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69 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What was Arabia like before the rise of Islam? |
A peripheral desert wasteland whose once great trading cities had fallen on hard times. The sparse population of the Arabian peninsula was divided into rival tribes and clans that worshiped local gods. |
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Bedouin |
nomadic pastoralists of the Arabian peninsula, culture based on camel and goat nomadism, early converts to Islam |
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Arabia social organization: |
clans |
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Shaykhs |
leaders of tribes and clans within bedouin society, usually men with larger herds, several wives, and many children. |
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How was clan cohesion reinforced? |
by fierce interclan rivalries and struggles to control vital pasturelands and watering places |
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Mecca |
city located in mountainous region along the Red Sea in Arabian peninsula, founded by Umayyad clan of Quraysh, site of Ka'ba, original home of Muhammad, location of chief religious pilgrimage point in Islam |
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Umayyad |
clan of Quraysh that dominated politics and commercial economy of Mecca, clan established dynasty as rulers of Islam |
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Ka'ba |
most revered religious shrine in preIslamic Arabia, located in Mecca, focus of obligatory annual truce among bedouin tribes, later incorporated as important shrine in Islam |
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Medina |
also known as Yathrib, town located northeast of Mecca, grew date palms whose fruit was sold to bedouins, became refuge for Muhammad following flight from Mecca |
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Women in Arabia: |
key economic roles (milking camels, weaving cloth, and raising children), descent was traced through the mother |
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What part of Arab culture was not highly developed and why? |
the material culture-because of the isolation of Arabia in the pre-Islamic age and the harshness and poverty of the natural environment |
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What was the main focus of bedouin cultural creativity? |
poetry (which was communicated orally because there was no written language) |
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Bedouin religion was ___ |
a blend of animism and polytheism |
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In the 7th century, what did the revelations of the prophet Muhammad provide the basis for? |
the emergence of a new religion-Islam_in the Arabian peninsula, though initially an Arab religion, in both beliefs and practices, Islam contained a powerful appeal that eventually made it one of the great world religions |
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Muhammad |
prophet of Islam, received revelations from Allah |
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Khadijah |
first wife of Muhammad, Muhammad earlier worked for her as a trader |
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Qur'an |
recitations of revelations received by Muhammad, holy book of Islam |
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Ali |
clansman of Muhammad who took the place and risked his life for Muhammad |
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Who were the first followers of Islam? |
Arab town dwellers and beduoins |
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Umma |
community of the faithful within Islam, transcended old tribal boundaries to create degree of political unity |
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Zakat |
tax for charity, obligatory for all Muslims |
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Five Pillars |
the obligatory religious duties of Muslims |
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Why did people like Islam? |
-uncompromising monotheism -highly developed legal codes -egalitarianism -strong sense of community |
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Name the 5 Pillars:
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1) Shahada: proclaim monotheism and importance of Muhammad 2) Salat: pray 5 times a day facing Mecca, Friday noon is most important 3) Zakat: charity, expected to give to poor 4) Sawn: fast sunrise-->sunset during the month of Ramadan 5) Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca, should try to do once in lifetime
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Ramadan |
Islamic month of religious observation requiring fasting from dawn to sunset |
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Hajj |
a Muslim's pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca to worship Allah at the Ka'ba |
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Caliph |
the political and religious successor to Muhammad |
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Abu Bakr |
caliph after Muhammad's death |
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Ridda Wars |
wars that followed Muhammad's death in 632, resulted in defeat of rival prophets and some larger clans, restored the unity of Islam |
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JIhad |
struggle, often used for wars in defense in the faith |
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Copts and Nestorians |
areas dominated by Christian sects |
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Uthman |
3rd caliph who was murdered by mutinous warriors returning from Egypt-death caused conflict |
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Battle of Siffin |
fought in 657 between forces of Ali and Umayyads, settled by negotiation that led to fragmentation of Ali's party |
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Mu'awiya |
leader of Umayyad clan, first Umayyad caliph following civil war with Ali |
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Karbala |
site of defeat and death of Husayn, Ali's son, marked the beginning of Si'a resistance to Umayyad caliph |
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Damascus |
Syrian city that was capital of Umayyad caliphate |
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Mawali |
non-Arab converts to Islam |
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Jizya |
head tax paid by all nonbelievers in Islamic territories |
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Dhimmi |
"people of the book", applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories, later extended to Zoroastrians and Hindus |
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hadiths |
traditions of prophet Muhammad |
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Abbasid |
dynasty that succeeded the Umayyads as caliphs within Islam, came to power in 750 |
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Battle of the River Zab |
victory of Abbasids over Umayyads, resulted in conquest of Syria and capture of Umayyad capital |
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How did the Abbasids help Islam? |
they made it a universal religion that spread across of much of north Africa and Euro-Asia. with their capital at Baghdad, Islamic civilizations flourished even as the empire began to fragment into regional power centers |
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Baghdad |
capital of Abbasid dynasty located in Iraq near ancient Persian capital of Ctesiphon |
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Wazir |
chief administrative official under the Abbasid caliphate, initially recruited from Persian provinces of the empire |
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What happened in the last decades of the Umayyad period? |
-growing acceptance of the Mawali/ nonbelievers as equals -efforts to win new converts to the faith |
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Dhows |
arab sailing vessels with triangular/lateen sails, strongly influences European ship design |
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Ayan |
an Arab elite that was wealthy and deeply entrenched landed elite |
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Islam father of faith: |
Abraham |
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Muhammad facts |
-born in 570 AD in Mecca -merchant -prophet |
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Who were the first leaders after Muhammad? |
were not related to Muhammad |
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Ali, believe that caliphs should be descendants of Muhammad |
Shiites, Shi'a |
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believed that any good Muslim can lead |
Sunnis |
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place of worship |
Mosque |
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Muslim Merchants: |
-worked with traders from other regions -prime agents for transfer of crops, technology and ideas
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Who enforced the ideas of shayks? |
warriors |
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Explain the conflict over pastureland/watering holes: |
-need to defend one's honor -one man's sight could lead to huge conflict-->revenge -constant conflicts led to weakened empire |
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medina, unlike mecca, _______ |
-run by five competing families 2 beduoin 2 jewish --these divisions helped with the formation of islam |
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MEn status in pre-islamic arabia |
-earn status in war -creation of cities lead to male dominance -men only polygamy |
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Muhammad was born into the _____ clan |
Quraysh |
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Why did Muhammad go to Medina? |
-perfect location: caught up in clan conflict -invited to settle disputes -wisdom as a political leader won him converts |
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Umayyads initially raided for ___, but ___ |
booty raids showed signs of weakness of empires |
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Motives for Arab conquest: |
-unity of faith gave them common cause -pent-up energy from warrior people -not driven to win converts -booty |
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Umayyad Fall/Decline: |
caliph's growing addiction to luxury and soft living |
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Merv: |
where Umayyad revolution began |
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Abbasids less tolerant of ___ |
Shi'te sects |
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Money reinvested in companies: |
-share given to charity -created mosques, schools, baths -best hospitals |
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Slaves: |
do garbage jobs
-urban is better (work way to freedom) -rural/mining (left to non-muslim captures) |
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First priority: |
preserving classical texts of Greece, Mediterranean, Middle East |