RELST-160-01: EVERYDAY ISLAM - Midterm #1

Umma

The worldwide community of believers, united by faith rather than blood. Emerging under Muhammad after the Hijra, it replaced tribal loyalty with shared submission to God (tawhid).

First Fitna

The first Muslim civil war (656-661). Triggered by the assassination of Uthman and the ascension of Ali, who called for peace, not wanting to enact vengeance on his predecessor’s killers. Aisha demanded justice, leading to the Battle of the Camel, then the Battle of Siffin, which was between Mu’awiya and Ali. The arbitration of Ali and Mu’awiya created the Kharijites to detach from Ali. The first fitna ended with the murder of Ali, the ascension of Mu’awiya, the end of the Rashidun caliphate, the start of the Umayyad caliphate, and the Sunni/Shia divide.

Juj & Majuj

The Quranic Gog and Magog are destructive tribes who are held back by the protective wall constructed by the Dhul-Qarnayn. The Dhul-Qarnayn is the righteous king appointed by Allah. On the Day of Judgement, these tribes demolish the protective wall, signaling the end times, and the rise of a false prophet promising salvation.  

Uthmanic Codex

The standardized version of the Qur’an produced in 650 by the third Caliph, Uthman. It was made to settle variant recitations. It built upon scribe Zayd ibn Thabit’s compilation and is the modern basis for the Qur’an. It caused much controversy by overriding and sidelining Abu Bakr’s earlier collection and favoring the Ummayad clan, which Uthman belonged to.

Zaydis

A Shia subsect following Zayd ibn Ali, Hussein’s grandson. Zayd led a failed rebellion against the Umayyads in 740, leading to his martyrdom, which sees him as the fifth Imam rejecting the Twelver Imami line. Frame the imams as not infallible.

Jafar ibn Sadiq

The sixth imam in Shia Islam, a spiritual rather than political leader who led in hiding due to the repression of the Abbasid caliphate. Established key values: Nass (divine succession), Isma (infallibility of the imams), and Taquiya (concealing faith to avoid persecution).

Karbala

The battle ground in which Hussein and a band of his followers were killed by Yazid’s forces after betrayal by Kufan forces. A foundational site of separation as it marks Shia martyrdom (shahadat), a holy site of pilgrimage shaping ideas of martyrdom, injustice, and resistance.

Muharram

The first month of the Islamic calendar. Its tenth day (Ashura) marks the day of Hussein’s killing at Karbala, becoming a day of mourning marked by practices such as gatherings, processions, and, for some Shias, self-flagellation.

Najaf

The Iraqi city marking the shrine of Ali. The location was determined by setting Ali’s corpse upon his camel and building upon the site where it stopped. Ultimately, this is one of the most important sites of Shia worship, marking Ali as important figure, Imam, and rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

Sunna

The exemplary practice of the Prophet Muhammad, preserved through the Hadith. The clear path which informs the daily habits, practices and actions of Muslims. It gives Sunnis their name, since they follow the established way of the Prophet and accept the first caliphs.

Isnad

The chain of transmitters tracing a Hadith back to the Prophet Muhammad or one of his companions, which is matn (content). The reliability of a report is judged upon the evaluation of the chain’s links. It is central to criticism of Hadith and counters possible doubt and skepticism.

Rahbi Basri

An early Suffi mystic and poet from Basra. She taught pure, selfless love of God, worshipping neither for Heaven nor out of fear of hell. A major female figure in Islamic spirituality, showing female religious authority.

Abu Hanifa

Founder of the Hanafi school, one of the four Sunni madhhabs (judicial schools). Stressed reasoning (ra’y), analogy (qiyas), and legal flexibility. One of the most widespread Islamic scholars influencing jurisprudence, he emphasized the importance of independent judgment in Islamic law and sought to adapt legal rulings to the changing circumstances of his community. Key in South and Central Asia.

Yawn al-Din

The universal Day of Reckoning/Judgement, when each person faces what they did and withheld. Central to the Qur’an, it stresses individual accountability, connecting with the concept of qiyama (resurrection) and reward or punishment in Jannah (Heaven) or Jannahm (Hell).

Occultation

The Twelver Imamis believed that to prevent his killing, the twelth imam, who was extremely in Shia Islam had to rule in hiding, ruling through four trusted deputies. Minor occultation marks the fourth deputy's announcement of the twelfth imam's death, ending the line. However, major occultation believes that the fourth deputy falsified such claims; since the twelfth imam was never seen alive, he could never be seen dead. Thus, major occultation posits that the twelfth Imam is still alive, expecting that he will return in a time of crisis for Shia Muslims as the Mahdi.

Sura al-Fatiha

“The Opening,” the first chapter of the Qur’an, used in ever prayer, it praises Allah, asks for guidance on the straight path, and mentions the Yawd-al-Din (The Ultimate Day of Reckoning/Judgement). It is the first in the written order, but not the first chronologically revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

Mehr

The mandatory marriage gift from the groom to bride in an Islamic marriage contract. Financial protection for the woman, symbol of the husband’s commitment. Symbolic in that it shows that the husband can support the wife. Kept for the wife, isolated for her individual self.  If the wife asks for divorce, the husband can keep the money. If the husband asks for divorce, then the wife can keep the money in the traditional scenario. Dower is the wife’s money, the wife also has the right to ask for alimony. 

Aisha

Muhammad’s youngest wife, daughter of Abu Bakr, one of the Umm al-Mu’minin, “Mothers of the Believers.” A key transmitter of the hadith and a source of religious knowledge. Led forces against Ali at the Battle of the Camel, with Sunnis honoring and Shias criticizing her role.

Qazi

A judge who rules on disputes using sharia, which includes the Qur’an, hadith, and jurisprudence. Appointed by the state, a qazi handles family law, contracts, and criminal cases, and often works alongside jurists (muftis), who issue legal opinions. Qazi courts are central to Islamic legal administration.

Dome of the Rock

The shrine in Jerusalem was completed under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. It stands on the rock associated with Muhammad’s Night Journey and ascent (Isra/Miraj). Asserted Islamic presence in a city holy to all Abrahamic faiths, the first qibla.