sharia in the moral aspects of behaviour

Some wish to apply sharia to situations like family law

Balance between civil law and sharia in Canada – Canada accommodates limited observance

Muslims legal experts provide new interpretations for situations not covered in the scriptures

Fatwas

A fatwa is a religious order given by a scholar who is authorized to do so

Usually about daily religious life (prayer, fasting) but can be about current events

In Sunni Islam, these orders are not binding (they are one authority’s opinion)

In Shi’a Islam, they are sometimes seen as binding by individuals – e.g. an individual asks an authority for opinion on a personal issue

A fatwa doesn’t necessarily become part of Islamic teaching

Themes in the Qur’anSubmission to the will of God (life is a struggle (jihad) to

surrender to God)

God requires that people pray

God is beyond definitions – He is merciful but also a stern judge – there are 99 names for God revealed

God is one – anything that distracts from this (e.g. money, nationalism) is to be avoided

God made the universe and people need to care for creation

There will be a final judgment and resurrection of the dead