Unit 4 World Religions - Islam

Islam

means "submission to the will of Allah/peace through submission" the religion that Muslims associate themselves with.

Muslim

a follower of the religion of Islam

Allah

Arabic word for God

Qur'an

In Muslim belief, God's final revelation, superseding the Jewish and Christian Bibles. The word means "recite" or "recitation." It is the holiest book for adherents of Islam.

- 114 Surahs (Chapters)

Muhammad

the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

Umma

The term for all Muslims as a community.

Surah

The name for a chapter of the Qur'an. There are 114 of them in the Qur'an.

Mecca

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

Khadija

First wife of Muhammad and first to convert to Islam.

Jibreel

(angel gabriel) revealed the quran to Muhammad

Mount Hira

the holy mountain where Muhammad first received divine revelation from Allah on the night of power

Night of Power and Excellence

When Gabriel appeared to Muhammad in a cave near Mount Hira. Beginning of Muhammad's life as prophet

Hijrah

the journey of Muhammad and his followers to Madinah in 622, which became year 1 of the official calendar of Islam

Medina (Yathrib)

City in western Arabia to which the Prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca.

Sunnah

The body of traditional customs and practices of Muhammad that are models for observant Muslims and shared through oral-tradition

Night Journey

621 CE, Muhammad rides to Jerusalem and ascends to heaven with the Angel Jibreel. In heaven he meets the Prophets (Abraham, Moses, and Jesus). God tells Muhammad that Muslims must pray 50 times a day, but Muhammad bargains with god to have his followers pray 5 times a day.

Abraham

a prophet and messenger of God according to Islam, and an ancestor to the Ishmaelite Arabs and Israelites. Abraham plays a prominent role as an example of faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Isaac

a revered prophet, the son of Ibrahim (Abraham) and his wife Sarah

Ishmael

Abraham's son by Hagar, Sarah's servant. a prophet and a direct ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad and the Arab people.

Day of Judgement

The day when Allah will decide about individual deeds, good and bad, and on reward or punishment.

Mahdi

Last imam in a series of twelve descendants of Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, whom Shi'ites consider divinely appointed leaders of the Muslim community. In occlusion since ca. 873, he is expected to return as an apocolyptic messiah at the end of time.

Shari'a

The revealed and canonical law of Islam based on the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Hadith that prescribes religious and temporal duties.

Five Pillars of Islam

The foundational principles and practices of Islam that were set forth by Muhammad and are practiced by all Muslims. Include: Declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage

Shahada (Declaration of Faith)

The confession of faith, the first of the Five Pillars and central creedal statement of Islam: "There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God."

Salat (Prayer)

The Second Pillar of Islam-- Obligatory Prayer 5 times per day - facing Mecca; prayers have special rituals: washing before prayer,bowing, and kneeling while praying

Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan)

Fourth Pillar of Islam, fasting takes place during Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Each day fro dawn until sunset, Muslims are to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sex

Zakat (Almsgiving)

3rd pillar of Islam, Muslims are required to contribute 2.5% of the value of their possessions to the public treasury. All Muslims, including the poor, are expected to live charitably.

Hajj (Pilgrimage)

The fifth pillar of the Muslim faith: visit Mecca at least once in your lifetime

Mosque

Buildings for personal and communal Islamic prayer and worship.

Imam

One who on Fridays, the Islamic day of worship, leads the prayer and gives the sermon in a mosque

Ramadan

the ninth month of the Muslim year in which the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset.

Kaaba

(Islam) a black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine. Believed to have fallen out of heaven.

Jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal/submitting to the will of Allah

Holy war

Fighting for a religious cause or God, probably controlled by a religious leader

caliph

Islamic temporal and spiritual leaders regarded by Sunni Muslims as successors of Muhammad. "deputy or representative of Islam."

Abu Bakr

First caliph of Islam after the death of Muhammad, he was a very early convert to Islam

Umar

2nd of the caliphs. Friend of Muhammad. A merchant. Spread Islam to Syria, Egypt, and Persia; redesigned government; paid soldiers; held a census; made taxes more fair; built roads & canals; aided poor

Uthman

Third caliph and member of Umayyad clan; murdered by mutinous warriors returning from Egypt; death set off civil war in Islam between followers of Ali and the Umayyad clan. Gave Islam the official version of the Qur'an

Ali

the fourth caliph of Islam who is considered to be the first caliph by Shiites. Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad

Battle of Tours

(732 CE) European victory over Muslims. It halted Muslim movement into Western Europe.

Cordoba

capital of Muslim Spain, an economic center, hundreds of workshops, culture and learning flourished there

Averroes

Spanish-Arabian philosopher and doctor, wrote commentaries on Aristotle, emphasized the compatability of faith and reason, said philosophical knowledge was derived from reason

Sunni Islam

Muslims belonging to branch of Islam believing that the community should select its own leadership. The majority religion in most Islamic countries. Pray 5x a day. Imams trace their teaching lineage to other Imams. Madhi: hasn't been born yet. Holies sites: Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem

Shia Islam

minority branch of Islam; belief that only a descendant of Ali can be caliph. Pray 3x daily. Madhi: disappeared and will return at the end of time. Holiest sites: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Najaf, and Karbala

Husayn

Grandson of Muhammad and son of Ali and Fatimah. He was martyred when refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid I of the Umayyad Caliphate and especially revered by the Shi'a Muslims for this.

Twelvers

Shi'ite sect that believes there are 12 Imams, and that the final one, the Mahdi, will come back. They are spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, Ali, his 2 sons, and others, and they are infallible and without sin are are divinely appointed to interpret the Qur'an

Sufism

the mystical, spiritual, and often ascetic tradition of Islam, focused on achieving a direct, personal experience of God through practices like meditation, renunciation of worldly desires, and ethical discipline

shaykh

A teacher and master in Islam, such as the leader of an order in Sufism

al-fana

"extinction"; annihilation of self before achieving union with Allah; the aim of Sufi mystics

whirling dervish

a religious ceremony called the sema. The dervishes spin in a continuous, circular motion as a form of meditative worship to get closer to God. This ritual is a symbolic imitation of the planets orbiting the sun and is seen as a spiritual offering.  

Eid al-Fitr

a significant Islamic holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Muslims observe this festival by giving charity, performing special prayers, and celebrating with family and friends through feasts and gift-giving.

Eid al-Adha

a major Islamic holiday that commemorates the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. Muslims celebrate this holiday with communal prayers, animal sacrifice (called Qurbani), sharing the meat with family and the poor, visiting loved ones, and exchanging gifts. The holiday also marks the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ayatollah

A religious scholar who had advanced knowledge of Islamic theology. They can issue fatwas (legal opinions)

Hadith

A tradition relating the words or deeds of the Prophet Muhammad; next to the Quran, the most important basis for Islamic law.

Halal

(Islam) meat from animals that have been slaughtered in the prescribed way according to the shariah

Haram

food that is forbidden by Islamic law

Wudu

The ritual washing of the face, hands, arms, top of head, and feet that a Muslim must perform before salah

Janamaz

Islamic prayer mat

Turbah

A small clay tablet used by Shi'a Muslims during prayer. It represents earth and is used because Shi'a believe salah must be performed on pure earth or what grows on it.

Mullah

One who has gone through schooling and is considered learned in scripture and the sacred law. A teacher and "judge" of Islam

The Dome of the Rock

Muslim shrine containing the rock from which Mohammad is believed to have risen to heaven; Jews believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac on the rock

Dervish

A Sufi Muslim who has taken a vow of poverty