World History chapter 9 Islam

sheikh

The ruler of an Arabic tribe, chosen from one of the leading families by a council of elders.

Allah

Arabic for God; the supreme god of Islam.

Quran

The holy scriptures of the religion of Islam.

Islam

Monotheistic religion that emerged in the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century.

Muslim

A person who believes in Islam.

Hijrah

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

Bedouin

A nomadic Arab who lives in the Arabian, Syrian or North African deserts.

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Makkah, one of the requirements of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Five Pillars of Islam

Acts of worship every Muslim must perform; this includes belief, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage.

Shari’ah

A law code drawn up by Muslim scholars after Muhammad’s death; it provided believers with a set of practical laws to regulate their daily lives.

Caliph

A successor of Muhammad as spiritual and temporal leader of the Muslims.

Jihad

Struggle in the way of God.

Caliphate

The office or dominion of caliph.

Shia

A Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali as the true rulers of Islam.

Sunni

A Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of the Umayyads as the true rulers of Islam.

Sultan

Holder of power; the military and political head of state under the Seljuk Turks and the Ottomans.

Bazaar

A covered market in Islamic cities.

Dowry

A gift of money or property paid at the time of marriage, either by the bride’s parents to her husband, or in Islamic societies, by a husband to his wife.

Astrolabe

Instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing positions of stars.

Arabesques

Geometric patterns repeated over and over to completely cover a surface with decoration.

Minaret

Tower of a mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer 5 times a day.

Muezzin

Crier who calls the Muslim faithful to prayer from the minaret of a mosque.