Download Bedouin sheikh majlis

Chapter 7 Vocabulary: The Rise of Islam
Key Terms
Meaning
Bedouin
This term means a nomadic tribe from northern
Arabia who became important traders after the
domestication of the camel during the first
millennium B.C.E. Early converts to Islam, their
values and practices deeply affected Muhammad.
sheikh
This term means the ruler of a Bedouin tribe;
later, used as a general honor.
majlis
This term means a council of elders among the
Bedouins of the Roman era.
Hegira
This term describes the flight of Muhammad from
Mecca to Medina in 662, which marks the first
date on the official calendar of Islam.
umma
This is a term that describes the Muslim
community as a whole.
Five Pillars of
Islam
This term describes the core requirements of the
Muslim faith: belief in Allah and his prophet,
Muhammad: prescribed prayers; observation of
Ramadan; pilgrimage to Mecca; and giving alms
to the poor.
Ramadan
This term describes the holy month of Islam,
during which believers fast from dawn to sunset.
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan
migrates through the seasons.
Visual
Holy Month of Islam
ulama
This term describes a group of leading Muslim
scholars who wrote the Shari’a law code based on
the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet after
the death of Muhammad.
a group who wrote
Shari’a law code
Shari’a
This term means a law code, originally drawn up
by Muslim scholars shortly after the death of
Muhammad, that provides believers with a set of
laws to regulate their daily lives.
Shari’a Law Code
Hadith
This term describes a collection of the sayings of
the Prophet Muhammad, used to supplement the
revelations contained in the Qur’an.
Prophet Muhammad’s collection of
sayings
caliph
This term means a secular or governmental
leader of the Islamic Community.
Secular or governmental leader
imam
This term describes an Islamic religious leader.
Some traditions say there is only one per
generation.
Islamic Religious Leader
jihad
This term in Islam means “striving in the way of
the Lord.” The term has many interpretations –
which include “holy war” against unbelievers.
“holy war” against unbelievers
Shi’ites
This term describes second largest tradition of
Islam, which split from the maturity Sunni soon
after the death of Muhammad in a disagreement
over his succession; especially significant in Iran
and Iraq.
Sunni
This term describes the largest tradition of Islam,
from which the Shi’ites split soon after the death
of Muhammad in a disagreement over his
succession.
vizier
This term describes the prime minister in the
Abbasid caliphate or chief minister.
chief minister
sultan
This term describes a person who is the “holder of
power” - a title commonly used by Muslim rulers
in the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and elsewhere; still
in use in parts of Asia for regional authorities.
Holder of Power
Muslim ruler in Ottoman Empire
Crusades
emir
This term describes a military campaign in
defense of Christendom that took place in the
Middle Ages..
This term means a “commander”, a title used by
Muslim rulers in southern Spain and elsewhere.
Muslim commander
Sufism
This term means a mystical school of Islam, noted
for its music, dance, and poetry, which became
prominent in about the 13th century.
Islamic School of music, dance and
th
poetry in 13 century
mihrab
muezzin
This term means the niche in a mosque’s wall that
indicates the direction of Mecca, usually
containing an ornately decorated panel
representing Allah.
a cubbyhole or nook
in a mosque’s wall
The term means a man who calls Muslims to
prayer at the appointed times.
a man calling Muslims to prayer
caliph
This term means secular leader of the Islamic
community.
a leader of Islam
but not a religious leader