Islam+and+Africa+Key+Terms-+Who+or+What+is+Important

__Islam:__
> > __**Africa**__
 * **Bedouin: One of the first nomadic cultures that developed in Arabia. These people based the survival of their civilizations around camel and goat herding.**
 * **Shaykhs: The leaders of the bewdouin tribes, who were almost always men who had large herds, many wives, many children, and numerous retainers.**
 * **Mecca: A mountain region located along the Red Sea. This town was founded by the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh bedouin tribe and members of the clan domiated is politics and commercial economy.The Ka'ba was located here, which was a center for worship filled with religious shrines and it was a place, where peace could be found among all of the indvidual clans. Mecca hosted a lot of bazaars which benefited their economy.**
 * **Medina: known as "City of the Prophet" Muhammad. Medina was established as an oasis. Wells and springs made their sedentary agriculture possible. They grew date palms, whose fruit and seeds could be used to feed camels, which they would trade with the bedouin tribes who passed through.**
 * **Muhammad: (570-632 C.E.) He was known as the prophet of Allah. He was born in Medina and lost both of his parents at a very young age. Due to these circumstances, he was raised by both the clan and his uncle. His uncle taught him everything that he would need to know in order to survive. One day when he was sitting in a mountain top cave, he received a revelation from an angel who told him... "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger." After hearing this Muhammad quicly spread it around to the people. This became known as the Muslim religion.**
 * **5 Pillars:
 * Shahadah- the declaration of faith in Islam that states "I witness that there is nod god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God" This relates to the Qur'an because the Qur'an is the holy scripture and Shahadah describes the peoples parts of the holy scripture.
 * Salah: The five daily prayers which are they duty of every Muslim to perform in different time slots. 1.) between dawn and sunrise, 2.) noon to mid-afternoon,
 * 3.) between mid-afternoon and just before sunset, 4.) at sunset, 5.) after twilight until night time. This relates to the Qur'an because when they pray, they are required to build a better community, because they (all the people) came together as one to worship. The main places to worship was the Ka'ba, located in Mecca.
 * Sawm (Fasting)- During one month each year, the people fast (no eatine or drinking except for during certain time slots. This helped to bring the community together, because they would eat the meals that they were allowed to eat together. This pillar relates to the Qur'an, because they would read from it everynight. They would read 1/30th of it everynight and would finish it by the end of the month.
 * Zakah- (Charity as a duty) - It was from this where the Muslims were required the donate to different charities by the Qur'an it was the due to these donations that there were enough funds to build hospitals and keep Islam up and running. This pillar brought people together, because they would donate money together and people would help each other and the less fortunate out.
 * Hajj (Journey to Makkah) - Every year they perform the pilgimage to the city of Makkah where Abraham, his wife and his son were all put on trial and sacrificed. This pillar involved the Qur'an, because there were readings in the Qur'an about this pilgrimage. Also, this helped to build a stronger community because the people would travel together and become closer.
 * **Dhows: Sailing vessels built by the Abbasid people in order for their trade to flourish.**
 * **Dhows: Sailing vessels built by the Abbasid people in order for their trade to flourish.**


 * ** Mansa Musa: (King of Mali) Made the first pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 C.E. It was this pilgrimage that brought attention to the Muslim world and the wealth of its kingdom. **
 * ** Stateless Societies: African societies, which had rulers who excersised their power through a hierarchy of official which could also be called states. These states had a government which was usually controlled by the community. **
 * ** Muhammad the Great: A ruler who extended the boundaries of the empire, so that by the mid-16th century Songhay dominated Sudan. **
 * ** Hausa: People of Northern Nigeria who formed states that followed and practiced a comination of Muslim and pagan traditions. **
 * ** Sharia: Islamic Law **