Chapter+8+Rise+of+Islam+Terms


 * Shiites: “party of Ali” thought that religious leadership rightfully belonged to Ali and his descendents. FOR ALI
 * Sunnis: followers of the sunna, or “tradition” of the community felt that the community should choose its leaders more broadly. AKA, "People of Tradition and Community. They consider caliphs to be Imams, leaders of the Muslim communities.
 * Kharijites: Ali's followers who hated his acceptance of arbitration and claimed righteousness for themselves alone.
 * Mecca: Late-blooming caravan city that lies in a barren mountain valley halfway between Yemen and Syria and a short way inland from the Red Sea coast of Arabia. Nomadic kin group Quraysh settles here in fifth century and assumed control of trade. prospers. pilgrimage site.
 * Ka’ba: cubical shrine containing idols built by Abraham. House of God
 * Ishmael: forefather of Arabs
 * Muhammad: born in Mecca in 570, grew up an orphan in uncles’ house, engaged in trade, married Quraysh widow named Khadija. son died as child but many daughters.
 * “Night of Power and Excellence”: the night that angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad. God=Allah
 * Muslim- One who makes “submission” to the will of God. (Islam)
 * Abraham – considered the first Muslim by Muslims
 * Medina: agricultural community where Muhammad and his followers fled in 622.
 * Hijdra: the beginning of the Muslim calendar. The day that Muhammad and his followers' fled to Medina
 * Umma: a community defined solely by acceptance of Islam and of Muhammad as the “Messenger of God”
 * Khalifa: “successor” or CALIPH. Abu Bakr continues Muhmmad’s Five Pillars of Faith
 * Five Pillars of Faith: (1)avowal that there is only one god and Muhammad is his messenger. (2) prayer five times a day. (3) fasting during the lunar month of Ramadan. (4) paying alms. (5) making the pilgrimage to Mecca at least one during one's lifetime
 * Quran: the Recitation containing the verses of Muhammad’s revelations. “the unalterable word of God”
 * Battle of the Camel: battle in which Ali defeats his challengers to be a caliph. The battle surrounded A’isha, one of Muhammad’s wives, as she was seated on a camel. Governor of Syria, Mu’awiya, renews challenge.
 * Ummayad Caliphate: the succession of Mu'awiya by his own son named Yazid
 * Sind: southern Indus Valley and westernmost region of India
 * Mamluks: Turkish slaves from Central Asia that were established as the caliphs' STANDING ARMY (because in the ninth century, generals and troops from outlying areas were considered distrusting). They proved to be an "effective but expensive military force."
 * Ulama: religious scholars aka "people with (religious) knowledge"
 * Shari'a: the law of Islam providing the foundation of Islamic civilization
 * Hadith: A tradition relating the words or deeds of the Prophet Muhammad; next to the Quran, the most important basis for Islamic Law. They were reports that were studied in order to understand the tradition/sunna.
 * Cairo: one of the greatest and largest Islamic cities
 * Mosques: ritual centers/places for learning and social activites
 * Madrasa: A type of religious college