Islam Review

IdentificationsMuslim: person who follows Islam

Ka’aba: Islam’s holiest shrine – located in Mecca – Arabic for cube

Bedouin: desert nomads

Hadith: sayings and teachings of Muhammad that did not come directly from the Angel Gabriel

Mecca: birthplace of Islam; holiest site

2

IdentificationsMosque: Muslim place of worship

Medina: first Islamic community, 2nd Holy city, Muhammad gains political and religious power

Hejira: 622 – Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina; marks first expansion of Islam

Ramadan: Muslim religious holiday of fasting and prayer: commemorates when Muhammad first received the Qur’an from the Angel Gabriel

IdentificationsNight of Power: holiest night in Islam: Gabriel first

appears to Muhammad

Eid ul-Fitr: Muslim feast that celebrates end of Ramadan

People of the Book: Islamic term for Jews and Christians

Shariah: Islamic law = Qur’an and Hadith

Jihad: inner struggle to fulfill one’s religious duties + holy war in defense of Islam

IdentificationsHalal: “permissible,” with respect to food and drink: no pork or alcohol

Allah: Arabic word for God

Sunni: sect of Islam: believed caliph could be anyone qualified

Shi’ite: believed caliph should be direct descendant of Muhammad

Caliph: religious and secular leader of Islam

IdentificationsUmayyad Caliphate:

Capital was Damascus, Syria

Predominantly Sunni

Emphasis on Arab language and culture

IdentificationsAbbassid Caliphate:

Capital was Baghdad

More inclusive of other people: Persians, Turks, Indians

First 100 years was known as the Golden Age of Muslim Rule

Identify the Five Pillars of Islam

1. Declaration of Faith (Shahada)

“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.”

2. Prayers (Salah) 5 X/day: face Mecca

3. Charity (Sawm): give to the old & poor

4. Fasting (Zakat): during Ramadan

5 .Pilgrimage (Hajj): must complete a pilgrimage to Mecca

What are the two major sects of Islam: Reason for split?

Two main branches of Islam:

Sunni: caliph can be anyone qualified

Shi’ite = caliph must be a direct descendant of Muhammad

Give three reasons for the spread of Islam in the 7th century.

1. The Arab armies were united in their beliefs

2. Weakness of Byzantine and Sassanid Empires

3. Many people welcomed the Arabs as liberators

4. Imposition of the jizya, or non-believer tax

5. Jihad or Holy War

List three lasting contributions of Islamic Civilization

Made advances in medicine, mathematics, and architecture

Improvements in navigation: mariner’s compass and astrolabe

Beautiful poetry Arabian Nights, The Rubaiyat

Muslim scholars preserved much Classical Knowledge

List three similarities between the three monotheistic religions:

1. Concept of social justice and human equality

2. Belief in an afterlife

3. Recognized many of the same Prophets

4. Holy Bible was considered holy

5. Both emphasized prayer and charity

The Dome of the Rock

The Ka’aba

The Alhambra

The Taj Mahal

The Al Masjid Mosque in Mecca

True/False QuestionsExamples:

1. The Hadith is a sacred text in Islam, because it is the direct word of God communicated to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel.

2. The Abbassid Caliphate was short-lived because it did not allow people of other ethnic backgrounds into positions of power.

Multi-Blank Multiple Choice

Example:

Muhammad was a __________ who, at the age of 40, was first visited by __________. He then began to recite the ________.

a) Soldier; God; the Holy Bible

b) merchant; the Angel Gabriel; the Qur’an

c) Farmer; the Angel Gabriel; Hadith

d) Bedouin tribesman; Abraham; the Torah