The Abbasid Caliphate and Sectarian Divides within Islam

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts relevant to the Abbasid Caliphate and sectarian divides within Islam, based on lecture notes.

Caliphate

A form of Islamic government led by a caliph who is considered a political and religious successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

Abbasid

A dynasty that took over the Islamic Caliphate from the Umayyads in 750, marking a period of cultural and political expansion.

Umayyad

The first dynasty of Islamic caliphs, ruling from 661 to 750, known for expanding the Islamic Empire.

Mawalis

Non-Arab Muslims, particularly Persians, who experienced social and political discrimination under the Umayyad Caliphate.

Sufi

A mystical Islamic belief system that emphasizes inward search for God and shuns materialism.

Shi’a

A major branch of Islam which holds that Ali, the cousin of Muhammad, was the rightful first caliph.

Kharijite Movement

The first sect that split from the main body of Islam, advocating that leadership should be based on merit rather than lineage.

Mahdism

The belief in a messianic redeemer in Shi'a Islam who will come before the Day of Judgment.

Sufism

A mystical Islamic belief system focusing on the inward search for God and the cultivation of spirituality.

Caesaropapism

A political system in which the secular leader is also the head of the religious establishment.

Al-Mansur

The founder of the Abbasid Caliphate, who claimed descent from Abu al-Abbas and played a crucial role in moving the capital to Baghdad.

Baghdad

The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, known as 'Madinat al-Salam' or 'City of Peace', which became a center of learning and culture.

Dynasty

A line of hereditary rulers of a country or empire.