Glossary for Class 6 World Cultures Students:
Abu Bakr: the first caliph who ruled after the death of the Prophet Muhammad from 632-634 C.E.
Ali: the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate who ruled from 656-661 C.E. who was plagued by civil wars and was eventually assassinated by dissidents.
Allah: The God: Al means The and ilah means god. Together it means "The God" or Allah. In Arabic Bible Allah is used to refer to The God. According to Muslim belief, the true name of God, the Creator of the universe. Allah also has 100 attributes which describe His power, glory and characteristics. Some of His attributes are the Merciful, the Beneficent, the Wise, the All-Knowing, the Protector, the Mighty, the Loving, the First, the Last, the Eternal.
Caliph - comes from Arabic word khalifa, meaning successor
Caliphate - The title of rulership or leadership in Islam that emerges after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 C.E. and lasted almost 13 centuries until the overthrow of the last Ottoman caliph in 1924
Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs: the first four caliphs after the Prophet Muhammad’s death (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali) known as the Rashidun Caliphate
hadith: the sayings, actions and approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); the authentically recorded and reported narrations from the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is modeled after the teachings of the Quran. (pl. ahadith)
Hajj: one of the five pillars of Islam, hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah that Muslims must make at least once during their lifetime.
hijrah: migration to seek sanctuary of freedom from religious or other persecution. In Islamic history terms, hijrah refers to the migration of Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. This journey took place in the twelfth year of his mission (622 C.E.). The Islamic calendar starts from this historical event. Hijrah can also mean to leave a bad way of life for a good or more righteous way.
Islam: derived from the Arabic root words of silm and salam, Islam means, among other things, peace, greeting, salutation, obedience, loyalty, allegiance, and submission to the will of Allah. Muslims believe that Islam is the last and final religion for all mankind till the end of time, irrespective of color, race, nationality, ethnic background, language, or social position. The term Mohammedanism is sometimes mistakenly used for Islam. This is a misnomer and is offensive to Muslims.
Kabah: a cube-shaped structure in the city of Mecca to which all Muslims turn during their prayers. The first house of worship built for mankind, it was originally built by Prophet Adam and later reconstructed by Prophets Ibraheem (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael), peace be upon them all.
masjid: called mosque in English, the Muslim place of prayers and worship. The life of the early Muslims used to revolve around the masjid. Meetings would be held there, discussions would take place there.
Mu’awiyah: the Muslim leader in Damascus of the Umayyad clan who refused to give his allegiance to the fourth caliph, Ali. He was the second cousin of Uthman and took power after the assassination of Ali. Mu’awiyah was the first ruler of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661-680 C.E. He named his son Yazeed as his successor.
Muhammad: The name of the last and final messenger of God. The Quran says that the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was foretold by each one of the foregoing prophets and the people were commanded to follow him when he appeared. His distinguishing feature was that he would confirm the truth of all prophets and revelations that preceded him. While other prophets were sent to a particular nation or tribe, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to all mankind.
Muslim: one who believes in Islam and submits to the rulings of Islam.
Omar (Umar): the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate who ruled from 634-644 C.E. who was a great strategist, expanded the Islamic territory in all directions, and helped to establish the administrative systems of the Islamic state (assassinated by a Persian slave)
Quran: the Muslim book of revelations is called the Quran. It was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Allah through angel Jibril (Gabriel) over a period of 23 years. There is only one Quran in the whole world and it is in the Arabic language. The Quran has one text, one language, and one dialect. It has been memorized by millions of Muslims in different parts of the world.
sunnah: In general, habit, practice, customary procedure, or action, norm, and usage sanctioned by tradition. In purely religious terms, it refers to Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w.) sayings, actions and approvals as authentically recorded by his companions.
Uthman: the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate who ruled from 644-656 C.E. who was plagued by rebellions and was eventually assassinated by armed rebels who stormed his house in Medina.