islam study guide

Question 1

allah

Answer 1

the belief of one god; monotheism

Question 2

muslim

Answer 2

“one who has submitted” – followed islam

Question 3

islam

Answer 3

“submission to the will of god”

Question 4

sunna

Answer 4

the proper way of living

Question 5

shari’a

Answer 5

a system of law that regulates the muslim’s life

Question 6

five pillars of faith

Answer 6

1. faith - one god, muhammad is his prophet
2. pray - five times a day, face mecca: the holy city, call to prayer
3. charity/alms - give to the less fortunate
4. fast during ramadan - fast from sunrise to sundown during the holy month
5. hajj - pilgrimage to mecca, pray at kaaba
   - there is no split between their religion and their daily lives

Question 7

qu’ran

Answer 7

• holy book of the muslims
• written in arabic
• was revealed to muhammaad over a period of twenty-three years

Question 8

people of the book

Answer 8

• christians, jews
• they all have a holy book with similar teachings as the qu’ran
• worshhip same god
• reconize jesus as a phropet
• however, muslims does not belive that jesus was a god or the son of god

Question 9

sunni: one of the two largest groups of muslims

Answer 9

• devoted muslims can become caliphs even if not relaetd to muhammad
• supported the first three caliphs
• idea of majority rule

Question 10

shi’a: one of the two largest groups of muslims

Answer 10

• only descendants of muhammad can become caliphs
• did not support the first three caliphs
• insist that only special muslims can interpret the qur’an

Question 11

sufi: small group of muslims

Answer 11

• not concerned about the caliphs, as long as they’re muslim
• pursued a life of poverty
• fast, chant, meditation, prayer
• goal is to get their mind in a state closer to god
• didn’t like the lavish life the umayyad’s lived

Question 12

muhammad: last prophet

Answer 12

• angel gabriel spoke to muhammad as a messenger for allah
• muhammad began to teach allah and monotheism
• his ideas were not accepted
  
  • mecca was polytheistic
  • thought it would hurt their economy
• ruled in medina (yathrib)
• “city of the prophet”

Question 13

the hijrah: muhammad’s migration to yathrib (medina)

Answer 13

• left mecca because his followers were being attacked
• during the hijrah, muhammad attracted many followers

Question 14

return to mecca

Answer 14

• 630 - muhammad and his followers marched back to mecca
• mecca’s leaders surrendered
• most meccans pledge their loyalty to muhammad and converted to islam
• muhammad died two years later

Question 15

“rightly guided” caliphs

Answer 15

• before muhammad died, he had expressed a desire to spread faith
• the first four caliphs made great progress in spreading islam (in order of their rule)
  
  1. abu-baker
  2. umar
  3. uthman
  4. ali
• used the qur’an and sunna as guides to leadership
• abu-baker invoked jihad, because some tribes abandoned islam, and some refused to pay taxes
• 634 - abu-baker died, umar became the second caliph
• umar and his military conquered most of the byzantine empire, the muslim empire soon expanded 6000 miles from the atlantic ocean to the indus river
  
  • muslim army was well-disciplined
  • byzantine and sassanid empire had their own problems and were weak
  • the people under their rule supported islam, they would welcome invaders
• 656 - uthman was murdered, which started a civil war
• mu’awiva challenged ali’s rule
• ali could not punish umar’s killers (ali did not know who was his killers”
• mu’awiva and ali’s armies fought
• muslim community attempts to assassinate both, only successful with ali

Question 16

umayads

Answer 16

• ruled in damascuss (moved capital to damasscuss)
• abandoned the simple life, surrounded themselves in wealth

Question 17

abbasids

Answer 17

• took control of the empire, overthrew the umayyads (murdered the remaining family members)
• ruled in baghdad (moved capital to baghdad)
  
  • kay trade routes
  • information from farther empire’s
• developed a strong bureauracy and treasury
• failed to keep potlitical control of the large territory

Question 18

day of judgment

Answer 18

where they will be held accountable for their deeds by being judge by god

Question 19

mosque

Answer 19

an islamic house of worship

Question 19

imam

Answer 19

the one who leads muslims into prayer

Question 20

kaaba

Answer 20

the holy shrine in mecca

Question 21

arabian peninsula - the crossroad of three continents – [north] africa, europe, asia

Answer 21

• there is only a tiny strip of fertile land, the rest is desert (in the past, it was inhabited by arab herders)
• many arabs had chosen to settle down in an oasis or marketplace
• large towns became market towns for trade and goods
• trade routes connect arabia to major oceans and lands

Question 22

social class

Answer 22

1. muslims
2. converts
3. people of the book/protected people (christians, jews)
4. slaves - non-muslims

Question 23

battle of badr 624

Answer 23

• quraysh v. muhammad and his followers
• muhammad won

Question 24

battle of the trench 627

Answer 24

• quraysh v. muslims
• muslims won

Question 25

golden age

Answer 25

• under the rule of the abbasids because it was a long period of stability, where trade, wealth, and learning prospered
• the arabian peninsula is a crossroad of trade routes, major trading centers that attracted merchants and scholars
• baghdad had so many architectural achievements, including parks, gardens, villas, baths, etc.
• house of wisdom: intellectual center in baghdad, library, and academy
• there was a lot of scholar studying maths and science in baghdad because it was considered the center of learning
• scholars located, preserved and translated texts from all over the empire

Question 26

business practices

Answer 26

• checking system
• currency
• banking system
• partnerships

Question 27

math

Answer 27

• al khwarizmi wrote a textbook explaining aljabr (algebra)
• arabic numerals
• geometry, trigonometry

Question 28

science

Answer 28

• interested in astronomy
• recorded experiments
• preferred to solve problems by observing and conducting experiments

Question 29

medicine

Answer 29

• hospitals
• doctors had to take and pass tests
• a-razi was the greatest physician of the muslim world
  
  • pioneered the study of meages and smallpox
  • wrote the encyclopedia “comprehensive book” on knowledge from other sources including his own
  • treated poor people
  • challenges stage social hierarchy and the religious leadership
  • questioned galen’s writing

Question 30

engineering and agriculture

Answer 30

• horses, animals, zoology
• canals and irrigation system

Question 31

literature

Answer 31

• the qur’an
• “epic poems the rubaiyat” - omar khayyam
• “the shahnameh - the king’s book of kings”
• “ten thousand and one night”
  
  • a collection of fairy tales and legends
• scholars also wrote books on their findings
• ibn khaldun
  
  • historian on how climate and geography influenced people

Question 32

art and architecture

Answer 32

• there were no people in artworks because they thought that they would worship the idols instead of allah
• calligraphy: the art of writing
• geometric shapes and abstract art
• arabesque: floral designs (leaves etc.)
• arches and domes
• decorative arts, woodwork