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Ch.9
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Bedouins | Small groups of nomadic people in Arabia |
Muhammad | Prophet of Islam whom Muslims recognize as Allah's messenger to all humankind. His teachings form the basis of Islam |
Hegira | Mohammad's journey from Mecca to Medina |
Islam | A monotheistic religion whose prophet is Muhammad and whose holy book is the Qur'an; the term means "achieving peace through surrender to god" |
Muslims | Followers of Islam |
Qur'an | The sacred text of Islam |
Five pillars of Islam | Behaviors and obligations that are common to all Muslims, which include the processioning of alms, the requirement to fast, and the journey to Mecca, or Hajj |
Mosque | A building for Muslim prayer |
Jihad | "struggle for the faith"; can be though of as an individual or communal struggle; as the latter, the term embraces notions of defending the Muslim community and holy war |
Abu Bakr | First Muslim caliph; as a close companion and successor to Muhammad, he unified the restive Bedouin tribes of central Arabia into a strong fighting force that led into Iraq and Syria |
Caliph | "successor to the Prophet"; title given to the political religious leader of Muslims |
Umayyad | First ruling dynasty over the Muslim Caliphate |
Sunnis | "people who follow the Sunna (way of the prophet)"; the largest branch of Islam; believers accepted the first four caliphs as rightful successors of Muham mad |
Shia | A branch of Islam who adherents believe that the caliphate must go to a descendent of Muhammad particularity a member of the family of Ali |
Sufis | A branch of Islam emphasizing a personal, mystical connection with god |
Abbasiid | Dynasty that overthrew the Umayyad dynasty to rule the Muslim caliphate from 750 to 1258; for 150 years the Abbasid maintained the unity of the caliphate and Islamic culture and civilization flourished |
Harun Al-Rashid | Fifth Abbasid caliph (ruled 786 to 809); under his rule, the Abbasid dynasty |
Astrolabe | An instrument for determining the positions and movements of heavenly bodies |
Ibn Rushd | Spanish-Arab philosopher; also known as Averroes; influenced by Aristotle, his best known writings explore the relationship between reason and faith |
Ibn Sina | Persian philosopher and physician; also known as Avicenna; noted as medical scholar, he contributed to many other fields of study |
Ibn Khaldan | Muslim writer; he wrote the Muqaddimah, which traced the history of the Muslim world |
Calligraphy | The art of fine handwriting |
Miniarets | Towers attached to the outside of a mosque, from where a crier calls Muslims to worship |
Rumi | Persian poet; he was a Sufi mystic and founded a Sufi order whose members use music and dancing in their rituals. His poems are still read by many today |
Omar Khayyam | Persian poet, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher; author of The Rubaiyat, a collection of poems about a man who celebrates the simple pleasures in life |
Caliphate | Area ruled by a caliph |