Terms and Names Flashcards
Allah
the concept in belief in one God (in Arabic)
Muhammad
born into the clan of a powerful Meccan family; orphaned at the age of six; raised by his grandfather and uncle, at 25 years old he became a trader and business manager
Islam
means “submission to the will of Allah” and the people who agreed to abandon other Gods were called Muslims and only listened to the teachings of Allah
Muslim
means “one who has submitted”
Hijrah
migration (Muhammad decided to leave Mecca & he sent a small band of supporters to Yathrib
Mosque
an Islamic house of worship
Hajj
pilgrimage to Mecca
Qur’an
holy book of the Muslims (written in Arabic)
Sunna
Muhammad’s example
Shari’a
the guidence of the Qur’an and Sunna was assembled in a body of law known as shari’a; this system regulates the family life, moral conduct, and business and community life of Muslims
Ka’aba
holy mosque (black box)
caliph
a title that means “successor” or “deputy”
Umayyads
a family that came to power; moved the Muslim capital to Damascus
Shi’a
a group meaning the “party” of Ali; the members were called Shi’ites
Sunni
those who did not outwardly resist the rule of the Umayyads were later known as Sunni, meaning followers of Muhammad’s example
Sufi
rejected the luxurious life of the Umayyads, they pursed their life at poverty and devotion to a spiritual path
Abbasids
most powerful of the groups; took control of the empire
al-Andalus
where an extraordinary Muslim state formed; southern Spain being part of the peninsula
Fatimid
formed by the Shi’a Muslims who claimed decent from Muhammad’s daughter Fatima; began in North America and spread across the Red Sea to western Arabia and Syria
