history (most of muhammad vocab)

Bedouin

Nomadic peoples who occupied Arabia for millenia. They kept various animals and migrated through the desert to find grass and water for them. They were organized into family/clan groups. Everyone relied on the large kinship networks to support them in times of need. They had strong loyalty to their clans in the harsh, unforgiving desert.

Muhammad

The prophet that created Islam. He came from bedouin herders and merchants. He was an orphan at the age of six but other family members took care of him. He experienced a spiritual awakening when he went into a cave and an angel visited him.

Khadija

As a young man, Muhammad worked for a woman named Khadija, a wealthy widow. He married her and gained a minor position of prominence in the Meccan society.

Qur’an

Oral presentations were a big part of Meccan culture so Muhammad presented oral recitations of the teachings he learned during his visions. His followers prepared written texts of his teachings as Islam grew to protect them and avoid corruption. These teachings were compiled into the Quran, the holy book of Islam.

Hajj

The holy pilgrimage to Mecca (which Muslims make every year)

Mecca

Muhammad’s native city in Saudi Arabia

Ka’ba

When Muhammad announced his hatred of Idolatry, people who profited from merchants and pilgrims flocking to shrines to deities were threatened. One of the most well known shrines was Ka’ba. A large cube shaped building. It attracted many worshippers and brought wealth to Mecca. As Muhammad still attacked Idolatry, the elites of Mecca began to persecute the prophet and his followers.

Medina

As the pressure from these elites increased some followers fled to Abyssinia(Ethiopia). Muhammad remained in Mecca for a bit until he fled with a group of his followers to Yathrib which they renamed Medina(city of the prophet).

Hijra

Muhammads move to Medina is called the hijra

Umma

In Medina, Muhammad found himself in charge of a small society in exile that needed guidance in all affairs. The cohesive community he organized his followers in was called the umma (community of the faithful). He provided this community with legal and social code. He led them in prayers and looked after the economic welfare. He provided relief for widows, orphans, and the poor.

Islam

The religion that Muhammad created

Muslim

What the followers of Islam were called

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Muslims must acknowledge Allah as the only god and Muhammad as his prophet. 2. They must pray to Allah daily while facing Mecca. 3. They must observe a fast during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan. 4. They must contribute alms for the relief of the weak and poor. 5. In honor of Muhammads visits to Mecca, those who are physically and financially able must undertake the hajj and make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca.

Hadith

Traditions that include sayings attributed to Muhammad and accounts of the prophets' deeds. These provided moral and religious guidance for the Islamic community.

Sharia

The sharia is islamic holy law which emerged centuries after Muhammad. It's a detailed guide on proper behavior in all aspects of life.

Abu Bakr

When Muhammad died, people wanted to find a new caliph. Some said that it should be the closest relative to Muhammad, a man named Ali, but others wanted Abu Bakr, a close friend of Muhammad’s. After a lot of fighting Abu Bakr is chosen over Ali.

Caliph

A religious ruler regarded as the successor of Muhammad.

Ali

Ali was a close relative of Muhammad who was considered to be the caliph after Muhammad. Abu Bakr, a friend of Muhammad’s, was chosen over him. After that a man named Umar was chosen. Than Uthman who is assassinated after 12 years. A family member of Uthman, the governor of Syria, accuses Ali of planning this assassination. Ali, confident that he would not be found guilty of this murder, appoints a judge to tell if he was the killer of Uthman. The judge rules that he is but Ali does not let this slide. He keeps fighting in a war with the governor of Syria. (Ali has been on the throne ever since Uthman died). Some people later assassinate him.

Shia

Believe in the Quran and the Sunnah. Believes there are 12 inams (successors of Muhammad) who are saintly figures/caliphs. There is a hidden inam and until he is found they must rely on religious authorities to lead them in lieu of a caliph (but with less power). The shia liked Ali and Husayn. Kufa was the center of the Shia resistance.

Sunni

Believe in the Quran and the Sunnah and that they are the only true sources of islamic law. A religious scholar interprets islamic law and they take in a bunch of muslim beliefs, religious practices, and customs.

Umayyad dynasty

After the assassination of Ali, the Umayyad dynasty was established. Their capital was in Damascus. The Umayyad dynasty temporarily solved the problem of who was going to rule. They had great merchant clans and many alliances that helped them communicate with the islamic empire. They appointed members of the Arab military aristocracy as governers and administrators of conquered lands and distributed the wealth to this class. In the early eighth century, the Umayyad caliphs started to neglect morality and Islamic doctrine and devoted themselves to luxurious living. The Shia were upset by this and kept pushing for a descendent of Ali to become the Caliph. All of this and the discontent of the empire's people with the rule, led to the fall of the Umayyad dynasty.

dar al-Islam

An arabic term that means house of Islam (refers to lands under islamic rule)

Abbasid dynasty

A rebellion in Peria led to the Umayyad Dynasty’s fall. The leader of this rebellion was Aby al-Abbas, a relative of Muhammad. Although he was a Sunni Arab , he allied with the Shia and non-Arab muslim converts. He fought the Umayyad Dynasty for a bit until he invited them to a feast to reconcile their differences where he promptly arrested and then slaughtered the Umayyads during the festivities. He then founded the Abbasid Dynasty. This dynasty allowed many different people to rise to wealth and power. This dynasty, unlike the Umayyad dynasty, was not a conquering dynasty. They occasionally would clash with nomadic people or with the Byzantine Empire but did not conquer civilizations.

Ulama

Ulama were learned officials who set moral standard in local communities and resolved disputes

Qadi

Qadi were judges who set moral standard in local communities and resolved disputes

Harun al-Rashid

The reign of the caliph, Harun al-Rashid, was the high point in the Abbasid Dynasty. The Abbasid Dynasty had some force in provinces near Baghdad which were bringing in tax revenues. Baghdad was flourishing and therefore the Abbasid Dynasty was also doing well. Harun al-Rashid was known for supporting artists and writers, bestowing gifts, and giving to the poor in the streets of Baghdad.