Islam & The UAE - Early History and Developments

Vocabulary terms and definitions based on the lecture about the arrival and spread of Islam in the UAE and Arabian Gulf region.

Jahiliya

The period in Arabia before the arrival of Islam, meaning the time before Islam.

Hijra

The migration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina in $622\,CE$, an event marking the early expansion of Islam.

Al-Baladhuri

A scholar whose written historical accounts help historians understand how Islamic civilisation expanded quickly.

Al-Tabari

A historical scholar whose written records provide evidence of the early Islamic period and its expansion.

Al Julanda

Tribal leaders in the region of Suhar whose acceptance of Islam in $630\,CE$ ($9\,AH$) helped spread the religion along the Gulf coast.

Abu Bakr

The first Caliph who sent soldiers from the Hijaz region to support the Al Julanda tribe during the conflict at Dibba.

Dibba

A major port and site of a key conflict around $632\,CE$ following the death of the Prophet Muhammad ($\text{PBUH}$).

Julfar

An early port town, now part of Ras Al Khaimah, that became an important centre of trade and Islamic civilisation.

Suhar

A port town in present-day Oman where leaders accepted the Prophet's invitation to Islam, establishing the faith on the Eastern coast.

Hypostyle Mosque

A common early mosque design featuring an open courtyard and a flat, beamed roof supported by columns.

Qibla Wall

The wall within a mosque that indicates the direction of prayer towards Mecca.

Mihrab

A prayer niche placed in the Qibla wall to guide worshippers during prayer.

Merchant

A person involved in trade; Prophet Muhammad ($\text{PBUH}$) worked as one before receiving the revelation of Islam, travelling to places like Damascus.

Civilisation

A key vocabulary term referring to the advanced social and cultural development reached by the Islamic world.

Indigo

A dye based on the Arabic word "an-nil" (النيلي), which Arab traders spread as a key export from the Indian subcontinent.

Principles

The fundamental teachings of Islam that Prophet Muhammad ($\text{PBUH}$) taught to the early Muslim community.

Navigate

To plan and direct the course of a ship, a skill central to trade and the growth of coastal ports like Julfar.