IslamIslam (ˈɪslɑːm; ۘالِإسْلَام, al-ʾIslām ʔɪsˈlæːm, ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam, called Muslims, number approximately 2 billion globally and are the world's second-largest religious population after Christians. Muslims believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed many times through earlier prophets such as Adam (believed to be the first man), Ibrahim, Moses, and Isa (Jesus), among others.
Rashidun CaliphateThe Rashidun Caliphate (al-Khilāfah ar-Rāšidah; 632 661) was the first caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was ruled by the first four successive caliphs of Muhammad after his death in 632 CE (11 AH). During its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in West Asia. The caliphate arose following Muhammad’s passing in June 632 and the subsequent debate over the succession to his leadership.
SurahA surah (ˈsʊərə; sūrah, سور, ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 surahs in the Quran, each divided into ayats (verses). The chapters or surahs are of unequal length; the shortest surah (Al-Kawthar) has only three verses while the longest (Al-Baqara) contains 286 verses. Of the 114 chapters in the Quran, 86 are classified as Meccan, as they were revealed before the Hijrah, while 28 are Medinan, as they were revealed after.
QurayshThe Quraysh (قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Quraysh staunchly opposed Muhammad, until converting to Islam en masse in 630 CE. Afterwards, leadership of the Muslim community traditionally passed to a member of the Quraysh, as was the case with the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and purportedly the Fatimid caliphates.
KaabaThe Kaaba (ٱلْكَعْبَة, al.ˈkaʕ.ba), also spelled Ka'ba, Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Ka'ba al-Musharrafa (ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, al.ˈkaʕ.ba‿l.mu.ˈʃar.ra.fa), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is considered by Muslims to be the Bayt Allah (بَيْت ٱللَّٰه) and is the qibla (قِبْلَة, direction of prayer) for Muslims around the world. The current structure was built after the original building was damaged by fire during the siege of Mecca by Umayyads in 683.
HijrahThe Hijrah or Hijra (الهجرة) was the journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the epoch of the Lunar Hijri and Solar Hijri calendars; its date equates to 16 July 622 in the Julian calendar. The Arabic word hijra means primarily "a severing of ties of kinship or association." It has been also transliterated as Hegira in medieval Latin, a term still in occasional use in English.
Battle of the TrenchThe Battle of the Trench (Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq (Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates (Ghazwat al-Ahzab), was part of the conflict between the Muslims and the Quraysh, where this time the Quraysh took the offensive and advanced on the Muslims, who defended themselves in Medina by digging a trench around their settlement at the suggestion of Salman the Persian. The battle, which took place in 627 and lasted around two weeks, was lightly fought, with the Muslims reported to have suffered five to six casualties and the Quraysh three.
Abu Sufyan ibn HarbInfobox person | name = Abu Sufyan ibn Harbأبو سفيان إبن حرب | image = | caption = | birth_date = 567 CE | birth_name = Sakhr ibn Harb ibn Umayya | birth_place = Mecca, Hijaz, Arabia | death_date = | death_place = Medina, Hijaz, Rashidun Caliphate | resting_place = Al-Baqi Cemetery, Medina | spouse = (among others) | children = Sons:Daughters'': | relatives = | father = Harb ibn Umayya | occupation = Major leader of the Quraysh tribe | era = 624–630 | module = Sakhr ibn Harb ibn Umayya (صخر إبن حرب إبن أمية
Companions of the ProphetThe Companions of the Prophet (اَلصَّحَابَةُ; aṣ-ṣaḥāba meaning "the companions", from the verb صَحِبَ meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime, while being a Muslim and were physically in his presence. "Al-ṣaḥāba" is definite plural; the indefinite singular is masculine صَحَابِيٌّ (), feminine صَحَابِيَّةٌ ().
Mu'awiya IMu'awiya I (Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; 597, 603 or 605–April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and immediately after the four Rashidun ('rightly-guided') caliphs. Unlike his predecessors, who had been close, early companions of Muhammad, Mu'awiya was a relatively late follower of the Islamic prophet.