Chapter 6: The First Global Civilization: The Rise and Spread of Islam
81647149 | Muslim | Follower of Islam | 0 | |
81647150 | ayan | The wealthy landed elite that emerged in the early decades of Abbasid rule. | 1 | |
81647151 | shaykhs | Leaders of tribes and clans within bedouin society; usually men with large herds, several wives, and many children. | 2 | |
81647152 | Muhammad | Prophet of Islam; born c.570 to Banu Hashim clan of Quraysh tribe in Mecca; raised by father's family; received revelations from Allah in 610c.e. and thereafter; died in 632. | 3 | |
81647153 | Allah | Supreme God in strictly monotheistic Islam. | 4 | |
81647154 | jihad | Struggle often used for wars in defense of the faith. | 5 | |
81647155 | Islam | Major world religion having its origins in 610c.e. in the Arabian peninsula; meaning literally submission; based on prophecy of Muhammad. | 6 | |
81647156 | hadiths | Traditions of the prophet Muhammad. | 7 | |
81647157 | five pillars | The obligatory religious duties of all Muslims; confession of faith, prayer, fasting during Ramadan, zakat, and hajj. | 8 | |
81647158 | Nestorians | A Christian sect found in Asia; tended to support Islamic invasions of this area in preference to Byzantine rule; cut off from Europe by Muslim invasions. | 9 | |
81647159 | Abu Bakr | One of Muhammad's earlier converts; succeeded Muhammad as first caliph of Islamic community. | 10 | |
81647160 | Shi'a | Also known as Shi'ites; political and theological division within Islam; followers of Ali. | 11 | |
81647161 | mawali | Non-Arab converts to Islam. | 12 | |
81647162 | al-Ghazali | Brilliant Islamic theologian; struggled to fuse Greek and Qur'anic traditions; not entirely accepted by ulama. | 13 | |
81647163 | Mecca | City located in mountainous region along Red Sea in Arabian peninsula; founded by Umayyad clan of Quraysh; site of Ka'ba; original home of Muhammad; location of chief religious pilgrimage point in Islam. | 14 | |
81647164 | Battle of Siffin | Fought in 657 between forces of Ali and Umayyads; settled by negotiation that led to fragmentation of Ali's party. | 15 | |
81647165 | dhows | Arab sailing vessels with triangular or lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design. | 16 | |
81647166 | dhimmi | Literally 'people of the book'; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastrians and even Hindus. | 17 | |
81647167 | Ramadan | Islamic month of religious observance requiring fasting from dawn to sunset. | 18 | |
81647168 | Copts | Christian sect of Egypt; tended to support Islamic invasions of this area in preference to Byzantine rule. | 19 | |
81647169 | Medina | Also known as Yathrib; town located northeast of Mecca; grew date palms whose fruit was sold to bedouins; became refuge for Muhammad following flight from Mecca (hijra). | 20 | |
81647170 | umma | Community of the faithful within Islam; transcended old tribal boundaries to create degree of political unity. | 21 | |
81647171 | Qur'an | Recitations of revelations received by Muhammad; holy book of Islam. | 22 | |
81647172 | Karbala | Site of defeat and death of Husayn, son of Ali; marked beginning of Shi'a resistance to Umayyad caliphate. | 23 | |
81647173 | Ali | Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad; one of orthodox caliphs; focus for Shi'a. | 24 | |
81647174 | Sunnis | Political and theological division within Islam. | 25 | |
81647175 | wazir | Chief administrative official under the Abbasid caliphate; initially recruited from Persian provinces of empire. | 26 | |
81647176 | zakat | Tax for charity; obligatory for all Muslims. | 27 | |
81647177 | Ridda Wars | Wars that followed Muhammad's death in 632; resulted in defeat of rival prophets and some of larger clans; restored unity of Islam. | 28 | |
81647178 | Baghdad | Capital of Abbasid dynasty located in Iraq near ancient Persian capital of Ctesiphon. | 29 | |
81647179 | Damascus | Syrian city that was capital of Umayyad caliphate. | 30 | |
81647180 | Umayyad | Clan of Quraysh that dominated politics and commercial economy of Mecca; clan later able to establish dynasty as rulers of Islam. | 31 | |
81647181 | caliph | The political and religious successor to Muhammad. | 32 | |
81647182 | Khadijah | First wife of the prophet Muhammad, who had worked for her as a trader. | 33 | |
81647183 | bedouin | Nomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula; culture based on camel and goat nomadism; early converts to Islam. | 34 | |
81647184 | Uthman | Third caliph and member of Umayyad clan; murdered by mutinous warriors returning from Egypt; death set off civil war in Islam between followers of Ali and the Umayyad clan. | 35 | |
81647185 | Battle of River Zab | Victory of Abbasids over Umayyads; resulted in conquest of Syria and capture of Umayyad capital. | 36 | |
81647186 | Quraysh | Tribe of bedouins that controlled Mecca in 7th century c.e. | 37 | |
81647187 | Mu'awiya | Leader of Umayyad clan; first Umayyad caliph following civil war with Ali. | 38 | |
81647188 | jizya | Head tax paid by all nonbelievers in Islamic territories. | 39 | |
81647189 | Ka'ba | Most revered religious shrine in pre-Islamic Arabia; located in Mecca; focus of obligatory annual truce among bedouin tribes; later incorporated as important shrine in Islam. | 40 |