7.2.1 WHAP: Spread of Islam (Middle East)

610

Year when Muhammed received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel

622

Hijrah to Medina; Islam begins

632-661

Rashidun Caliphate - Era of Rightly Guided Caliphs

661-750

Umayyad Caliphate

750-1258

Abbasid Caliphate

1258

Mongols sack Baghdad; Destroy Islamic House of Wisdom

Muhammad

[~570-632 CE] the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Qurʾān.

Qur'an

The sacred scripture of Islam. According to conventional Islamic belief, it was revealed by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad in the West Arabian towns Mecca and Medina beginning in 610 and ending with Muhammad's death in 632 CE

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims. Second largest religion on Earth.

Hadith

Record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qurʾān

Pillars of Islam

The five duties incumbent on every Muslim: shahādah, the Muslim profession of faith; ṣalāt, or prayer, performed in a prescribed manner five times each day; zakāt, the alms tax levied to benefit the poor and the needy; ṣawm, fasting during the month of Ramadan; and hajj, the major pilgrimage to Mecca

Jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

Umma

The community of all Muslims

Dar al-Islam

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

Rashidun Caliphate

The first four caliphs of the Islamic empire - Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (632-661 CE). Known as the "Rightly Guided" caliphs according to Sunni Muslims. During this reign, they united the Arabian Peninsula under Islam

Caliph

Translated as "successor"; in Islamic history it is the political and religious ruler of the Muslim community.

Abu Bakr

[573-634 CE] A close friend of Muhammad and the first male convert to Islam; he took the title "Caliph" after the death of the prophet. His reign marks the beginnings of conflict between sunnis, who supported his reign, and shi'as, who believed Ali was the rightful heir.

Ali

[601-661 CE; cousin and son-in-law to the prophet Muhammad; the 4th Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. Shia Muslims consider him as the sole legitimate heir of Muhammad

Sunni

The largest branch of Islam. Often regarded as more mainstream and less rigid than the other branch of Islam, Shi'a. Accepted the leadership of all 4 Rightly Guided caliphs under the Rashidun Caliphate.

Shi'a

The smaller of the two branches of Islam. They reject the first three Sunni caliphs and regards Ali, the fourth caliph, as Muhammad's first true successor.

Umayyad Caliphate

[661-750 CE] The first dynasty to take the title of Caliphate following the death of Ali. They moved the capital from Medina to Damascus, and spread Islam to it's largest ever geographic size. Overthrown by the Abbasids in 750 CE.

Abbasid Caliphate

[750-1258 CE] Overthrew the Umayyad Dynasty and moved the capital to Baghdad. Raised the prestige and power of the empire, promoting commerce, industry, arts, and science. The dynasty fell with the Mongol siege of Baghdad.

Jizya

Tax paid by non-muslims (dhimmi) who lived in Muslim communities to allow them to continue to practice their own religion

Dhimmis

In Muslim controlled areas, "the people of the book"-- Jews, Christians; later extended to Zoroastrians and Hindus