Islam Unit

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Allah

God of Islam

Haij

a Muslim who has been to Mecca as a pilgrim

Five Pillars

beliefs that all Muslims needed to carry out: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage

Qur'ran

holy text of Muhammad's words

Muslim

a follower of the religion of Islam

Sunna

An Islamic model for living, based on the life and teachings of Muhammad

Umma

The community of all Muslims. A major innovation against the background of seventh-century Arabia, where traditionally kinship rather than faith had determined membership in a community.

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

Yathrib (Medina)

final destination of Muhammad's hijra and the home of the first community of Muslims; later renamed Medina; located in the northwest of present-day Saudi Arabia

Bedouin

Nomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula; culture based on camel and goat nomadism; early converts to Islam.

Hijrah

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to (Yathrib) Medina

Mosque

A Muslim place of worship

Shari'a

Body of Islamic law that includes interpretation of the Quran and applies Islamic principles to everyday life

Khadijah

Muhammad's wife

Muhammad

Arab prophet; founder of religion of Islam. Born in Mecca to a powerful Meccan Family

Caliph

successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims

Rightly Guided Caliph

The first four leaders of the Islamic community after the Prophet Muhammad's death in 632 C.E. were Abū Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmān, and 'Alī. They were close companions of the Prophet and succeeded him in administrative roles such as tax collection, leading armies, enforcing Islamic law, and appointing governors, but not in his spiritual role as the bringer of revelation.

Umayyad

the first dynasty of Arab caliphs whose capital was Damascus

Abbasid

Dynasty that succeeded the Umayyads as caliphs within Islam; came to power in 750 C.E. Capital is in Baghdad

Sunni

A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Shi'a

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Sufi

The branch of Islam that believes in a more mystical connection with Allah.

Al-Andalus

A Muslim-ruled region in what is now Spain, established by the Berbers in the eighth century A.D. The capital was Cordaba

Fatimid Caliphate

A caliphate that was formed by Shi'a Muslims who claimed descent from Muhammad's daughter Fatima. Was in Egypt

People's whose religions were protected by the Muslims

Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians

House of Wisdom

Combination library, academy, and translation center in Baghdad established in the 800s.

Calligraphy

art of beautiful handwriting

Al-Khwarizmi

Muslim mathematician who pioneered the study of algebra

Social Classes in Muslim society

1. Upper Class- Muslim at Birth 2. Second Class- Converts to Islam 3. Third Class- Protected people (Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians) 4. Lowest Class- Slaves (POW, non-Muslims, Pagans, and polytheistic religions.