Islam

Bedouin

A desert-dwelling Arab Nomad

Muhammad

Introduced the religion of Islam to Southwestern Asia. According to Muslim belief, he heard the voice of a angel Gabriel instructing him to serve as a messenger for God. He spent the rest of his life spreading Islam. Muslims today honor him as God´s prophet.

Mecca

A city western Saudi Arabia; birthplace of Muhammad,views by Muslims as the prophet of Islam, and the most holy city for Islamic people.

Kaaba

The most sacred temple of Islam, located at Mecca.

Yathrib

Final destination of Muhammad´s hijra and the home of the first community of Muslims; later renamed Medina;located in the northwest of present-day Saudi Arabia.

Hijra

Muhammad´s journey from Mecca to Medina in 622.

Medina

A city in western Saudi Arabia; a city where Muhammad preached.

Quran

The holy book of Islam

Mosque

Muslim house of worship

Hajj

One of the Five Pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage that all Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetime.

Sharia

Body of Islamic law that includes interpretation of the Quran and applies Islamic principles to everyday life.

Abu Bakr

He (573-634) was Muhammad's father-in-law and the first Muslim caliph,or leader, following Muhammad's death. An early convert to Islam, he advised Muhammad and traveled on the hijra with the prophet. He helped unite the Muslim people through his role as a successor to Muhammad. Under his rule, the Muslim empire expanded.

caliph

successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims.

Sunni

A member of one of the largest Muslim sects; believe that inspiration came from the example of Muhammad as recorded by his early followers.

Shiite

A member of one of the two major Muslim sects; believe that the descendants of Muhammad's daughter and son-in-law, Ali, are the true Muslim leaders.

Sufi

Muslim mystic who seeks communion with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals.

Umayyad

Sunni dynasty of caliphs that ruled from 661 to 750.

Abbasid

dynasty that ruled Baghdad from 750 to 1258

Baghdad

capital city of present-day Iraq; capital of the Muslim empire during Islam's golden age.

Minaret

slender tower of a mosque, from which Muslims are called to prayer.

Sultan

Muslim ruler

Damascus

capital of Syria, the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth holiest city in Islam.

Battle of Tours

an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul.

social mobility

the ability to move in social class

Firdawsi

Was a Muslim poet most famous for the Shab Namah, or Book of Kings, which he wrote in Persian using Arabic script. He wrote at a time when Persia, or Iran, was fairly free from the control of the Muslim empire and local leaders encouraged a flowering of Persian culture. The famed poet centered his writing on the stories of royalty and heroes, and many of the themes he introduced are still relevant today.

Omar Khayyam

He is best known today as a poet who crafted many rubaiyats, or quatrains. In his day, he was praised for his expertise in many areas. As a mathematician, he contributed to the development of algebra. As a astronomer, he carefully studied the sky to help improve the Muslim calendar. The Persian scholar also examined issues related to law, philosophy, and history.

Calligraphy

The art of producing beautiful handwriting

Ibn Rushd

(1128-1198) He was also known as Averroes, was a philosopher and scientist who lived in Cordoba and influenced European thought. As a philosopher, he placed a variety of subject matter under the scrutiny of reason and analysis and argued that humans were partially but not completely controlled by fate. In the field of science, he contributed to the study of diseases

Ibn Khaldun

(1332-1406) He was an Arab thinker who helped establish the principles of many branches of knowledge including history and economics. He is perhaps best known for the development of standards for studying and writing about history, which he explained in his landmark book, the Muqaddimah. He also introduced or refined many economic concepts relating to labor, profits, supply and demand, use of resources,production, and supply and demand.

al-Khwarizmi

(c.780-c.850) He was a Muslim mathematician who developed groundbreaking concepts related the study of algebra and introduced the term algebra, or al-jabr. Through his writings, he introduced Europeans to the study of this branch of mathematics. Working in the field of geography as well, he also supervised the production of one of the earliest maps of the world.

Muhammad al-Razi

(865-925) He was a renowned Muslim physician who pioneered the study of many diseases. In addition to a well-received book on measles and smallpox, he also wrote texts and the history of medicine and ways to advance the field. He held the position of chief physician, first in the city of Rayy and then in Baghdad. Also a philosopher, he analyzed the works of Plato while presenting his own ideas.

Ibn Sina

(980-1037) He was also known as Avicenna, was a Persian physician who wrote the Canon on Medicine, which focused on past medical practices throughout the known world as well as is own procedures. This work features descriptions of anatomy,symptoms of diseases and medicines and cures. He wrote on a variety of other topics as well, including philosophy, mathematics and astronomy.

Ottoman

a member of a Turkish-speaking nomadic people who migrated from central Asia into Northwestern Asia minor.

Istanbul

capital of the ottoman empire,formerly called Constantinople when it was the center of the eastern Roman Empire and also capital of the Byzantine empire.

Suleiman

(1494-1566) He was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire who ruled from 1520 to 1566. During this time he bought bureaucracy and stability to the empire and advanced the arts, law and architecture. His military campaigns greatly expanded the scope of the empire.

Janizary

A member of the elite forces of the Ottoman army.