Unit 1: The Global Tapestry - Dar al Islam -- 2021
dhimmi
"people of the book"; an inclusive term for Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastrians and Hindus
Ibn Rushd
(1126-1198) Islamic scholar; mixed ancient Greek philosophy with Islam while exploring the relationship between reason and faith; influenced later European Renaissance
al-Andalus
(711-1492 CE) Muslim ruled region of the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain) transmitted Greco-Latin scholarship and Islamic scholarship to Western Europe.
mosque
a Muslim house of worship
polyandry
a form of marriage in which women have more than one husband
hajj
a religious pilgrimage to Mecca to worship Allah at the Ka'aba; one of the Five Pillars of Islam
zakat
tax for charity; obligatory for all Muslims; one of the Five Pillars of Islam
umma
the community of all Muslims
Hijrah
the journey of Muhammad and his followers to Medina in 622, which became Year 1 of the Islamic calendar
Abbasid dynasty
third Islamic dynasty to succeed Muhammad as caliphs; ruled much of the Islamic world from Baghdad from 750-1258 CE
caliph
title for civil and religious leaders who succeeded Muhammad; head of the Islamic community and state
hadiths
traditions of the prophet Muhammad; added to the Qur'an
lateen
triangular sails attached to the masts of dhows by long booms, or yard arms, which extended diagonally high across the fore and aft of the ship
Omar Khayyam
A Muslim poet, mathematician, and astronomer - author of the Rubayait
al-Razi
A Persian Philosopher who made fundamental and lasting contributions to the fields of medicine, chemistry (alchemy) and philosophy. (865-925)
1001 Arabian Nights
A famous collection of Persian, Indian, and Arabian folktales. Published during the reign of Harun al-Rashid
patriarchy
A form of social organization in which males dominate females
theocracy
A government controlled by religious leaders
Hadith
A tradition relating the words or deeds of the Prophet Muhammad; next to the Quran, the most important basis for Islamic law.
House of Wisdom
An academic center for research, scholarly works, and translation of foreign texts that was established in Baghdad in 830 C.E. by the Abbasid caliph al-Mamun.
dhows
Arab sailing vessels with triangular or lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design
Allah
Arabic name for God
Ramadan
Islamic holy month requiring fasting from dawn to sunset; followed by the three-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr
shari'ah
Islamic law code regulating daily life; comprised of the Quran, Hadith, and decision of Islamic scholars and judges
Al-Khwarizmi
Muslim mathematician who pioneered the study of algebra
Sunni
Muslim political and theological division that accepted Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father-in-law, as his true successor as leader of the Islamic community
Shi'a
Muslim political and theological division that accepted Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, as his true successor as leader of the Islamic community -advocated blood line rule of the Islamic state
Mamluks
Muslim slave warriors; established a dynasty in Egypt; defeated the Mongols at Ain Jalut in 1260 and halted Mongol advance
Ulama
Orthodox religious scholars within Islam; pressed for a more conservative and restrictive theology; increasingly opposed to non-Islamic ideas and scientific thinking
Nasir al-Din Tusi
Persian mathematician and cosmologist who inspired Copernican model of the solar system - heliocentric model
Aishah al-Ba'uniyyah
Sufi master and poet; one of the few female Sufi mystics to record her own views in writing. Published more books in Arabic than any other woman before the 20th century
Baghdad
capital of the Abbasid dynasty from 750-1258 CE; located in modern-day Iraq
wazir
chief administrative official under the Abbasid caliphate; initially recruited from Persian provinces of empire
Medina
city also known as Yathrib; located northeast of Mecca; refuge for Muhammad following his flight from Mecca
Mecca
city located in mountainous region along Red Sea in Arabian peninsula; site of Ka'aba; original home of Muhammad; location of Hajj - chief religious pilgrimage point in Islam
arabesque
complex, ornate design
Ka'aba
most revered religious shrine in pre-Islamic Arabia; located in Mecca; focus of obligatory annual truce among bedouin tribes; later incorporated as an important Islamic shrine
jizya
head tax paid by all non-Muslims in Islamic lands
Muhammad
holy prophet of Islam; received revelations from Allah from 610-632 CE
dower
in the Islamic world - a gift paid to the bride (by the groom) upon marriage
Berbers
indigenous ethnic group of western North Africa; first non-Arab people to establish an Islamic government
Qadi
judge of a Shari'a law court
shayks
leaders of tribes and clans within bedouin society; usually men with large herds, several wives, and many children
polygamy
legal marriage to more than one woman - in Islam men were limited to 4 wives
sakk
letter of credit in the medieval Islamic banking; origin of "check"
Harem
living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a Muslim household
Muslim
means "one who has surrendered to God"
jihad
means "struggle in the way of God"; often used for wars in defense of the faith, but also a term to indicate personal quests for religious understanding
Islam
means "surrender to God"
infidel
means "unfaithful"; a negative term used for those who are not members of one's own religion
Sufism
mystical form of Islam that emphasized personal inward experience of God and rejected materialism; produced influential Islamic art and literature; helped spread Islam to India
Seljuk Turks
nomadic invaders from central Asia via Persia; staunch Sunnis; ruled in the name of Abbasid caliphs from mid-11th century
Bedouin
nomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula; culture based on camel and goat nomadism; early converts to Islam
mawali
non-Arab converts to Islam
The Five Pillars
obligatory religious duties of all Muslims including confession of faith, prayer, fasting during Ramadan, zakat, and hajj
Qu'ran
recitations of revelations received by Muhammad; the holy scriptures of Islam
madrasa
school for Islamic instruction
Ibn Khaldun
set standards for the scientific study of history