Islam Flashcards
What materials became inexpensive after the invention of paper making?
Maps, paintings, and books.
What advancement did paper making allow?
The creation and usage of bookstores.
What was the Fihrist?
An important catalogue.
Who wrote the Fihrist?
Abu al-Faraj Muhammad al-Nadim.
al-Nadim
Who made the bookstore containing the books catalogued in the Fihrist?
Al-Namid’s father.
What did the first book of the Fihrist contain?
Books on holy scriptures.
What did the second book of the Fihrist contain?
Books on Arabic grammar.
What did the third through sixth books of the Fihrist contain?
Books on poetry, sects, and law (written by people of the royal family).
What did the seventh book of the Fihrist contain?
Books on philosophy, science, and medicine.
What did the eighth through tenth books of the Fihrist contain?
Books on various stories.
Where did the Arabs live?
In the Arabian peninsula and in the deserts of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.
What made Arabia a good place for Islam to grow?
It was isolated and often ignored.
Were Arabians farmers or nomads?
Farmers.
How did many Arabs make money?
Through giving camels, guides, and safe passage to travelers.
What was a cause of Arabs observing Byzantine and Sasinid ways?
Many begun to adopt Christianity.
Where was Mecca located?
In between Yemen and Syria, inland from the Red Sea.
Why did Mecca become so populated and wealthy?
It was far away from the larger Empires, and had a good trading system.
What was one of the greatest and most valued points in Mecca?
The Ka’aba.
What was one of the big selling points for converting to Islam?
Life-after-death and paradise.
Why did Muhammad and his followers flee to Medina?
They were being prosecuted by Meccans who felt threatened by the new religion.
Why did Medinians accept Muhammad and his followers?
Because Muhammad was a good leader and could help stop disputes.
What was formed by Muhammad and the Medinians?
The umma.
What is the umma?
A community formed by the acceptance of Islam and recognization of Muhammad as the prophet of God.
What made Meccans believe that Muhammad really was God’s messenger?
Muhammad and his army dominated in the battle against the Meccans, so many believed he had divine help.
What was the name of the position put in place after Muhammad’s death?
Khalifa (caliph).
What did the first caliph (Abu Bakr) do to help Islam?
He solidified Muslim beliefs and fed the desire for a caliphate.
Why did civil war break out after Muhammad’s death?
Some people wanted the next successor to be related to Muhammad (Shi’ites), and others did not (Sunnis).
Who were Shi’ites?
The group of people who wanted another Ali to be the successor to Muhammad.
Who were the Sunnis?
The people who supported the first three caliphates (run by people who were not relatives of Muhammad) and opposed the Shi’ites.
How did the Umayyad Caliphate begin?
After the governor of Syria chose his own son to be the next caliph.
When did the Islamic caliphates begin to fade and crumble?
The 800s.
When did Arab conquests begin?
The second caliphate.
Who led the conquests of the second caliphate?
Muhammad’s close friends.
Why did the Arabs stay out of conquered areas?
To keep them united with one another, and to preserve peace in the conquered places.
Why did the Umayyad Caliphate crumble?
There was growing unrest at Arab dominance and the caliphs were being questioned.
Which caliphate took over after the end of the Umayyad?
The Abassid caliphate.
What were some differences in the Abassid Caliphate?
There was good leadership, different types of people were allowed in government positions, and there were reinterpretations of the Qur’an.
What made the Abassid Caliphate decline in power?
The amount of Muslim converts begun to increase drasticly and the power could no long be held, and there was too much growth in outside territories.
What happened to the umma during the end of the Abassid Caliphate?
It began to grow apart, due to long-distance separation.
How did the Turks contribute to the fall of the Abassid Caliphate?
The Abassid caliphs bought Turkish slaves. When they could repay the Turks, the caliphate was taken over, and it’s capitol was moved.
Why did the Buyid Shi’ites gain control of the falling Abassid Caliphate?
So that they could watch over the Sunnis.
What happened after the Fatimid Dynasty?
The North-African city states lost their independence.
What happened between the Fatimids and the Abassids?
The Fatimids challenged the Abassids, claiming to be a new caliphate.
Where did the Umayyads go when their caliphate fell?
Into Spain.
What happened to Umayyad Spain?
They developed an Islamic, Jewish, Roman, and German culture because of their separation from the rest of the Muslim world.
Why did the rulers of the post-Abassid Caliphate take the title of “caliph”?
They were challenging the claims made by the Fatimids.
What is shown by the Samanids, Fatimids, and Spanish Umayyads?
The political diversity and awareness brought by the fall of the Abassid Caliphate.
What was established by the Seljuk family?
A Turkish Muslim state based on power.
What happened after Byzantine land was weakened by Seljuk forces?
The Turks were able to seize control of it.
What happened under Turkish rule?
Cities shrank, irrigation suffered, taxes fell, people fought over cities, riots broke out between Shi’ites and Sunnis, and the Turks took no interest in Arab culture or religion.
In what instances did the various Muslim groups unify?
When facing European enemies, Christian crusaders, and newly arrived nights.
What was a cause of the Umayyad’s rule over various ethnic areas?
They begun using Sasanid and Byzantine methods.
What effect did the Persian influence on the Abbasids have?
The Abassids experienced spiritual, intellectual, and artistic activity.
How did the decline of the Abassid Empire effect the caliphate?
The caliphate was split into separate states (the umma remained together).
Which states replaced the Abassid caliphate?
Seljuk Turk, Crusader, Mamluk, and Mongol states.
How did Mongol invasions impact the Muslim world?
The invasions both shocked and weakened the caliphates.
How did the Islam world improve with the fall of the caliphates?
There was better law, social structures, religious expression, and new “small traditions”.
What was the Shari’a?
It provided law for the Muslim land, and laid the foundation for civilization. Other than the Shari’a, the Muslims had no real form of law.
What was the Hadith?
A collection of the words and deeds of Muhammad.
Why was the Hadith created?
To help the tradition of following Muhammad as a guide.
What was addressed in the Hadith?
Ritual manners and legal matters not mentioned in the Qur’an.
What vision did the Shari’a embody?
The idea of the umma focusing only on their moral values, not on politics or ethnic decisions.
What did conversion to Muslim help begin?
Urbanization.
What would happen to converts who didn’t move into Arab cities?
They would be heavily discriminated against.
What did urban growth lead to?
Consumer market expansion, irrigation expansion, trade expansion, and scientific/technological advancements.
What happened because of the disorganized conversion rates?
Local Islam communities became disconnected and begun developing different views on what it means to be Muslim.
Who were the “Sufi”?
Mystic groups of scholars who spread religious doctrines and rituals throughout Iran.
What was a common theme of Sufi doctrines?
They all demonstrated the idea of uniting with God through rituals and teachings.
