World History chapter 9 Islam

sheikh: the ruler of an arabic tribe, chosen from one of the leading families by a council of elders. 

allah: Arabic for God; the supreme god of islam.

quran: the holy scriptures of the religion of islam.

islam: monotheistic religion that emerged in the Arabian peninsula during the seventh century. 

muslim: a person who believes in islam.

hijrah: the journey of Muhamad and his followers to Madinah in 622, which became year 1 of the official calendar of islam

bedouin: a nomadic arab who lives in the arabian, syrian or north african deserts 

hajj: a pilgrimage to makkah, one of the requirements of the Five pillars of islam.

Five Pillars of Islam: acts of worship every muslim must perform; this includes belief, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage. 

shari’ah: a low code drawn up by muslim scholars after Muhhamad’s death; it provided believers with a set of practical laws to regulate their daily lives. 

caliph: a successor of Muhammed as spiritual and temporal leader of the Muslims

jihad:”struggle in the way of God”

caliphate: the office or dominion of caliph

Shia: a Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of Muhammed’s son in law Ali as the true rulers of Islam

Sunni:a Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of the Umayyads as the true rulers of Islam

Sultan: “holder of power”, the military and political head of state under the Seljuk Turks and the Ottomans.

bazaar: a covered market in islamic cities

dowry: a gift of money or property paid at the time of marriage, either by the bride’s parents to her husband, or in islamic societies, by a husband to his wife.

astrolabe: instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing positions of stars.

arabesques: geometric patterns repeated over and over to completely cover a surface with decoration.

minaret: tower of a mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer 5 times a day.

muezzin: crier who calls the muslim faithful to prayer from the minaret of a mosque.