Islamic History and Culture

Southwest Asia, a bridge connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Mostly desert, inhabited by nomadic people organized into clans.

Tribes providing support and security in harsh desert conditions.

City in Arabia with trade routes; location of the Ka'aba, a shrine with many idols.

The Arabic word for God, also related to the Hebrew and Aramaic terms.

Declaring that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.

Performing ritual prayers five times a day, facing the Kaaba in Mecca.

Giving a percentage of one's wealth to the poor and needy.

Abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan.

Making a pilgrimage to Mecca, if physically and financially able.

Religions that trace their origins back to Abraham.

Located in Jerusalem, it's Islam's oldest standing monument.

Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina in 622.

Islam's holy book, believed to be the direct word of Allah.

The scholar class of religious teachers in Islam.

Islam's holy book. It preserves the original messages of ethical and social guidance.

Some were skeptical of Muhammad because he performed no miracles, unlike other prophets.

The journey from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina), marking the beginning of Islam as a faith-based community.

Islam recognizes that God revealed himself many times but believes followers went astray.

Muhammad forgave Mecca and welcomed them. He also destroyed pagan idols, rejecting their ancestor's beliefs.

Muslims first found paper in Central Asia.

Cordoba rivaled Baghdad as a center of learning and culture.

Cordoba had running water, large homes, hospitals, and libraries, unlike the small shacks by rivers in other European cities at the time.

Kindness, empathy, and a strong sense of community developed from facing hardship.

The Alhambra shows that Islamic architecture was finely carved and luxurious.

They preserved and shared tribal history and traditions in a culture that valued oral storytelling.

Loyalty to family/tribe and protection of resources, especially water sources.

Muslim culture was more advanced, wealthy, peaceful, and shared ideas, while Europe was in the Dark Ages, cut off and living in poorer conditions.

Worship of nature spirits and idols; the Ka'ba served as a central shrine.

Belief in one God, social justice that involves wealth sharing to unify people.

The hajj fostered unity and cultural exchange by facilitating the movement of people, goods, and ideas across borders.

Baghdad was a wealthy, advanced city with revolutionary architecture and a hub for scholars.

The House of Wisdom was a center for scholars from various backgrounds to learn, translate texts, and create new knowledge.

Muslim scientists saw no conflict between their faith and the natural laws of the world.

Scholars developed Arabic numerals, translated Greek texts, pioneered the scientific process, and established specialized hospital wards.

The Muslim community needed a new leader, as Muhammad had no designated successor.

The first leader of the Muslim community after Muhammad's death; also means "deputy" of the Prophet.

The first caliph, chosen after Muhammad's death.

Those who supported Abu Bakr's leadership.

The second caliph, who spread Islam to Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

The fourth caliph of Islam, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad.

Military conflict, weak empires, religious freedom, economic incentives, and revived trade routes.

Invoking "striving" to expand Islam; a concept of struggle, sometimes military.

Shared communication, and a central hub for cultural exchange and knowledge.

Maintaining unity by engaging in military conflicts with tribes that tried to break away.

A sanctuary structure in Mecca, believed to be built by Abraham and Ishmael.

The tribe that ruled Mecca and rebuilt the Kaaba around 608 CE.

The city Muhammad migrated to in 620, now known as Medina.

A stone believed to be given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel, revered by Muslims.

Annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Caliph who ruled from 644-656 and built colonnades around the Kaaba.

Civil war leaders, where the Kaaba was set on fire in 683 CE.

A black cloth that covers the Kaaba, replaced annually during the Hajj.

The number of minarets the mosque around the Kaaba has, the most of any mosque in the world.

The monotheistic predecessor to Islam, associated with Abraham.