Ch. 8 - Rise of Islam
The Rise of Islam (pp. 240-242)
1. Arabia-
-area of southwest Asia made up mostly of desert
-crossroads to three continents
-world trading center
-in general, a wild, lawless land with fierce tribal conflicts and bloody wars over land, water, and trade routes
2. Arabs-
-large group of people whose native language is Arabic
-these people share a common history and culture
-most live in southwest Asia in a region we call the Middle East or the Arab world today
3. Rub al-Khali-
-”empty quarter”
-temperatures can reach 130 degrees F in the central region
-barren, stony highlands and plains, great sheets of sand that form sand dunes
-receives less than four inched of precipitation
4. Bedouins-
-traditional nomads of the Arabian desert who travel living in tents, seeking food and water
-herders of sheep, goats, and camels and trade meat and dairy products for manufactured goods
-live by a standard of strict values and insults to their pride can lead to bloody feuds among tribes
5. Sheiks-
-political and religious leader of various Arab clans
6. Mecca-
-rich trading city on the Arabian peninsula
-Bedouin tribes came to Mecca to worship the many idol gods and spirits which stood near the Kaaba
-became the heart of the Islamic religion
-much suffering among the cities poor
7. Kabba-
-cube-shaped building in center of the Great Mosque in Mecca
-became the most important sacred shrine of Islam
-said to be built by Abraham and Ishmael (black stone given to Abraham by Gabriel)
-chief goal of the pilgrimage
8. Muhammad-
-believed by Muslims to be the last and greatest messenger of God
-born into a trading family in A.D. 570, raised by an uncle after his parents died
-generally uneducated, unable to read or write
-encountered people of many faiths while on trading missions
-the angel Gabriel spoke to him during one of his deep meditations in A.D. 610
-respected but not worshipped by Muslims
-he died in A.D. 632 and his tomb is in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina
9. Abu Talib-
-uncle who raised Muhammad after the death of his father (before his birth) and his mother (at age six)
-father to Ali, brother-in-law of Muhammad
-leader of the clan, he refused to withdraw his protection of Muhammad when Mecca merchants wanted to kill him
-his death meant that Muhammad was no longer protected by the clan, forcing his migration to Yathrib (Medina)
10. Khadija-
-40 year old widow who owned a lucrative trading business
-impressed by the 23-year old Muhammad when she hired him to tend to her trading caravan to Syria
-she and Muhammad married and had three daughters and two sons (sons died as infants)
-reassured Muhammad after seeing vision of Gabriel, becoming his first disciple
-died suddenly about the same time as Abu Talib
11. Hijra-
-Muhammad continued to preach in Mecca until opposition arose against his attacks on their way of life and rejection of the cities idol gods and spirits
-Muhammad fled north to Yathrib (today called Medina) in 622 A.D. to avoid persecution
-as a rival trading city to Mecca, Muhammad found many followers there
-this trip marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the beginning of Islam
-after battling the city of Mecca, Muhammad returned in A.D. 630 and made it a holy city
12. Allah-
-Arabic word for Supreme Being of the religion of Islam, creator of the universe
-the single god of the Muslims (monotheistic)
13. Islam-
-monotheistic religion centering around the teachings of Muhammad
-word means “submission”
-began in 600’s
-second largest religion today with 1.8 billion followers
14. Muslims-
-people who believe in and practice the Islamic religion
-Islam originated with the Arabs in the Middle East
-word means “one who submits”
15. Qur’an-
-sacred book of Islam and one of the most widely read book in the world and virtually memorized by all Moslems
-highest authority for Islamic law
-Moslems believe the angel Gabriel revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad a little at a time from A.D. 610 to A.D. 632
-considered to be the direct word of God himself
-contains the teachings which regulate the Moslem’s daily life
-Arabic, written Qur’an is very beautiful, although it looses this when translated
16. Five Pillars of Islam-
