Unit 2 vocab Flashcards
Bedouin
nomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula; culture based on camel and goat nomadism; early converts to Islam
Mecca
city located in mountainous region along Red Sea in Arabian penninsula
formed by Umayyad clan of Quraysh
site of the Ka'ba</li>
original home of Muhammad
location of chief religions pilgramage point in Islam
Umayyad</p>
Clan of Quraysh that dominated politics and commercial economy of Mecca
clan established dynasty as rulers of Islam
Quraysh</p>
Tribe of Bedouins that controlled Mecca in 600s
Ka’ba
most reverened religions shrine in pre-Islamic Arabia
located in Mecca
focus of obligatory annual truce among bedouin tribes
later incorporated as important shrine in Islam
Medina</p>
also known as Yathrib</li>
town located northeast of Mecca</li> grew date palms whose fruit was sold to bedouins</li> became refuge for Muhammad following flight from Mecca (hijra)
<p>
| Muhammad</p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: center;"> Prophet of Islam</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> born c. 57- to Banu Hashim clan of Quraysh tribe in Mecca</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> raised by father's family</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> said to recieve revelations from Allah in 610 CE</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> died in 632</li> </ul>
<p>
| Qur'an</p>
<p>
| recitations of revelations received by Muhammad, holy book of Islam</p>
<p>
| Umma</p>
<p>
| community of the faithful within Islam; transcended old tribal boundaries to create degree of political unity </p>
<p>
| Zakat</p>
<p>
| tax for charity, obligatory for all Muslims</p>
<p>
| Five Pillars of Islam</p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: center;"> Confession / testimony of faith</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> prayer 5 times daily towards Mecca</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> fasting during Ramadan</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> zakat- tax for charity</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> hajj- pilgramige to Mecca</li> </ul>
<p>
| Ramadan</p>
<p>
| Islamic month of religions observance requiring fasting from dawn to sunset</p>
<p>
| hajj</p>
<p>
A muslim's pilgramage to the holy city of Mecca, to worship Allah at the Ka'ab</p>
<p>
unified Islamic people</p>
<p>
| Abu Bakr</p>
<p>
one of Muhammad's earliest converts</p>
<p>
succeeded Muhammad as first caliph of Islamic community</p>
<p>
| Ridda Wars</p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: center;"> wars that followed Muhammad's death in 632</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> resulted in difieat of firval prophets and some larger clans</li> <li style="text-align: center;"> restored unity of Islam</li> </ul>
<p>
| Ali</p>
<p>
| cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, one of orthodox caliphs, focus for Shi'a</p>
<p>
| Khadijah</p>
<p>
| first wife of Muhammad , who had worked for her as a trader</p>
jihad</p>
struggle, often used for wars in defense of the faith </p>
Copts</p>
Christian sect in Egypt, tended to support Islamic invasions in preference to Byzantine rule</p>
<p>
| Nestorians</p>
<p>
A christian sect found in Asia; tended to support Islamic invasion in preferene to Byzantine rule; cut off from Europe by Muslim invasion </p>
<p>
| Uthman</p>
<ul>
<li>
third caliph and member of Umayyad clan</li>
<li>
murdered by mutinous warriors returning from Egypt</li>
<li>
death set off civil war in Islma b/w followers of Ali and the Umayyad clan- didn't like that he was chosen by Umayyads</li>
</ul>
Battle of Siffin</p>
in 657 b/w forces of Ali and Umayyads
settled by negotiation that led to the fragmentation of Ali’s party
<p>
| Mu'awiya</p>
<p>
| leader of Umayyad clan; first Umayyad caliph following civil war w/ Ali</p>
<p>
| Karbala</p>
<p>
site of defeat and death of Husayn- second son of Ali</p>
<p>
marked beginning of Shi'a resistance to Umayyad caphilite</p>
Damascus</p>
Syryan city that was capital of Umayyad caphilate</p>
Dhimmi</p>
literally "people of the book
applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastriands and Hindus</li>
</ul>
hadiths</p>
traditions of the prophet</p>
mawali</p>
non-arab converts to Islam</p>
jizya</p>
head tax paid by all non-believers in Islamic territories</p>
Baghdad
Capital of Abbasid dynasty located in Iraq near ancient Persian capital of Clesiphon
Wazir
Chief administrative official under Abbasid caliphate; initially recruited from Persian provinces of empire
hadiths
traditions of the prophet
Abbasid
dynasty that succeeded the Umayyads as caliphs within Islam. came to power in 750
Battle of the River Zab
victory of Abbasids over Umayyads; resulted in conquest of Syria and capture of Umayyad capital
al-Mahdi
third of Abbasid caliphs; attempted but failed to reconcile moderates among Shi’a to Abbasid dynasty; failed to resolve problem of succession
Buyids
regional splinter dynasty of the mid-10th centufy; invaded and captured Baghdad; ruled Abbasid Empire under title of Sultan; retained Abbasids as figureheads
Seljuk Turks
Nomadic invaders from centeral Asia via Persia; staunch Sunnis; ruled in name of Abbasid caliphs from mid 11th century
Crusades
series of military adventures initially launched by western christians to free Holy Land from Muslims; temporary succeeded in capturing Jerusalem and establishing Christian kingdoms ; later used for other purposes such as commercial wars and extermination of heresy
Shah-Nama
written by Firdawsi in late 10th and early 11th centuries; relates history of Persia from creation to the Islamic conquest
ulama
orthodox religious scholars whithin Islam; pressed for a more conservative and restrictive theology; increasingly opposed to non-Islamic ideas and scientific thinking
al-Ghazali
briliant ISlamic theologian; struggled to fuse Greek and Quranic traditions; not entirely accepted by ulama
Mongols
central Asian nomadic peoples, smashed Turko-Persian kingdoms; captured baghdad in 1258 and killed the last Abbasid caliph
Chiggis Khan
born in 1170s in decades following death of Kabul Khan; elected khagan of all Mongol tribes in 1206, responsible for conquest of northern kingdoms of China, territories as far west the Abbasid regions; died in 1227, prior to conquest of most of Islamic world.
Muhammad ibn Qasim
Arab general; conquered Sind in INdia; declared the region and the Indus valley to be part of the Umayyad Empire
bhaktic cults
Hindu groups dedicated to gods and goddesses; stresseed the importance of strong emotional bonds b/w devotees and teh goddesses who were the object of their veneration; most widely worshiped gods were Shiva and VIshnu
Mira Bai
celebrated writer of HIndu religious poetry; reflected openess of bhaktic cults to women
Kabir
Muslim mystic; played down the importance of ritual differences b/w HInduism and Islam
Shrivijaya
trading empire centered on Malacca strait b/w Malaya and Sumatra; controlled trade of empire; Buddhist gov. resistant to Muslim missionaries; fall opened up southern Asia to Muslim conversion
Malaca
Portugese factory of fortified trade town located on the tip of the Mayalan penninsula; traditionaly a center for treade among the south eastern Asian islands
juula
malinke merchants; formed small partnerships to carry out trade throughout Mali empire; eventually spread to muhc of west Africa
Sundiata
The “Lion Prince”; a member of the Keita clan; created a unified state that became the Mali empire; died about 1260
griots
professional oral hsitorians who served as keepers of traditions and advisors to kinggs within the Mali Empire
Ibn Batuta
Arab traveler who described African societies and cultures in his travel recores
Timbuktu
port city of Mali; located just off the flood plain on the great bend in the Niger River; population of 50,000; contained a library and a university
Songhay
successor state to Mali; dominated middle reaches of Niger Valley; formed as independant kingdom under a Berber dynasty; capital at Gao, reached imperial status under Sunnni Ali
Muhammad the Great
extended the boundaries of the Songhay Empire; Islmaic rule of the mid 16th century
Hausa
peoples of northern nigeria; formed states following the demise of SOnghay Emprie that combined Muslim and pagan traditions
