Islam

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Ismael

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ancestor of the Muslims. son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's (first wife of Abraham) maid. Ismael represents a tie-in to the Jewish sacred story, whom doesn't chronicle Ismael's importance like Muslims do. In the Muslim sacred story, Ishmael is nearly sacrificed by Abraham, instead of Isaac, Ismael's younger half-brother.

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Ka'bah

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According to the Quran, the Muslim holy scripture, God's house in Mecca. Abraham and Ishmael were commanded to purify this house, making it a center of pilgrimmage and worship after nearly being destroyed by the Flood.

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the time of ignorance

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According to the Muslim story, the world of 500-ish CE had become exceedingly dark. Humanity was steeped in ignorance and superstition. The religions revealed through Moses and Jesus had been distorted, and a new religion, Islam, was the cure for this.

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prophets

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Abraham, Moses, and David were sent by God to guide humankind. God also worked through Mary and made Jesus a great prophet, according to Muslim tradition. Muhammed was the last prophet, the "seal of the prophets" who provided the perfect and final revelation; the fulfillment to the revelation of God.

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Quraysh

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the dominant tribe of Mecca (literally means "little shark" in Arabic) when Islam came around. Muhammad belonged to this tribe, even though it initially rejected him.

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imam 1 and 2?

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Shi'ite spiritual leaders (of Islam). Believed by them to be the descendants of the fourth rightly guided caliph, 'Ali: Hasan, Husayn, and their descendants. Shi'ites maintain that there were 12 imams before the final one disappeared to return sometime in the future.

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Hijra

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migration of the Muslim community to Medina from Mecca. Muhammad renamed Medina, "The City of the Prophet of Allah" (Medina al-Nabi). With the move, a new age in the Islamic movement began, in honor of that Muslims date their calendar from the first date of this lunar year.

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ummah

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the community of Islam. Development of the ummah was practiced after the move to Medina (Hijra).

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the four rightly guided caliphs

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First four successors of Muhammad, (caliphs: deputies of Muhammed). Abu Bakr was the first, 'Umar the second, 'Uthman the third, and 'Ali the fourth. The succession was disturbed following the assasination of 'Ali. The four rightly guided caliphs quickly consolidated and spread Muslim worship in Arabia and beyond.

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'Ali

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Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, the fourth rightly guided caliph. He ruled 656-661, married Muhammad's daughter Fatima, and was one of the first converts to Islam. Very close to the prophet Muhammad.

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Shi'ites

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Faction of 'Ali, they believe that the family of Muhammad, through 'Ali and his descendants, should be the real spiritual leaders of Islam. This sentiment increased upon the assassination of 'Ali and his descendants

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hadith

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Muslim report, in this context, containing information about Muhammad life as gathered from individual reports from Muhammad's companions and contemporaries. The collection of these stories compose the Hadith.

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Dar al-Islam

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Territory under control of Muslim rulers following the rule of the four rightly guided caliphs. In Dar al-Islam it was possible to conduct all aspects of life in accordance with Islam. Term is relevant from 7th century CE to 13th century CE, with unrest caused by the mongols.

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Ummayad Dynasty

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Ruling caliphate immediately following the four rightly guided caliphs, it was a family dynasty based in Damascus, which would become a new center of Islamic thought and practice. The rule of the Ummayad Dynasty focused more on preserving political power than it did spiritual fellowship. However, caliphate rule under the Ummayad Dynasty saw the expansion of Islam into the West, across North Africa and into Spain, and East protruding into modern-day India.

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Abbasid Dynasty

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Originally, a group of Arabs from Khurasan in the northeast that seized control of the caliphate from the Ummayad Dynasty. These new rulers brought Islam into its golden age shortly after seizing control in 750 CE. Advancement in scholarship, literature, and the arts flourished. These new rulers lived in great wealth and were the last rulers who owned the caliphate with power attached.

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Shari'ah

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systematic working out of Islamic law.

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Sufis

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Muslim ascetics who distance themselves from sensuous life and luxury, who prize the inner emotional submission to God in love. Mystics by nature who clashed against the contemporary Muslim establishment, the Ummayad and Abbasid Dynasties.

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Shahadah

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The Muslim confession of Faith: "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God." Reciting this confession with faith and true intention is what makes one a Muslim.

