Vocab
Religion founded by Muhammad.
Islam
Name for the land mass that is commonly referred to as "The Middle East."
The Arabian Peninsula
Founder and prophet of Islam.
Muhammad
Shahada
Believe only the descendants of Ali should be Caliph.
Shia
The belief in a single divine being or dirty.
Monotheism
The sea that separates Africa from the Middle East.
Red Sea
City where Muhammad founded Islam and gained his first followers.
Mecca (Makkah)
Almsgiving (donating to the poor/needy)
Believe Muslims outside of the descendants of Ali should be able to be Caliph
Sunni
The belief in multiple divine beings or dieties.
Polytheism
Largest country (by land area) in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia
Name of the famous shrine in Mecca that Muslims pray towards.
The Kaaba
Prayer (5x per day)
Salah (Salat)
Most Muslims in the world today are ________.
Sunni
Legal system based on the teachings of Muhammad.
Shari'ah Law
Body of water that separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.
Persian Gulf
City where Muhammad and his followers fled due to persecution in Mecca.
Medina (Medinah)
Pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims attempt to make at least once in their lives.
Hajj
There are four countries where the majority of Muslims are Shia rather than Sunni -- name at least one.
Iran
Iraq
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Elite foot soldiers of the Ottoman Empire -- often kidnapped Christian boys who were forced to convert to Islam.
Janissaries
Smallest country by land area in the Middle East.
Bahrain
The name of the wealthy widow that Muhammad married shortly before founding Islam.
Khadija
Ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset.
Sawm
Total number of Sunnis in the world today (closest without going over gets the points).
~ 1.7 billion