Islamic Golden Age

Shiite

a branch of Islam where the believe that Ali did the right thing during his reign as caliph; believe that leadership of the umma should lie with the bloodline of mohammed

Sunni

believe that the caliph should be elected

caliph

the religious and political leader of the Muslims

Kaaba

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

Mecca

the holiest city of Islam; Muhammad's birthplace

Medina

City in Arabia to which Mohammed and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca

Hajj

a pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Umayyad

the first dynasty of Arab caliphs whose capital was Damascus

rightly guided caliphs

The first four caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali

People of the Book (dhimmi)

A (Christian, Jew, Zoroastrian) of a non-Muslim religion whose right to practice that religion is protected within an Islamic society

Mohammed

the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

5 Pillars

jahadah, salat, sawm, zakat, the hajj

Quran/Koran/Qu'ran

the holy book of Islam; seen as God's direct words; recorded from Mohammed's prophetic visions

Jihad

any struggle. Internal is the greater one, and external is the lesser one

prophet

a person who speaks God's word

Abu Bakr

the successor to Mohammed; the 1st caliph

Abassid

the dynasty that built new capital city in Bagdad; was the dynasty of the Islamic golden age

Jizya

the tax paid by dhimmis to avoid enlisting in the army

Hijra

The Migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 C.E, marking the founding of Islam

covenant

any agreement or pact

abraham

the "father of monotheism"; was promised to be the father of a great nation if he worshipped God

umma

the Muslim community

alms

money or goods given to the poor (one of the pillars of Islam)

Ramadan

a month in which Muslims fast and abstain from drinking, swearing or sex during the day

Dome of the Rock

Muslim shrine containing the rock from which Mohammad is believed to have risen to heaven. Had a dome, which was unusual at the time

Ishmael and Hagar

The Muslim faith can be traced back to Abraham through.

Idolatry

Giving worship to something or someone other than the true God.

Sufism

Islamic mysticism, developed later into missionary groups

Cordoba Caliphate

capital of Muslim Spain, an economic center, hundreds of workshops, culture and learning flourished there

House of Wisdom

Combination library, academy, and translation center in Baghdad established in the 800s.

Islamic Poetry

patronized by rich and powerful individuals to write in support of their patrons compared to other poets and their patrons.

Arabic

language of Islam

Arabic numerals

A written number system created during the Gupta golden age in India, then adopted by the Islamic Empire before spreading further. Used throughout western civilization today.

Administrative Standardization

Consistency across policies and procedures utilized by a government

Battle of Tours (732 CE)

European victory over Muslims. It halted Muslim movement into Western Europe.

Battle of Talas River

Arab victory over the Chinese in 751 CE that checked Chinese expansion to the west and enabled the conversion of Central Asia to Islam

Astrolabe

instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars

Mosque

A Muslim place of worship

Minaret

A distinctive feature of mosque architecture, a tower from which the faithful are called to worship.

Islamic Mosaics

mainly geometric and mathematical

Calligraphy

art of beautiful handwriting

Cartography

the science of mapmaking

Dar al-Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule

Dar al-Harb

house of war

Vizier

a high government official in Muslim countries

Al-Andalus

Islamic Spain

Al-Razi and Ibn Sina

two of the most famous Muslim medical physicians

Al-Khwarizmi

Muslim mathematician who pioneered the study of algebra