Ferment in the Middle East

World History Chapter 7

Bedouin

Nomadic tribes originally from northern Arabia, who became important traders after the domestication of the camel during the first millennium BCE. Early converts to Islam, their values, and practices deeply affected the religion

Sheikh

Originally, the ruler of a Bedouin tribe; later, also used as a more general honorific

Majlis

Council of elders among the Bedouins of the Roman era

Hegira

Flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622, which marks the first date on the official calendar of Islam

Umma

Muslim community, as a whole

Five Pillars of Islam

Core requirements of the Muslim faith: belief in Allah and his Prophet Muhammad; prescribed prayers; observation of Ramadan; pilgrimage to Mecca; and giving alms to the poor

Ramadan

Holy month of Islam, during which believers fast from dawn to sunset. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan migrates through the seasons

Ulama

Convocation of leading Muslim scholars, the earliest of which shortly after the death of Muhammad drew up a law code, called the shari’a, based largely on the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet, to provide believers with a set of prescriptions to regulate their daily lives

Shari’a

Law code, originally drawn up by Muslim scholars shortly after the death of Muhammad, that provides believers with a set of prescriptions to regulate their daily lives

Hadith

Collection of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, used to supplement the revelations contained in the Qur’an

Imam

Islamic religious leader. Some traditions say there is only one per generation; others use the term more broadly

Shi’ites

Second largest tradition of Islam, which split from the majority Sunni soon after the death of Muhammad, in a disagreement over the succession; especially significant in Iran and Iraq

Sunni

Largest tradition of Islam, from which the Shi’ites split soon after the death of Muhammad, in a disagreement over the succession

Vizier

Prime minister in the Abbasid caliphate and elsewhere, a chief executive

Sultan

“Holder of power,” a title commonly used by Muslim rulers in the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and elsewhere; still in use in parts of Asia, sometimes for regional authorities

Crusades

In the Middle Ages, a military campaign in defense of Christendom

Emir

“Commander” in Arabic; title used by Muslim rulers in southern Spain and elsewhere

Islam

Word literally means “submission;” most popular religion in the Middle East

• Submission to the will of God

Red Sea

Sea that separates the Middle East from Afric

Strait of Hormuz

Strait between the tip of the United Arab Emirates and Iran, connected to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea

Persian Gulf

Also referred to as the “Arabian Gulf” in the Middle East; gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, also touching Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar

Hijaz

Caravan area with a lot of trade

Mecca

(Know where it is); caravan area with a lot of trade

Muhammad

(c. 570–632 CE)

Founder of Islam; orphaned as a child and adopted by his uncle who does a lot of trade in Hijaz; pious individual that is disturbed by the movement away from traditional values in favor of material gain

• Frequently goes outside of the city to pray and meditate, and is visited by a figure known to Jews and Christians… Jabril 

• Muhammad goes back to his wife to tell her this, and she believes him 

Jabril

Holy figure that visited Muhammed while he was praying outside of the city; known by Jews and Christians as “the Angel Gabriel” 

• Tells Muhammad to pray and to write (Muhammad was illiterate); distribute the knowledge to the people

  • Said the Jews and Christians have the right knowledge, but have lost the truth along the way and had made errors in their actions

Allah

What God is called in Islam

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca during one’s lifetime (to visit the Kabba Stone)