The History of Islam

Question 1

Muhammed’s Life

Answer 1

570 - Born in Mecca to the Quraish tribe
595 - Marries wealthy widow, Khadija, and has one daughter who survives to adulthood, Fatima
610 - First revelation on Mount Hira
622 - Flees to Medina (beginning of Islamic calendar) and established Islam as an independent religion.
630 - Return to Mecca, converts to monotheism
632 - Dies in Mecca

Question 2

Bedouin

Answer 2

Nomadic tribes that inhabited the Arabian peninsula, often engaged in blood feuds/ decentralized clans, no political identity

Question 3

Kuraish/Quraysh

Answer 3

Wealthy Arab clan in which Mohammed was born into that controlled trade throughout Mecca and maintained the Ka’aba shrine.

Question 4

Abraham/Isaac/Ishmael

Answer 4

Abraham is a key figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is considered the patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. around 2000 BCE

Isaac is the son of Abraham and Sarah, born when they were very old. In Judaism and Christianity, Isaac is the child of promise through whom God’s covenant with Abraham would continue. He is known for the story of where God tests Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice Isaac. At the last moment, God provides a ram to be sacrificed instead.

Ishmael is Abraham’s illegitimate son with Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant. Ishmael was born because Sarah, who was barren at the time, offered Hagar to Abraham to bear a child. Ishmael is considered the firstborn of Abraham.
In Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and an ancestor of Muhammad, and lead to the establishment of the Kaaba in Mecca.

Question 5

Quran

Answer 5

Holy text of Islamic religion, revealed to Mohammed by Angel Gabriel over 23 years, the “word of God.”

Question 6

Hadith

Answer 6

Collections of sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad.

Question 7

Hijra

Answer 7

Mohammed’s migration from Mecca -> Medina in 622 CE, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Question 8

Caliph

Answer 8

A political and religious leader in Islam, the successor as the head of the umma/ Prophet Muhammad

Question 9

Kaaba

Answer 9

Central monument of Islamic faith and practice, symbolizes monotheism, unity, and its historical and religious significance unites Muslims worldwide in worship and pilgrimage.

Question 10

Jihad

Answer 10

Holy struggle - greater jihad, personal spiritual growth, or “jihad of the sword”, Quran-allowed armed struggle against opposing forces to establish Muslim rule and defend the umma.

Question 11

Five Pillars of Islam

Answer 11

1. Shahada (Faith): “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
2. Salah (prayer): Ritual prayers 5 times a day, facing the Kaaba
3. Zakat (charity)
4. Sawn (fasting); during the month of Ramadan
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): travel to Mecca once in a lifetime

Question 12

Rashidun

Answer 12

4 rightly guided caliphs:
- Abu Bakr (d. 634), close friend of Mohammed’s/elected
- Umar (d. 644, assassinated)
- Uthman (d. 656, assassinated)
- Ali (d. 661, assassinated), son-in-law

Question 13

Sunni and Shia

Answer 13

Sunni: believed capable leader should be elected by the people; supported the campaign of Abu Bakr
Shia: believed leadership should remain within Mohammed’s relatives, as they could authentically interpret divine law; supported Ali

Question 14

Umayyad caliphate

Answer 14

661-750 CE capital: Damascus (Byzantine empire, modern-day Syria)

Question 15

Abbasid caliphate

Answer 15

750- 1258 CE capital: Baghdad, prominently Persian-dominated

Question 16

Karbala

Answer 16

Karbala is a city in Iraq and the site of the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.

Question 17

People of the Book (alh-i-kitab)

Answer 17

Jews, Christian - followers of true faiths based on the teachings of earlier prophets like Abraham, Moses, Jesus, predecessors of Muhammad - were generally tolerated by Muslim rules and permitted to freely practice their own religion as long as they paid a special tax known as jizya.

Question 18

shariah law

Answer 18

Shariah is the Islamic legal system derived from the Quran, Hadith, and other sources. It governs aspects of both private and public life for Muslims.

Question 19

Battle of Tours

Answer 19

732 CE, halted Umayyad expansion into France and preserved Christianity as the controlling faith in Europe