Formation of Islam terminology Flashcards
(41 cards)
JAHILIYYA
الجاهلية
Ignorance of the truths of God.
As a historical period, the pre-Islamic era.
QURAYSH
القريش
Powerful Arab tribe that controlled Mecca and its trade from the late fifth to the seventh centuries. It included several important clans, such as the Nawfal, Hashim, and Umayya.
ARABISSOS
Peace treaty of 629 between Byzantium and Persia, by which Egypt, Syria, and Palestine were restored to the Byzantine Empire
SUNNA
السنة
The ways, or customary practices, of the Prophet. Along with the Hadith, it provided Muslims a guideline for determining appropriate behavior when the Quran was not explicit.
HADITH
الحديث
One of the sources of Islamic law. As a common noun, a saying of or story about the Prophet Muhammad, which includes not only the saying or story, but also the chain of transmission (isnad). As a proper noun, it is plural and refers to all of the sayings or stories regarded as genuine. They are not divine revelations and thus not found in the Quran, but are (1) the advice Muhammad gave when questions of appropriate behavior arose and (2) narratives about Muhammad’s life.
HIJRA
الهجرة
Emigration of Muhammad and the early Muslims from Mecca to Medina, which was completed in September 622. This migration marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
UMMA
الأمة
The Muslim community
SHAHADA
الشهادة
The Arabic word for witness or testimony, signifying the Muslim creed of faith. It is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam and states simply that “there is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
SALAT
الصلاة
Arabic word for ritual Muslim prayer. This is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is to be performed five times daily, facing Mecca.
ZAKAT
الزكاة
Tithing, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The alms given for it, technically 2.5% of the individual Muslim’s wealth, were customarily collected once yearly for the purposes of helping the underprivileged members of Muslim society and for the building of public works such as hospitals and schools.
SAWM
الصوم
Arabic word for fasting. One of the Five Pillars of Islam, it is required of all Muslims during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan. The fast lasts from dawn to dusk. No food, drink, smoking, or sex is allowed. The fast is not incumbent upon the infirm, pregnant women, soldiers engaged in war, or travelers, although all are exhorted to make up any days they have missed at a time when fasting will not put them in danger of illness or death.
HAJJ
الحج
Pilgrimage to Mecca, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is required at least once in the lifetime of a Muslim, provided the person is in good health and financially capable of making the trip.
UHUD
Battle in November 625 between the Meccans and the Muslims in which the Meccans were victorious; however, they failed to pursue their victory against Medina.
DHIMMIS
الذميون
Literally, “protected individuals;” this term refers to all members of the recognized religious communities - especially Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians - that enjoyed a special status under Islam. As “People of the Book,” they were required to pay a special poll tax (jizya) for protection and were exempt from military conscription. They were allowed to live under their own jurisprudence, i.e., their religious laws as administered by their clergy.
TRUCE OF HUDAYBIYYA
صلح هديضية
Ten-year truce concluded in 628 between Muhammad and the Quraysh at the Plain of Hudaybiyya near Mecca. When the treaty was broken in 630, Muhammad led his followers into Mecca.
MUSHAF
المصحف
The authoritative compendium of the written and memorized Quranic revelations that was ordered to be collected in 633 by the Caliph Abu Bakr.
SURA
سورة
The term for a chapter of the Quran. There are 114 of them in the Quran, of varying lengths from 287 to three ayat. The longer ones are nearer to the beginning of the Quran, and the shorter ones nearer the end.
KHUTBA
الخطبة
Sermon delivered by the imam in Friday mosque services
WAQF
وقف
Religious endowment, usually of land or buildings. The proceeds of the property are collected and maintained by the ulama to support charity. In the 20th century, many Muslim states assumed their administration.
SUNNISM
السنة
Muslims who recognize the traditions of the Prophet and abide by his decision to designate his successor (khalifa) through consultation and consensus
SHIISM (SHIA)
الشيعة
Literally, the “party” of Ali, it traces its origins to the political struggle over the caliphate in the years after Muhammad’s death. A central teaching is that there exists an esoteric content to the Quran that can only be properly interpreted by an Imam who is a direct descendant of the Prophet. Thus, they insisted that the caliphate rightfully belonged to the Imams Hasan and Husayn, the sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima. There are three sects.
KHARIJISM
الخارجية
Muslim puritanical movement, initially allied with the forces of Ali, which broke off this alliance over the issue of arbitration with the Umayyad general Muawiya. They held that salvation depends on good works (as opposed to faith alone), and that Islam requires the faithful to “command the good and forbid evil,” by the sword, if necessary. They also believed that the leader of the community should be a man of irreproachable reputation and faith, rather than someone necessarily from the Quraysh tribe.
SUFISM
التصوف
Mystical dimension of the Islamic faith that seeks a closer knowledge of God through a variety of rituals, such as chanting, dancing, fasting, or otherwise reachign a state of spiritual ecstasy. They try to attain a transcendental union with God, a concept that contemporary orthodox Muslims reject. Their orders (tariqas) maintained a “popular” version of Islam as opposed to “official” - later, “state-sanctioned” - versions of the faith.
SHURA
الشورة
Consultative assembly of the leaders of the Umma. The institution was established during the period of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (Rashidun) to facilitate the selection of the Caliph.
