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Ch. 9
Islam
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 | Muhammad'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 profession of faith, the performance of 5 daily prayers, the giving of alms, the requirement to fast, and the journey to Mecca, or Hajj. |
mosque | a building for Muslim prayer |
jihad | "struggle for faith"; can be thought 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 he led into Iraq and Syria. |
caliph | "successor to the Prophet"; title given to the political and religious leader of Muslims |
Umayyad | first ruling dynasty over the Muslims 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 to Muhammad. |
Shia | a branch of Islam whose adherents believe that the caliphate must go to a descendant of Muhammad- particularly a member of the family of Ali. |
Sufis | a branch of Islam emphasizing a personal, mystical connection with God |
Abbasid | dynasty that overthrew the Umayyad dynasty to rule the Muslim caliphate from 750 to 1258; for 150 years the Abbasids maintained the unity of the caliphate and Islamic culture and civilization flourished. |
Harun al-Rashid | Fifth Abbasid caliph (ruled to 786 to 809); under his rule, the Abbasid dynasty reached its height and Islamic culture experienced a flowering |
caliphate | area ruled by a caliph |