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tawhid

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Doctrine, confession professing the unity of God. "God is one." Whereas this sounds deceptively simple, to Muslims the whole experience of God is concentrated in these words.

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'abd

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Muslim word meaning slave, servant. According to Islam, all creation finds its worth in being the servant of God.

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shirk

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the greatest sin, according to the Quran. It is associating something else with God, the great sin of polytheism. The Quran holds that elevating any created thing to the level of the Creator, God, is shirk

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jihad

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the path of transformation, a continuous struggle starting with submission to Allah. The path of submission is one that requires constant striving, repenting, studying, praying, and disciplining. More specifically, jihad refers to the need for striving and struggling to establish God's design for the world within oneself and others.

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iman

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Muslim word for "faith" or "certain knowledge." Iman in the Muslim path is faith on the basis of rational certainty arrived at through the use of our intelligence. Muslims regard the former as the highest form of knowledge.

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Salat

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One of the five pillars of Islam, Salat is Prayer, required five times a day, seven days a week. It is rooted in Muslim daily activity, making it difficult to become estranged with God. The required prayer ritual serves as a public expression of praise and submission to God.

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Zakat

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Another of the five pillars of Islam, Zakat is the practice of alms-giving. Distinct from charity, Zakat is a legal obligation, a religious tax computed on various forms of wealth. It is required of Muslims who have reached majority age, 16, and who possess a minimum of each type of wealth. According to the Quran, it is to be given to the poor, the needy, those who collect alms, and others.

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Ramadan

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Month of fasting in the Muslim calendar, occurring every year. Ramadan is an especially sacred time for Muslims. By fasting during the daylight hours, Muslims set apart this whole month as sacred time. The month of Ramadan represents the Pillar of Fasting, Sawm.

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Hajj

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The fifth holy Pillar of Islam, it is the high point of life for many Muslims. It is the Pilgrimage to Mecca, required once in the lifetime of every Muslim. The Pilgrimmage represents a reconnection with the sacred story of Muhammad, a moving individual spiritual experience as well as communal one.

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'id al-fitr

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Feast of Fast-breaking, it comes on the first day of the month following the Ramadan Fasting. It is a celebration of thankfulness for having been able to complete the Fasting of the Ramadan. In many places this joyous festival lasts three days.

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Ottoman Empire

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Turkish, Muslim empire bridging western Asia, northern Africa, and eastern Europe. Began after Mongols invaded Islamic strongholds.

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Akbar

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Famous ruler of the Mughal Empire in India. He ruled 1556-1605, the grandson of Babur, and extending his rule throughout India. He was a Muslim who tolerated other religions, even marrying two Hindu princesses. He set up a policy of universal religious toleration and tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to establish a synthesis of many religions, the Divine Wisdom, at the end of his reign

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Wahhabi Movement

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Movement that attempted to purify Islam of centuries-long accumulations of beliefs and practices, returning to the original purity of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. The Wahhabis were traditionalists who attacked innovations of the Golden Age of Islam, hoping to return to a literal understanding of the clear words of the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet.

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Muhammad Abduh

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(1849-1905) Egyptian, Muslim thinker who wanted to strengthen Islam and push out Western influences and power, seeing no basic conflicts between Islam and modern science. He pointed out that the Muslim tradition has always promoted progress in science, researching and understanding the natural law that operates according to God's design. He supported educational science reform in Egypt, and tried to reform the curriculum of the famous university Al-Azhar.

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Nation of Islam

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important Muslim movement in America, so-called Black Muslim Movement. The most prominent and lasting movement by African-Americans to foster their Islamic identity. Founded by Elijah Muhammad, the movement also included a racial sentiment that excluded white involvement and fostered black nationalism.

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ijtihad

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the striving characterized in Islam. Particular to jihad

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ulama

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muslim religious scholars

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Muhammad's sunnah

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the example of Muhammad, who prostrated that Muslims attend to every aspect of their life. This argumentation became central to the formulation of Shar'ia Law.

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qiyas

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method of analogy used to clarify whether something was appropriate in relation to what rulings were already accepted in the Hadiths, instead of making a judgement on every situation. Analogies were solely based on Quran or an existing Hadith.

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ijma'

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consensus for formulating Muslim law, consensus among Muslim scholars is necessary for analogies to be put in place for code violations, or clarifications of the Shar-iah Law

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haram

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acts of Shar-iah Law that are strictly prohibited, and whose performance lends punishment.