front 1 Muhammad | back 1 The Prophet of Islam, whom Muslims believe was the last messenger of God (Allah). He received the revelations that make up the Qur'an. |
front 2 Qur'an | back 2 The central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God (Allah). It's the sacred scripture of Islam. |
front 3 Hijra | back 3 The migration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. This event marks the beginning of the Islamic lunar calendar. |
front 4 Jihad | back 4 An Islamic term meaning "struggle" or "exertion." It refers to the religious duty of Muslims to maintain the religion. It can refer to a spiritual struggle or, less commonly, holy war. |
front 5 Five Pillars of Islam | back 5 The five basic acts of worship that are mandatory for all Muslims: profession of faith (Shahada), prayer (Salat), charity (Zakat), fasting during Ramadan (Sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). |
front 6 Shi'ite | back 6 One of the two main branches of Islam (the other being Sunni). Shi'ites believe that Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin, was the rightful successor to lead the Muslim community. |
front 7 Umayyad Caliphate | back 7 The second of the four major Islamic caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was centered in Damascus and was an extremely large empire. |
front 8 Heraclius | back 8 Byzantine Emperor (r. 610–641) who led the Eastern Roman Empire's army against the Sasanian Persians and then faced the initial Muslim conquests. |
front 9 Lombards | back 9 A Germanic tribe that invaded and settled in Italy in the 6th century, establishing the Kingdom of the Lombards, which significantly impacted the development of the Italian peninsula. |
front 10 Icon | back 10 A religious work of art, typically a painting of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint, used as an aid to devotion in the Eastern Orthodox Church. |
front 11 Iconoclasm | back 11 The deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political reasons. The most notable period was in the Byzantine Empire (8th and 9th centuries). |
front 12 Merovingian Dynasty | back 12 A dynasty of Frankish kings that ruled present-day France and part of Germany from the 5th to the 8th century. Clovis I was a key figure. |
front 13 Gregory of Tours | back 13 (c. 538–594) A Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours whose History of the Franks is a primary source for the Merovingian period. |
front 14 Oblation | back 14 An act of offering, often used in a religious context, referring to a gift or sacrifice made to God, especially in the context of the Christian Eucharist (communion). |
front 15 Gregory the Great | back 15 (r. 590–604) Pope Gregory I. A central figure in the transition from classical to medieval times, known for his writings, reforms, and missionary efforts, especially the mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons. |
front 16 Synod of Whitby | back 16 A 664 CE Northumbrian ecclesiastical meeting where King Oswiu adopted the Roman calculation for the date of Easter and Roman monastic practices over the Celtic ones, aligning the English Church with the papacy. |