Islam Vocabulary flashcards

Terms	Definitions
Bedouins	a nomadic tribal people who live in the desert regions
caravan	a group of people and their camels that travel together in the desert (often for safety)
Hajj	the pilgramage to Mecca made in life of a Muslim, one of the 5 pillars
hijab	the headscarf worn by some Muslim women
Imam	religious leader of prayer in a Mosque
Kaaba	the most sacred shrine in Islam, focal point for prayer in Islam
Mecca/Makkah	the most sacred place in Islam; location of the Ka'bah
mihrab	the wall niche or alcove that is a facing Mecca inside a mosque
minbar	the stair or pulpit-like place from which the Imam leads prayer
Muezzin	the man that calls the worshippers to pray from a minaret tower
minaret	the tower from which a Muezzin calls worshippers to pray 5x/day
mosque	the building for worship for the Islamic faith
Muhammad (PBUH)	the prophet and God's messenger, founded the faith of Islam
Koran	the written word of God as shared with Muhammad
Ramadan	The 30 days that are reserved for fasting during the daylight hours
wudu	the ritual washing done by followers of Islam before entering the mosque
Crusades	A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule.
Dome of the Rock	Mosque in Jerusalem where Muhammad ascended to heaven
Arabic	the Semitic language of the Arabs
Jerusalem	A city in the Holy Land, regarded as sacred by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
pilgrimage	A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.
Eid Al Fitr	marks the end of Ramadan and the fasting. Very festive time. Eid al- fitr means recurring happiness
Muslim	a believer or follower of Islam
Allah	Muslim name for the one and only God
oasis	a fertile place in a desert where there is water and vegetation
monotheism	belief in one God
Abraham	the first of the great Biblical patriarchs, father of Isaac, and traditional founder of the ancient Hebrew nation: considered by Muslims an ancestor of the Arab peoples through his son Ishmael.
Hagar	Ishmael's mother
Ishmael	son of Abraham and Hagar
ZamZam	Well where Hagar found water for Ishmael after her desperate search
Islam	the religion practiced by Muslims; Islam means "submission to the will of God."
Medina	City in western Arabia to which the Prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape persecution in Mecca.
622 C.E.	Hijrah; When Muhammad goes with his followers to Yathrib (Medina). Muhammad converts all these people to Islam, making it the official religion of their city; start of Muslim calendar
Hadith	book of stories about the words or deeds of the Prophet Muhammad; next to the Quran, lessons to help lead daily life
Shahada	Declaration of faith, one of the Five Pillars
Salat	One of the five pillars of Islam: praying 5 times a day (early morning, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, evening)
Zakat	the fourth pillar of Islam is almsgiving as an act of worship
Sawm	One of the five pillars of Islam: fasting during month of Ramadan (only daylight hours)
Five Pillars	beliefs that all Muslims needed to carry out: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage
caliph	successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims
Sunni	one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam, largest group
Shiite	a muslim group that accepts only the descendants of muhammad's son-in-law ali as the true rulers of islam
ihram	two white cotton cloths worn by male Muslims on their pilgrimage to Mecca. Symbolic of the state of purity that all pilgrims assume while on the Hajj.