1.2 Dar al Islam

Mecca

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

Qur'an or Koran

Holy text of Islam regarded as a revelation from God to the prophet Muhammad.

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.

Trans-Saharan trade

route across the sahara desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading

Indian Ocean trade

Connected to Europe, Africa, and China. Worlds richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion. Spices, slaves, silk, ivory, gold, and many other items crossed through the Indian Ocean, and the spread of Islam owed much to the trade network.

Seljuk Empire

Turkic empire ruled by sultans in Persia and modern-dayIraq (11th and 12th centuries); Established Turks as major ethnic group carrying Islam across Eurasia, along with Arabs and Persians; Demonstrated weakness of Abbasid caliphate in its lateryears; sultans held real power in the empire; Helped to spread the influence of Islam throughout the region

Crusaders

Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries that fought for the recovery of the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Seljuk Turks who had limited Christian travel

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.

Abbasid Caliphate

(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Muslim could be a part of.

Mamluk Sultanate

A political unit in Egypt established by enslaved Turks from Central Asia who overthrew the Egyptian gov (1250-1517). Did not set up a consistent, hereditary line of succession. Facilitated some trade of cotton & sugar between Islamic world & Europe. Decline in importance after European Age of Exploration gets other routes to Asia. Failed to adapt to new warfare and were eventually defeated by the Ottomans.

House of Wisdom in Baghdad

Large Islamic-based Library and learning center. Focus of conversion of Greek and Roman classics and Indian learning into Arabic. Preserved knowledge.

Sufism

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin.

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Nasir al-Din Tusi

Persian mathematician, philosopher, and cosmologist whose academy near Tabriz provided the model for the movement of the planets that helped to inspire the Copernican model of the solar system (heliocentric theory)

Jizya tax

A tax that non-Muslims who lived in Islamic empires had to pay in exchange for protection and keeping their religion

Dhimmis

"People of the book"; A term meaning "protected peoples"; they included Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. Excluded them from slavery

Sunni

The largest denomination of Islam whose name comes from the word Sunnah, referring to the exemplary behavior of the prophet Muhammad. Believed that the next caliph should be chosen by the community and should be both a secular and religious leader

Shia

A branch of Islam which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad's successor should be a direct bloodline descendant of the prophet. Make up 10% of the world's Muslim population today, located mostly in Iran, practice Sharia Law (strict adherence to the faith)

Sharia Law

Code of law derived from the Quran and the teachings & example of Muhammad. Strictly enforced in Shia countries

Spiritual, Economic, Social

Motivations to convert to Islam

Kaaba

(Islam) a black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine

West Africa, Southeast Asia

Places where Islam spread as a result of merchants & trade

Anatolia, El Andalus, Delhi

Places where Islam spread as a result of conquest

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Astrolabe

Navigational instrument developed by Islamic scientists that allowed users to determine latitude based on the position of stars and planets in the sky

Library of Cordoba

Center of learning and intellectual life in Muslim-ruled Spain. Helped diffuse knowledge from Dar al Islam to Europe

Uses for Arabic language in Dar al Islam

Political (law-making), religious (reading the Quran), commercial (trade), scholarly (translation movement)

Mathematical advancements in Dar al Islam

Use of Indian numeric system (Arabic numerals), algebra, geometry, trigonometry

Medical advancements in Dar al Islam

Medical diagnoses, first hospital systems & exams for pharmacists and doctors, procedures including cataracts and dental surgeries

Rights of women in the early Islamic world

Legally inherit property, divorce husbands, engage in business ventures, banning female infanticide, receive dowry payments (patriarchal norms that existed pre-Islam gradually return over time)