Islamic Civilization Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering the basics, systems, and social structures of Islamic Civilization as per the lecture transcript.

Mu'allaquat

A pre-Islamic tradition, literally 'the hangings', where poets would hang writings on the walls of Mecca to celebrate tribe virtues.

Islamic Civilization

A culture left by predecessors based on four main aspects: the Holy Qur'an, Sunna, the Arabic Language, and the Arabian Nation.

Cave of Hira

The location where the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation during an isolated retreat in the mountains.

Qur'an

The literal word of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad over a period of $23$ years, beginning when he was $40$ years old.

Abo Bakr

The first caliph who began the collection of the Qur'an's words and verses from the Sahaba into a single book.

Osman ibn Affan

The third caliph who completed the final stage of collecting the Qur'an into a single volume distributed to all Muslim regions.

Uthmanic codex

The standard version and archetype of the Qur'an established by Caliph Uthman.

Abu al-Aswad

The individual credited with adding dots to the words of the Qur'an after the death of Osama.

Al Khalil ibn Ahmed al Farahidi

The scholar who established grammar basics for the Qur'an, marking signs in red color.

Sunna

Literally 'habitual practice'; refers to the speech, deeds, and reports narrated from the Prophet Muhammad.

Hadith

Recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad which, alongside the Qur'an, serve as a major source of Shari'ah.

Shari'ah

Islamic law derived from the Qur'an, Sunna, and Hadith.

ʿIlm al-ḥadīth

The science developed by Muslim scholars to determine the reliability of individual traditions.

Tafsīr

The practice of Qur'anic exegesis or interpretation of the holy text.

Fiqh

Islamic jurisprudence which provides the basis for legal rulings not explicitly discussed in the Qur'an.

Ancient Schools

Regional schools of law (in Mecca, Kufa, Basra, etc.) that prevailed before the 'golden age' of classical Islamic jurisprudence.

Amr Ibn AL Ās

The leader who entered Egypt in $641$ AD and introduced the Arabic language to the region.

Middle Arabic

A variety of Arabic that continued ancient features from Old Higazi registers, used in Judeo-Christian texts.

Al Dam

One of the specific marks or signs used in Arabic grammar and orthography.

Al Fath

A phonetic mark in the Arabic language grammar system.

Al Kasr

A specific sign used in the standardized Arabic grammatical system.

Nabataeans

Northward-emigrating Arab tribes centered in Petra, Jordan, who are credited as the first to use the Arabic script.

Aramaic alphabet

The language of communication and trade used by Nabataeans to develop their writing system, eventually evolving into Arabic script.

Kūfic

A thick, bold, and monumental type of Arabic script developed in the city of Kūfah, Iraq, towards the end of the $7^{th}$ century CE.

Naskhī

A flowing, cursive Arabic script adapted for writing on papyrus or paper, and the direct ancestor of modern Arabic writing.

Simple Kufic

A form of Kufic script characterized by its lack of ornamentation and basic structure.

Geometric Kufic

A style of Kufic script where the letters are arranged to form square or geometric shapes.

Floriated Kufic

A decorative form of Kufic script featuring floral motifs and embellishments.

Nilometer

An ancient monument on Rawada island dating to the Abbasid era that features the most ancient examples of Kufic script in Egypt.

Thuluth

A style of Arabic script offering a method of ornamentation and cursive handwriting more easily used than Kūfic.

Dīwānī

A script style adapted by the Ottomans for the ornamentation of official government documents.

Taʿlīq

A script style resulting from the $9^{th}$ century renaissance of the Persian language, adapted for Persian spelling.

Nastaʿlīq

The primary modern style of writing for Persian, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu, descended from Taʿlīq.

Dilmun

A prominent ancient civilization in the Arabian Peninsula that arose around the $4^{th}$ millennium BCE.

Thamud

An ancient Arabian civilization that lasted from the $1^{st}$ millennium BCE to approximately $300$ CE.

Sabaean kingdom

A major South Arabian kingdom, possibly known as Sheba, prominent during the first millennium BCE.

Bedouins

Arabs who settled in the desert regions, particularly in Hejaz and Yemen.

Dhimmis

A protected class of non-Muslims in a Muslim society who were required to pay the jizya tax.

Jizya

A special tax paid by dhimmis to the Islamic state in exchange for protection.

Mawali

Non-Arab Muslims who, during the first century of Muslim rule, were often distinguished from Arab Muslims.

Hejaz

The region in Arabia where the mountains were formed by geologic mass tilting upward $25$ million years ago.

Caliphate

The system of leadership and succession in the Islamic political structure, starting with Abu Bakr al-Sedīq.

Prince of the Messenger of God

A title given to the caliph starting from the reign of Omar bin Al-Khattab.

Al-Mustasem Bellah

The last caliph of the Abbasid dynasty before the system was ended by the Mongols.

Moez li-Din Allah

A Fatimid caliph whose name reflects the religious concept of connecting the caliph's title to Allah.

The Imam

A title meaning 'the leader of prayers', first used by the caliph Ali Ibn Abo Taleb.

Holly Garment

The garment of Prophet Muhammad, honored to Kaab ibn Zahir and eventually kept in the Topkapi Palace Museum.

Kaab ibn Zahir ibn Abi Salma

A famous poet to whom the Prophet's garment was given upon his conversion to Islam.

Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan

The caliph who purchased the Prophet's garment from Kaab's family for $40,000$ Dirhams ($1600$ pounds).

Vizierate

The political office responsible for carrying the duties of the caliphs, derived from the Arabic word 'wazīr'.

Wazīr al-tanfīdh

Defined by al-Mawardi as a 'vizier of execution' with limited powers to implement specific policies.

Wazīr al-tafwīd

A 'vizier with delegated powers' who possessed authority over civil and military affairs similar to the caliph.

Yacoup Ibn Kelis

The first vizier during the Fatimid period, serving under the caliph Al-Aziz Bellah.

Dar Alwezara Alkobra

The center and residence where viziers performed their administrative duties.

Viceroy

In the Mamluk period, this office (sultan’s deputy) replaced the importance of the vizierate.

Katib

An administrative officer or secretary, an office of great honor and essential to the royal court.

Katib al-sirr

The title for the chancellery secretary or chief-secretary.

Katib al-djaysh

The secretary specifically responsible for the administration of the army.

Al-Ǧahšiyārī

The historian who listed the secretaries and viziers of Prophet Muhammad and subsequent caliphs.

Kuttāb al-waḥy

Secretaries specifically charged with writing down the revealed verses of the Qurʾān.

Ibn Mamaty

The author of 'The Law of the Divans', a famous book on government administration.

Al-Qalqashandi

One of the most prominent writers and administrative secretaries during the Mamluk period.

Higa`bah

The office of the chamberlain, responsible for protecting the ruler's privacy and granting permission for entry.

Hagib Al-Hugab

The master of chamberlains in the Mamluk period who solved problems and managed Divan charges.

Al-Rashidun Caliphs

The 'Rightly Guided Caliphs' during whose period individual and institutional administrative practices were first established.

Wali

The governor of a state, appointed by and under the responsibility of the caliph.

Ahmed Ibn Tulun

A governor of Turkish origin in Egypt during the Abbasid period.

General Governorate

A type of governorship in charge of finance and judgment, further divided into private or dependent categories.

Divan

A 'register' or 'government bureau' first appearing under Caliph Umar I as a pension list.

Army Registry

The first Divan established by Omar Ibn Khattab to record soldiers' names and salaries after the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah.

Ring Divan

Established by Mu`aweia Ibn Abo Sofian to stamp documents and prevent forgery.

Divan El-Ensha`

The Abbasid-era name for the Letters Divan, which used the Tughra seal for Sultan names.

Tughra

The decorative script used in the Divan El-Ensha` to write the name of the Sultan.

Barid

The post system, believed to be derived from the Latin 'verds' or Persian 'Barida', meaning a distance of $12$ miles.

Sahib al-Barid

The postmaster-general, responsible for sending news and informing the ruler of official activities.

Dhaat Al-Sawaari

A decisive naval battle during the early Islamic expansion in the Mediterranean.

Qiyds

Analogical or syllogistic reasoning used by jurists to derive solutions for new legal challenges.

Ijmda

The unanimous endorsement or consensus of Muslim jurists that is binding on the community.

Qadi

An Islamic judge, a role originating with the Prophet Muhammad to solve disputes based on the Qur'an and Sunna.

Qadi al-Qudah

The title for the 'Chief of Judges' established during the Abbasid period.

Divan Al-Mazalem

The specialized office or Divan dedicated to the Court of Complaints.

Husba

The office responsible for supervising the markets and promoting 'good' while forbidding 'evil'.

Muhtaseb

The market inspector or supervisor; Prophet Muhammad is considered the first in Islam.

Agoranom

The Roman equivalent of the Muhtaseb, representing market supervision.

Wali Al-shurta

The police officer or 'governor of war' in the Mamluk period, responsible for security and preventing chaos.

Bayt al-Māl

The 'House of Money' or central treasury responsible for managing state revenues and expenditures.

Fay

Funds obtained by the state from non-believers through peace treaties without actual combat.

Safiyy

The portion of war spoils that the Prophet selected for himself before general distribution.

Fifth of fifth

A specific portion ($\frac{1}{5}$ of $\frac{1}{5}$) of war spoils received by the Prophet.

Al-Bushmur

A revolution against high taxes that occurred in $216$ AH at the end of the caliphate of Al-Ma'mon.

Booty

Resources such as money, jewelry, and captives taken by Muslims with intention after a war.

Kharaj

A land tax imposed on the produce of land owned by non-Muslims.

Zakat

An obligatory almsgiving representing $2.5\%$ of a Muslim's annual cumulative wealth for the poor.

Al-‘ushur

A tax placed on goods brought by merchants, provided they exceed $200$ Dirhams in value.

Al-Mukus

Illegal or extra-Sharia taxes imposed on merchants, water sources, and industry.

Dinar

The gold currency unit of the Byzantine Empire later minted by the Islamic state, weighing $1$ mithqal ($4.25$ grams).

Dirham

The silver currency unit derived from the Persian Empire and later adopted by the Islamic state.

Sikka

The name protocol included on coins as proof of the actual ruler.

Fulus

Copper coins (singular: Fals) produced in the Arab-Byzantine period starting in the $A.H. 50s ($670s$AD).$

Bism Allah

The most common marginal legend on Arab-Sasanian coins, meaning 'In the name of God'.