| term | definition |
| Hijrah | Muhammad's escape from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) is known as: |
| Kaaba | a shrine to local gods in Mecca; before the birth of Muhammad |
| Allah | Islam's name for the one true God |
| Umayyad | the first Islamic dynasty; rule passed down within the family. They moved the capital from Medina to Damascus |
| Abbasid | In 750 this dynasty overthrew the Umayyad dynasty and moved the capital to Baghdad. Dynasty lasted until 1258 when the Mongols attacked. |
| Quran | the Muslim holy book. The record of the revelations to Muhammad. |
| Sunnah | provides Muslims with guidelines to live a proper life; |
| Hadith | a collection of narrations of Muhammad's life |
| Shahadah | declaration of faith; the 1st Pillar; testify or bear witness |
| Hajj | the 5th Pillar; the pilgrimage (journey) to Mecca |
| Shari'ah | Islamic law code based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah. |
| Qadi | a judge ruling in accordance with the sharia, Islamic religious law. They have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims |
| Mufti | interprets Islamic law; rules if the application of the criminal law is in accord with Islamic jurisprudence and the sharia and sometimes overrules criminal courts. |
| Jihad | a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; or a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline
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| Ramadan | the ninth month of the Islamic year observed as sacred with fasting practiced daily from dawn to sunset |
| Ummah | the Community of Believers - the whole Islamic Nation - all believers |
| Imam | Arabic for leader; the Caliph |
| sultan | Muslim rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty in practical terms, without claiming the overall Caliphate |
| mosque | a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith |
| muezzin | is a chosen person at the mosque who leads the call (adhan) to Friday service and the five daily prayers |
| Al-Kindi | best known for his efforts to introduce philosophy to the Arab world; translated the greek texts 801-873
scientist, philosopher, mathematician, physician, and musician |
| Ibn Sina | Greatest Muslim doctor, known as Avicenna in Europe. His most famous works are The Book of Healing and The Canon of Medicine |
| Al-Jahiz | was a famous Arab scholar and writer. He was an Arabic prose writer, historian, and author of works of literature, Mu'tazili theology, and politico-religious polemics.
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| Al-Khwarizmi | considered to be the father of algebra |
| Khadija | Muhammad's wife |
