Culture and Science
This word describes a period when a culture or society is at its peak
Golden Age
This dynasty took over immediately after the rightly guided caliphs and expanded the empire to Spain in the west and Central Asia in the east
The Umayyads
This person is said to have received instructions directly from the angel Gabriel, and began a new religion
The Prophet Muhammad
This book contains the instructions given to Muhammad from the angel Gabriel. It is Islam's holiest book.
The Qur'an
The Arabian peninsula is composed of extremely harsh deserts, so historically most people living there have moved from place to place and can be described as this
Nomads
Arabic scholars in Cordoba and Baghdad would translate their words into this language so that Europeans (who were a bit backward at that time) could learn from them
Latin
This dynasty moved the capital to Baghdad in the east
The Abbasids
He was the last of the "rightly guided caliphs", and his death sparked a permanent divide between Sunnis and Shi'as
Ali
This book contains the words and deeds of Muhammad, and is used as an example of how a Muslim should live his or her life
The Sunnah
This is a shrine to Islam. It historically held idols to other gods but was repurposed by Muhammad
The Ka'aba
A type of mathematics called "algebra" was created based on his calculations
Al-Khwarizmi
A leader of the Umayyad dynasty introduced these two things to help unite the empire
A common language (Arabic) and a common coinage
Muhammad's uncle, this person united Muslims and shepherded the empire through a difficult phase
Abu Bakr
One of the five pillars of Islam, Faith or Shahadah (in Arabic) states that a Muslim must believe and say this.
"There is only one god, and Muhammad is his prophet"
Pre-Islamic Arabian society was divided into these groups, which are people related by blood or marriage
Clans
This poet and mathematician invented the quatrain
Omar Khayyam
The Umayyads introduced this system of government, which uses departments and agencies to carry out the work of government
A bureaucracy
This Umayyad ruler barely escaped the Abbasids with his life, but he went on to re-found his empire in Spain
Abd al-Rahman
One of the Five Pillars of Islam, Fasting (or Sawm in Arabic) requires Muslims to do this thing during this time period
Go without food or drink all day during the month of Ramadan
Polytheism and monotheism
This city in Western Europe was a trading and cultural center as well as containing dozens of libraries and hundreds of scholars
Cordoba
This policy brought many Christians and Muslims into the government, and made known that all Muslims, whether Arab or not, were equal
Inclusion
This Umayyad ruler took steps to unify his empire through language and commerce
Shia's believe the first thing, and Sunnis believe the second thing
Shi'as: Caliphs must be descended from Muhammad
Sunnis: Any faithful Muslim may be selected to be caliph
This event is known as the Hijrah
The journey of Muslims from Mecca to Medina (or Yathrib)