Islam
The five pillars of islam
Are they the shahada (belief in one God, and Muhammed is the prophet), Salaat (5 daily prayers) zakat (alms to the poor) Sawm (fasting during the month of Ramadan), and the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca if circumstances permit)
The country whose water source is the longest river in the world
Is it Egypt and the Nile?
14th century traveler from Morocco famous for his accounts of his travels
Was it Ibn Battuta?
8th century collection of fables
was it Kalila wa Dimna?
Year and word for the Prophet's move from Mecca to Medina, marking the start of the Muslim era.
Was the hijra in 622
What is NOT one of the two principle religious holidays in Islam? Ramadan, the Prophet's birthday (al-mawlid) 3aid kabiir, 3aid Saghiir, ra's al-'aam (new year's)
The only Muslim country where polygamy is against the law (punishable by a fine and prison)
Is it Tunisia?
The first sociologist, famous for his "Muqaddima" - the introduction to his major work on history, explaining his theories of civilization
Was it Ibn Khaldoun? (b.1332 Tunis - d.1406, Cairo)
A collection of tales, whose frame story introduces the strong female character of Sheharazade
Is it Alf Layla wa layla?
Year of the Arab-Berber invasion of Spain
was it 711?
What is the difference between Sunni and Shiite and Sufi Muslims?
Do Sunni believe that Muhammad's successor should be chosen from the best leaders,
Shiite believe the leader should be a descencent of Muhammad,
Sufis are mystics who seek a direct experience of God,without intermediaries?
Country where Coptic Christians are found
Is it Egypt?
The singer who had such an impact in the Arab worlde that she is known as the "Fourth Pyramid."
Was it Umm Kulhoum?
a simpleton-trickster in folktales, often involving a donkey
It is Jha (Goha in Egypt) Nasreddin Hodja in Turkey?
Islamic art is characterized by...
Bygeometric and floral designs and calligraphy?
The code of law derived from the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet and a methodology through which a jurist examines religious texts to find the divine will
shari'a
Arab country with the largest population (which is...)
Does Egypt have 100 million people?
Name of the leader of the Islamic conquest of Spain, for whom Gibraltar is named.
Was it Tariq ibn Ziyad
(Tariq's mountain = jabal Tariq)
The heroine/protagonist of of Les Jardins du Nord by Tunisian writer Souad Guellouz
Is her name Sofia?
The hadith are...
Are they the teachings of Muhammad not considered to be revealed like the Qur’an?
What is the folk tradition of Islam in North Africa
Is it maraboutism, the veneration of saints as intermediaries (as seen in Matmata and in the large of saints tombs)
The country that was the first to recognize the United States independence, in what year
Was it Morocco in 1777?
The Egyptian novelist who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1988
Was it Naguib Mahfouz?
The most valued pre-Islamic form of literature, and the most outstanding examples were called...
Was it poetry? of which the outstanding examples were name the Mu'allaqat, because they were hung on the walls of the Ka'ba.
Why was the ideal marriage partner in traditional Arab society the bint 'amm (father's brother's daughter)?
was it because a. it kept the property in the family when she marries b. the wife had the chance to know the character of her husband before she was cloistered at puberty in a traditional society c. either could appeal to parents if they had trouble with a spouse