-actions performed in the obedience of Allah
A. Shahadah: worship Allah and Muhammad as
his prophet
B. Salah: face Mecca, bow and pray five times
each day
C. Zakah: give alms to the poor
D. Sawm: fast during the holy month of
Ramadan
E. Hajj: complete a pilgrimage to Mecca at least
once in a lifetime
F. Jihad: unofficial pillar, holy war to protect
Islamic religion
17. Sharia-
-religious law of the Moslems, consisting of the Koran and the sayings of Mohammed
-describes moral conduct, family, business, and government practice
-many Islamic nations use this as their code of civil law
18. Mosque-
-holy buildings used for Muslim worship
-easily recognizable by their elaborate design, large domes, and minarets
-usually there is an internal courtyard where a fountain or well is used for obtaining purification water
-no statues, pictures, or other type of artwork is allowed within the building, creativity is expressed through the buildings architecture or calligraphy writing
-have one to six towers around building called minarets, from which muezzins call the faithful to prayer
19. Role of Arab Women-
-the Qur'an established for equality between men and women in Islam society, however it is seldom followed
-most women are not allowed to own property, inherit, or make purchases
-religious law is very strict for all but, especially strict for women
-men may have up to four wives as long as they can provide for them and their families (not practiced much today)
20. Hajib-
-vale or scarf worn by Islamic women
-established by early custom and addressed in the Qur'an
21. Harem-
-women's quarters
-area where only women may
The Spread of Islam (pp. 243-247)
22. Abu Bakr-
-rich merchant who became a close friend and disciple of Muhammad while he was teaching in Mecca
-became the first Islamic Caliph when selected by Muhammad to lead Islam after his death
-developed the branch of Islam called Sunni
-defeated rebellions against his rule and Islam
-began campaign of religious conquest outside the Arabian peninsula
23. Umar-
-Meccan leader who first persecuted Muhammad but later accepted him as a prophet
-after Khadija’s death, Muhammad married a daughter of Abu Bakr and Umar
-was named caliph after Abu Bakr died
24. Ali-
-cousin of Muhammad and husband of Muhammad’s daughter Fatima
-began the Shi’ah (follower called Shiite) branch of Islam and became it’s first leader or Imam
-he was assassinated in A.D. 661 and was succeeded by his son’s
-Hasan was also assassinated
-Husayn was killed by the caliph, his death marks an important Shiite holy day
-future Imam’s of the Fatimid Dynasty claim direct decent from Muhammad
25. Sufis-
-Moslem mystics who claim to have a special and intimate relationship with god
-although their methods of worship are different, they are not a separate sect but rather a branch of the Sunnis
26. Rabiah al-Adawiyya-
-one of the earliest and most famous of Sufis teachers
-developed most of the teachings used by the Sufis
27. Moors-
-Berbers from the northwest region of Africa who adopted Islam
-crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Europe with holdings as far as central France
-eventually driven from the European continent by the Spanish in A.D. 1492
28. Seljuk-
-Turks who conquered most of the south central region of Asia by A.D. 1000, including the Arab world
-gradually the control of the Islamic leadership changed from the Arabic caliphs to the Turkish saltans
-defended the Islamic holdings during the crusades
-maintained
Islamic Civilization (pp. 248-253)
29. Arabic Gifts-
-medicine: surgery, hospitals, pharmacies, diognosies of disease (small pox and measles)
-geography: mapped world, improved the astolabe
-mathematics: arabic numbers, algebra (al-jabr)
-art: calligraphy, architecture of Mosques, writings and stories (Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Fourty Thieves)
30. A Thousand and One Nights
-epic story written in early Arabia
-collection of oral folk tales and stories which were passed down from generation to generation
-also called Arabian Nights or A Thousand and One Tales
31. King Shahariyar-
-king who vowed to kill a wife each evening for the actions of his own wife
32. Scheherazade-
-maiden who married King Shahriyar
-was able to save her life by her ability to tell stories