Islam Key Terms Flashcards
Abbasids
classical Muslim dynasty, ruling at Baghdad, 8th to 13th centuries C.E.
Abu Bakr
companion of the Prophet Muhammad and first caliph (d. 634)
Al-Ghazali
great thinker (1058-1111 C.E.) who synthesized orthodox Islamic thought and Sufism
‘Ali
nephew and son in law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph (d.661);
considered by Shi’ites to be the first imam or successor to Muhammad
Allah
“the God”; Quranic designation for the one God
Caliph
“deputy”, also “successor” to the Prophet Muhammad as leader of Islam
Dar al-Harb
see Dar al-Islam
Dar al-Islam
“abode of islam”; territories of the ummah under Muslim control, whereas the rest
of the world is the Dar al-Harb, “abode of warfare”
Da’wah
missionary activities directed toward spreading Islam
Dhikr
“remembrance”; spiritual exercises in Sufism focusing the consciousness on God
Five Pillars
required Muslim rituals of serving God: Shahadah (confession), Salat (prayer), Zakat (alms-giving), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage).
Hadith
a saving or tradition of the Prophet Muhammad transmitted through a trustworthy chain
of reporters; the collection of hadiths
Hagar
wife of Abraham, mother of Ishmael, and ancestress of the Muslims
Hajj
annual pilgrimage to Mecca
Haram
forbidden, such as certain actions or food
Hidden imam
in Shi’ism, the last Imam (successor to Muhammad) who disappeared into a state
of occultation and will return in the future.
Hijra
emigration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 C.E.
Husayn
son of ‘Ali, killed at Karbalah (680); considered by Shi’ites as an Imam m(successor to
the Prophet Muhammed) and a great martyr
‘Id
“feast” or festival in Islam; the two major festivals are ‘Id al-adha (feast of sacrifice) during the Hajj month and ‘Id al-fitr (feast of breaking the Ramadan Fast)
Ihram
state of ritual purity and consecration appropriate for entering the sacred precincts of Mecca on the Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage)
Ijma
“consensus”; for formulating Muslim law, consensus among the legal scholars is necessary
Ijihad
independent legal reasoning in Islam; one who does this is a mujtahid
Imam
Islamic scholar and leader, especially in ritual prayer; for Shi’ites, the proper successors to
the prophet are called Imams
Ishmael
son of Abraham and Hagar, ancestor of the Muslims
Isnad
the chain of transmitters for a particular hadith in Islam
Jihad
“striving’ for religious perfection and for God’s cause including bearing arms in defense of
Islam if necessary
Judgement day
the day on which God will judge all according to their deeds
Ka’bah
: the cube-shaped stone shrine in the Great Mosque at Mecca, focal point of prayer and
pilgrimage for Muslims
Kafir
an unbeliever, in Islamic terms
Khadija
the first wife (d.619) of the Prophet Muhammad
Khaijites
“seceders”; strict moralistic sect of early Muslims
Mihrab
niche in the mosque wall indicating the direction to Mecca
Minbar
pulpit from which the sermon is given during the Friday prayer in the Islamic mosque
Mosque (masjid)
place of communal worship in Islam
Muezzin (muadhdhin)
person who calls the people to ritual prayer, chanting out the call from
atop a minaret or mosque roof
Mughal
muslim dynasty established by the Mongols in India
Mulla
Persian word for learned Muslim teacher and expounder of the law
Muslim
one who has surrendered to God in accepting the authority of the Quran
Mu’tazilities
school in the classical period of Islam that accepted reason as a primary criterion
for establishing beliefs
Ottoman
caliphate ruling much of the Muslim world from Istanbul from the 16th to the 20th centuries C.E.
Prophets
messengers through whom God has given revelation to all peoples, culminating with
Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets
Qiyas
“analogy” in legal argumentation and decision making in Islam
Quran
“recitation”, primarily the revelation sent down by God upon the Prophet Muhammad;
the Holy Book
Ramadan
sacred month in which Muslims perform the Fast
Safavid
Muslim dynasty in Iran beginning in the 16th century, featuring rule by the shahs
Salat
required Muslim ritual of prayer five times daily
Sawm
required Muslim fasting during the month of Ramadan
Shahadah
the Muslim formula bearing witness to the unity of God: “I testify that there is no
God but God; I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God”
Shari’ah
Islamic law, based on the Quran and on the sunnah of the Prophet
Shi’ites
the “fraction” of ‘Ali that believes that ‘Ali and his descendants are the proper
successors of the Prophet Muhammad; today, one of the two main divisions in Islam,
representing about one-sixth of the world’s Muslims
Shirk
“association”; Muslim term for the great sin of idolatry or associating something else with God
Sufi
one who follows the mystical path of Islam
Sunnah
“custom” or “way of acting”, primarily of the Prophet Muhammad; the Prophets sunnah
is known through the hdiths
Sunnites
term for the Muslim majority, those who acknowledge the first four caliphs and the
interpretation of the Quran and the prophet’s sunnah by the orthodox ‘ulama (religious scholars)
Tawhid
Muslim term for maintaining the unity of God
Twelvers
the largest group within the Muslim Shi’ites, those who hold there have been twelve Imams; also called the Imamis
Ulama
the class of learned Muslim legal scholars who study and apply the religious sciences
Umar
the second caliph in Islamic history (d.644)
Umayyad
dynasty ruling Islam from Damascus from 661 to 750 C.E.
Ummah
a community having a common religion; especially the Muslim community
Uthman
the third caliph in Islamic history (d. 656)
Iman
‘faith’, complete certitude about the truth of Islam.
