Islam

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Allah

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The Arabic word for God.

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hajj

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The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca to worship Allah at the Ka'ba.

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Hanifs

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Arabic monotheists who preceded Muhammad and who were descendants of Abraham.

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hijra

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Meaning "migration", the movement of 200 of Muhammad's followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE.

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Islam

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Meaning "submission" or "surrender", the religion that arose from Muhammad's revelations and teachings.

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jinn

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Spiritual beings, either good or evil, that can assume human or animal form.

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Ka'ba (Kaba)

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An enclosure built around the black stone in Mecca's central shrine, at which millions of Muslims worship yearly.

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Mecca

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the most important of Arabia's major cities in Muhammad's time; also, the city that houses the Ka'ba, which later became the main pilgrimage site for all Muslims.

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Muhammad

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According to Islam, the last of God's prophets; the founder of Islam.

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Muslim

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Someone who submits to God's will; a practitioner of Islam.

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qibla

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The physical direction of prayer; originally toward Jerusalem, but later toward Mecca.

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Qur'an (Koran)

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The Islamic sacred text, written in Arabic.

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ummah

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The universal Islamic community.

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Abu Bakr

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Muhammad's father-in-law, who was an early convert to Islam and appointed as the first caliph after Muhammad's death.

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Ali

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A cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad who was appointed as the fourth caliph; his caliphate was accepted by the people of Medina but rejected by the people of Mecca.

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ayatollahs

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Religious leaders who govern the clerical hierarchy of Iran, where Twelver Shi'a is the official religion.

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caliph/khalifah

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Meaning "successor" or "deputy", the title awarded to Muhammad's successors; administrator of Islamic law, leader of the ummah in temporal matters, and political and military ruler.

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dhimmi

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Jewish of Christian subjects who agree to pay a tax to Muslim rulers in order to continue practicing their religion.

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hadith

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A group of traditions and sayings regarding Muhammad.

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ijma

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A divinely inspired, infallible, and dsinless figure revered by Shi'ite Muslims.

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imam

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A divinely inspired, infallible, and sinless figure revered by Shi'ite Muslims.

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Kharijites

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Meaning "secceders", a group of Muhammad's followers who broke away from Ali because he had failed to kill Muawiyah.

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Mahdi

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A messianic figure that Shi'a Muslims believe will appear on Earth and bring about an era of justice.

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mosque

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An Islamic house of worship.

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qiyas

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Analogies used by Sunni Muslims when the ijma fails to find a solution to a problem.

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shari'ah

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Meaning "law", a kind of law practiced in Islamic communities and governed by the caliph.

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Shi'a/Shi'ite

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The smaller of the major Muslim groups, whose followers believe that the caliph is divinely inspired and infallible; also the name for Ali's supporters, who did not accept the first three caliphs.

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Six-Day War

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The 1967 Arab-Israeli War, in which Israel defeated the forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in a pre-emptive strike.

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Sufi Islam?Sufism

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A mystical form of Islam that stresses purification of the mind and body as the means of obtaining a direct connection with God.

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sunnah

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The root for the word Sunni, meaning "tradition" or "example"; refers specifically to Muhammad's example.

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Sunni

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A group that comprises approximately 85% of the Muslims in the world today; namely, the practitioners of traditional Islam who rely on the ijma, quiyas, and caliph for guidance, but who do not believe the caliph is divinely inspired.

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fatwa

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A legal opinion given to the quadis by the muftis.

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Five Pillars of Islam

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The five basic things Muslims must do to show their submission to God: Shahada (professions of faith), Salat (daily prayers), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fastinig), and Hajj (pilgrimage).

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Iblis

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Also called Shaitan (Satan); the evil fallen angel who leads the jinn.

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ijtihad

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The thrid source of Islamic law.

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jihad

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The requirement that Muslims participate in the struggle to follow the path of God, live a just life as a Muslim, and spread Islam.

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mihrab

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A niche in a mosque wall that points toward Mecca.

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muezzin

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A person who climbs the tower in a mosque to announce the times of prayer.

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muftis

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Jurists who are appointed as legal consultants to religious courts and who give legal opinions to the qadis.

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mulla

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A religious scholar of Shi'a Islam.

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qadi

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A judge who presides in an Islamic court.

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Ramadan

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The ninth month in the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims must abstain from all food, drink, sex and smoking during daylight hours.

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salat

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Daily prayer; one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

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sawm

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One of the Five Pillars of Islam; specifically refers to the Ramadan fast.

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shahada

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One of the Five Pillars of Islam; a profession of faith that states, "There is no God but god, and Muhammad is the messenger of God".

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sura

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One of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an.

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ulama

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The group of religious scholars and clergy that lead the Islamic community.

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zakat

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Almsgiving, or the Islamic requirement to help the poor, widowed and orphaned; one of the Five Pillars of Islam.