Orthodoxy, freedom of belief and religion in resolving conflict

Overview

Meaning of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah, takfir and explain why it is regarded as dangerous and amman Message.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Who decides what counts as orthodox in Islam?

   Model answer

   There is no pope, council or single teaching office in Sunni Islam, so orthodoxy is settled by the consensus of qualified scholars, the authority of the established schools, the standing of institutions such as al-Azhar, and the acceptance of the community over time.

2. 2

   Explain the meaning of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah.

   Model answer

   Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah means the people of the sunnah and the community, the self-description of Sunni Muslims, and it defines orthodoxy by adherence to the Prophet's practice together with the main body of Muslims rather than by a creed imposed from above.

3. 3

   Define takfir and explain why it is regarded as dangerous.

   Model answer

   Takfir is declaring another Muslim to be an unbeliever, and mainstream scholarship treats it as extremely grave because the Prophet warned that the charge returns on the one who makes it falsely, and because the Kharijites showed where the practice leads once it licenses violence against fellow Muslims.

4. 4

   What was the Amman Message?

   Model answer

   The Amman Message, issued from Jordan in 2004 and endorsed by hundreds of scholars from across the Muslim world, recognised eight schools of law as valid, set out who is qualified to issue a fatwa, and declared takfir against the adherents of those schools forbidden.

5. 5

   Which groups' status within Islam is most sharply contested?

   Model answer

   The Ahmadiyya are the clearest case: the great majority of Muslims do not accept them as Muslim because of the prophetic claims made for Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and Pakistani law declares them non-Muslim, which human rights bodies criticise because it exposes a community to prosecution and violence for identifying itself as Muslim.

6. 6

   What does the Qur'an say about compulsion in religion?

   Model answer

   Surah 2 states that there is no compulsion in religion, since guidance stands out clearly from error, and Surah 109 ends by telling the unbelievers that they have their religion and the Prophet has his.

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