Islam Flashcards
adhan
The call to prayer.
Abbasids
An important Muslim empire from 750-1258 C.E.
Aisha
A beloved wife of Muhammad; known for transmitting many hadith.
Allah
Arabic term for God.
caliph
Leader of the Muslim community after the death of Muhammad.
hadith
Literary tradition recording the sayings and deeds of the prophet Muhammad.
hajj
The annual pilgrimage to Mecca; one of the five pillars of Islam.
hijra
The migration of the early Muslim community from Mecca to Medina in 622 C.E.; Islamic calendar dates from this year.
Husayn
Grandson of Muhammad who was killed while challenging the Umayyads.
imam
Prayer leader; in the Shi’a tradition, one of the leaders of the Muslim community following the death of Muhammad.
Islam
Literally “submission”; specifically, the religious tradition based on the revealed Qur’an as Word of God.
jahiliyya
The age of ignorance, which refers to the time before the revelation of the Qur’an.
jihad
Literally “striving”; sometimes, the greater jihad is the struggle with one’s self to become a better person; the lesser jihad is associated with military conflict in defense of the faith.
Khadija
Muhammad’s beloved first wife.
Mecca
The city in which Muhammad was born; place of pilgrimage for Muslims.
Medina
The city to which Muhammad and his early followers migrated to escape persecution in Mecca.
miraj
Muhammad’s Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and from there to Heaven where he met with God.
mosque
Place of prayer, from Arabic term “masjid.”
muezzin
The person who calls the adhan.
Muhammad
The prophet who received the revelation of the Qur’an from God. The final prophet in a long line of prophets sent by God to humanity.
Qur’an
The holy text of Muslims; the word of God as revealed to Muhammad.
Ramadan
The month in which Muslims must fast daily from dawn until dusk; the fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, the month in which the Qur’an is believed to have been revealed to Muhammad.
salat
The daily prayers, which are one of the pillars of Islam.
sawm
The mandatory fast during the month of Ramadan; one of the pillars of Islam.
shahadah
The declaration of faith: “There is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God”; the first of the five pillars.
shari’ah
Literally “the way to the waterhole”; Islamic law.
Shi’a
One of the 2 major branches of Islam. They believe that ‘Ali should have succeeded as leader of the Muslim community after the death of Muhammad.
shirk
The sin of idolatry, of worshiping anything other than God; the one unforgivable sin in Islam.
Sufi/Sufism
A follower of the mystical tradition of Islam/Focuses on the believer’s personal experience of God and goal of union.
Sunnah
Literally “way of life” or “custom”; specifically refers to example of the life of Muhammad; important religious source for Muslims.
Sunni
One of the 2 main branches of Islam; they believed that the Muslim community should decide on a successor to lead after the death of Muhammad.
surah
Chapter of the Qur’an; there are 114 in the Qur’an.
tafsir
Interpretation of or commentary on the Qur’an; there are several different types which aim to explain the meaning of the Qur’an.
Umayyad Dynasty
Controversial Muslim dynasty from 661-750 C.E.
umma
The worldwide Muslim community.
zakat
Regulated almsgiving; one of the 5 pillars of Islam.
