ABC Book of Islam

by Perry Jones

A - Abbasids

The Abbasid Caliphate was the third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphs from all but Al Andalus.

http://blog.shunya.net/shunyas_blog/2009/10/part-2-the-golden-age-of-islam.html

B - Bedouins

The Bedouin, are a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group (previously nomadic, presently mostly settled) found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the Arabia Desert.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedouin

C - Caliphs

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. The early leaders of the Muslim nation following Muhammad's death were called "Khalifat Rasul Allah", the political successors to the messenger of God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliph

D - Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine which houses the Foundation Stone, arguably the holiest spot in Judaism, and is a major landmark located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was completed in 691, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world. Its significance stems from the religious beliefs regarding the rock at its heart.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/islam.htm

E – Eating (Fasting)

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. Takes place during the month of Ramadan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

F - Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. These duties are Shahadah (Profession of Faith), Salah (prayers), Zakah (Giving to the poor and needy), Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). These five practices are essential to Sunni Islam; Shi'a Muslims subscribe to eight ritual practices which substantially overlap with the five Pillars. Twelvers have five fundamental beliefs which relates to Aqidah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam

G – Global Religion

Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.2 billion worldwide and 1.1 to 7 million in the U.S.  3 About 21% of all people on Earth follow Islam. The religion is currently in a period of rapid growth.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/islam.htm

H - Hajj

The Hajj is a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah to the holy city of Mecca, and derives from an ancient Arab practice. Every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if he or she can afford it.

I - Islam

Islam is the religion articulated by the Qur’an, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of the single incomparable God, and by the Islamic prophet Muhammad's demonstrations and real-life examples. The word Islam is a homograph, having multiple meanings, and a trilateral of the word salaam, which directly translates as peace. Other meanings include submission, or the total surrender of oneself to God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam

J - Jihad

Jihad is an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād is a noun meaning "struggle." Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of Allah. A person engaged in jihad is called amujahid, the plural is mujahideen.

K – Ka’bah

The Ka’bah is a cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The building predates Islam, and, according to Islamic tradition, the first building at the site was built by Abraham. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba

L – Language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, Arabic is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as a first language, most of whom live in the Middle East and North Africa, and by 250 million more as a second language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_language

M - Muhammad

Muhammad is the founder of the religion of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of God, the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the Qur'an 33:40–40.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad

N – Nigeria

Nigeria is home to a variety of religions which tend to vary regionally. This situation accentuates regional and ethnic distinctions and has often been seen as a source of sectarian conflict amongst the population. The main religions are Islam, Christianity, and indigenous religions, most notably Yoruba Orisha or Orisa veneration and Ifá and Igbo Odinani.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria#Religion

O – One God

In Islam, Allah is the only real supreme being, all-powerful and all knowing Creator, Sustainer, Ordainer, and Judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Islam

P - Prayer

Ṣalāt is the name given to the formal prayer of Islam. The prayer is one of the obligatory rites of the religion, to be performed five times a day by a practicing Muslim. Its supreme importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sutrah.jpg

Q - Qur’an

The Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind, and consider the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qur'an

R – Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

S - Sunni

The branch of Islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful

successors of Muhammad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi'a–Sunni_relations

T – Timur Lenk

Timur Lenk, a 14th century Turco-Mongol conqueror of much of western and central Asia, thought of himself as a ghazi, although his wars were also against Muslim states.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur

U - Umayyad

The Umayyad house was one of the major clans of the Quraysh tribe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Caliphate

V - Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme God in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God. He is exalted as the highest God in Hindu sacred texts like the Taittiriya Samhita and the Bhagavad Gita. He is the Guru Kshethram, representing Bṛhaspati, or Jupiter, in the Navagraha, or nine cosmic influences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu

W - Wahhabists

The Saudi Salafi sheiks were convinced that it was their religious mission to wage Jihad against all other forms of Islam. In 1801 and 1802, the Saudi Wahhabists under Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud attacked and captured the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, massacred the Shiites and destroyed the tombs of the Shiite Imam Husayn and Ali bin Abu Talib. In 1802 they overtook Taif. In 1803 and 1804 the Wahhabis overtook Mecca and Medina.

X - Malcolm X

While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam. After his parole in 1952, he became one of the Nation's leaders and chief spokesmen. For nearly a dozen years, he was the public face of the Nation of Islam. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X's departure from the organization in March 1964.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

Y -

Z - Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to an individual named Zoroaster, after whom the religion is named. Along with Hinduism, Zoroastrianism is considered to be among the oldest religions in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism